---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some films really do take years to get…"
description: "\"Some films really do take years to get going, but I'd say that most of the films I want to do are slightly smaller projects. Some could be sketches. Th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg"
---

#  Some films really do take years to get going, but I'd say…

![“Some films really do take years to get going, but I'd say that most of the films I want to do are slightly smaller projects. Some could be sketches. They're not all oil paintings.” quote by Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg)

> “Some films really do take years to get going, but I'd say that most of the films I want to do are slightly smaller projects. Some could be sketches. They're not all oil paintings.”

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Linklater notes that many projects take years, yet his desired works are modest, sometimes sketches, not grand productions.

**In simple terms:** He prefers smaller, sketch-like films.

Key Takeaway

Embrace modest, focused projects.

Themes

creativity scale process

Mood

reflective pragmatic

Type

inspirational strategic

When to use this quote

- indie filmmaking
- personal projects
- creative brainstorming

Key Concepts

project planning budgeting creative sketching

Questions to Reflect On

- What benefits arise from modest projects?
- How to balance ambition with practicality?

A Different Perspective

Small scale may limit reach.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Films Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-really/) [Films Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-want/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [Say Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-films-794870/) [Smaller Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smaller-projects-4536835/)

## Related quotes

> [On certain projects, on big public projects, people definitely are interested in making them greener, but on smaller projects with tight budgets it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/on-certain-projects-on-big-public-projects-people-definitely-are/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [Over the years I have always said what I wanted to say through my films. I have ensured that I will not allow anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balachandra-menon/over-the-years-i-have-always-said-what-i-wanted-to-say-through-my/)

[Balachandra Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balachandra-menon/)

> [I know from the past, critics often say my films don't have any plot, that kind of thing. I'm used to being told, "Yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/i-know-from-the-past-critics-often-say-my-films-don-t-have-any-plot/)

[Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/)

> [I would say that all my films have more content than a 'content-driven film.' It is not easy to make such films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farah-khan/i-would-say-that-all-my-films-have-more-content-than-a-content-driven/)

[Farah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farah-khan/)

> [I've always tried to be aware of what I say in my films, because all of us who make motion pictures are teachers -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/i-ve-always-tried-to-be-aware-of-what-i-say-in-my-films-because-all/)

[George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/)

> [I like to say that films are never finished, they're only abandoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/i-like-to-say-that-films-are-never-finished-they-re-only-abandoned/)

[George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/)

> [I would say films inspire me more than the makers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/i-would-say-films-inspire-me-more-than-the-makers/)

[Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/)

> [I have a list of things I want to say through my films and I have started doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-have-a-list-of-things-i-want-to-say-through-my-films-and-i-have/)

[Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/)

> [They say films they are made by computers. There are computer programs to see statistically what people are more interested in, and they practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-gomes/they-say-films-they-are-made-by-computers-there-are-computer-programs/)

[Miguel Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-gomes/)

> [I definitely am concerned with preservation. For me, what's interesting is the archival state, or how long oil paintings last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucien-smith/i-definitely-am-concerned-with-preservation-for-me-what-s-interesting/)

[Lucien Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucien-smith/)

> [I worked offshore as an oil worker for a couple of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-worked-offshore-as-an-oil-worker-for-a-couple-of-years/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [My influences are all over the place. Different films have spoken to me at different times in my life, and they've helped create my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-haigh/my-influences-are-all-over-the-place-different-films-have-spoken-to/)

[Andrew Haigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-haigh/)

> [I will do films I want to make. I will never make a film for commerce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-krishna-acharya/i-will-do-films-i-want-to-make-i-will-never-make-a-film-for-commerce/)

[Vijay Krishna Acharya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-krishna-acharya/)

> [I've always traveled with the films because I want the audience to be my teacher so that I can learn for the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-potter/i-ve-always-traveled-with-the-films-because-i-want-the-audience-to-be/)

[Sally Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-potter/)

> [As long as I can make the films I want to make in decent conditions, I am happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/as-long-as-i-can-make-the-films-i-want-to-make-in-decent-conditions-i/)

[Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/)

## More by Richard Linklater

> [There are so many great artists, I think, who kind of suffer from being icons, legends, acknowledged masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/there-are-so-many-great-artists-i-think-who-kind-of-suffer-from-being/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I think people forget how radical the narrative of 'Slacker' is. There's no story, you know? We could go from one character to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-think-people-forget-how-radical-the-narrative-of-slacker-is-there-s/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I always sensed instinctively from the earliest age that I was being lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-always-sensed-instinctively-from-the-earliest-age-that-i-was-being/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [It's just too late to ban all guns. There are 300 million. We should've done that after the Civil War - that's when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/it-s-just-too-late-to-ban-all-guns-there-are-300-million-we-should-ve/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I remember when I made 'A Scanner Darkly,' going, 'I hope people see it in theater - but I think it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-remember-when-i-made-a-scanner-darkly-going-i-hope-people-see-it-in/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [Normally my process is to sit in a room and read a script and talk about it and ask questions and just create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/normally-my-process-is-to-sit-in-a-room-and-read-a-script-and-talk/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [No one is asking what happened to all the homeless. No one cares, because it's easier to get on the subway and not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/no-one-is-asking-what-happened-to-all-the-homeless-no-one-cares/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [If you establish rules and play by them, the audience will buy in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/if-you-establish-rules-and-play-by-them-the-audience-will-buy-in/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I like films that just put you in someone's world. It can be very subversive. Hitchcock would put you in the mind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-like-films-that-just-put-you-in-someone-s-world-it-can-be-very/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [Being alone is better than sitting next to a lover and feeling lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/being-alone-is-better-than-sitting-next-to-a-lover-and-feeling-lonely/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I admire people who can just brazenly go through the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-admire-people-who-can-just-brazenly-go-through-the-world/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [The '70s kind of sucked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/the-70s-kind-of-sucked/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [Memory is a wonderful thing if you don't have to deal with the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/memory-is-a-wonderful-thing-if-you-don-t-have-to-deal-with-the-past/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I want cinema to be a part of my life. It's natural for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/i-want-cinema-to-be-a-part-of-my-life-it-s-natural-for-me/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [My dad's chill. He's the guy who, you wreck the car, he says, 'Well, nobody was hurt. It's just some metal.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/my-dad-s-chill-he-s-the-guy-who-you-wreck-the-car-he-says-well-nobody/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

[Explore all 180 Richard Linklater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

## More Cinema quotes

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/)

[Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/)

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/)

[Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/)

> [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/)

[Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/)

[Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/)

> [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/)

[Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/)

> [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/)

[Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/)

> [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

> ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/)

[Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/)

[Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/)

[Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some films really do take years to get going, but I'd say that most of the films I want to do are slightly smaller projects. Some could be sketches. They're not all oil paintings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Linklater"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-going-but-i-d-say-that-most-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cinema"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-going-but-i-d-say-that-most-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/richard-linklater-2192_cinema_some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-g_2202277.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some films really do take years to get going, but I'd say that most of the films I want to do are slightly…” — Richard Linklater",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Richard Linklater",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some films really do take years...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-going-but-i-d-say-that-most-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/some-films-really-do-take-years-to-get-going-but-i-d-say-that-most-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
