---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started, you didn't focus so much…"
description: "\"When I started, you didn't focus so much on production, certainly not - gosh - down to the finest little detail of how you shifted your eyes or how you..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg"
---

#  When I started, you didn't focus so much on production…

![“When I started, you didn't focus so much on production, certainly not - gosh - down to the finest little detail of how you shifted your eyes or how you turned to somebody. A lot of the shots were far away from a still camera. There weren't as many close-ups and intimacy.” quote by Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg)

> “When I started, you didn't focus so much on production, certainly not - gosh - down to the finest little detail of how you shifted your eyes or how you turned to somebody. A lot of the shots were far away from a still camera. There weren't as many close-ups and intimacy.”

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

## About This Quote

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

Early in his career he prioritized overall performance over meticulous visual detail, using distant shots and fewer close-ups.

**In simple terms:** He focused on big picture, not tiny visual details.

Key Takeaway

Balance big vision with attention to detail.

Themes

performance focus visual storytelling

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

advice reflection

When to use this quote

- film directing
- sports broadcasting
- personal branding
- creative projects

Key Concepts

production camera work intimacy

Questions to Reflect On

- How might adding intimate close-ups change audience perception?
- When is it better to prioritize scope over detail?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting detail can reduce emotional impact and audience connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Detail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detail/) [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/)

## Related quotes

> [“She didn't care for the way he stared at her, either. Even when he wasn't looking at her it felt as if he were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/she-didn-t-care-for-the-way-he-stared-at-her-either-even-when-he-wasn/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Then again I shifted my eyes-I faced what I had to face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/then-again-i-shifted-my-eyes-i-faced-what-i-had-to-face/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [You can always tell in a movie when they are setting you up for something. If someone leaves an important object on the table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-viola/you-can-always-tell-in-a-movie-when-they-are-setting-you-up-for/)

[Bill Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-viola/)

> [I cannot stay away from the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-cannot-stay-away-from-the-camera/)

[Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/)

> [I don't regret a single moment of staying away from the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-takia/i-don-t-regret-a-single-moment-of-staying-away-from-the-camera/)

[Ayesha Takia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-takia/)

> [I do think I'm very in the detail of everything, maybe to my own detriment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/griff/i-do-think-i-m-very-in-the-detail-of-everything-maybe-to-my-own/)

[Griff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/griff/)

> [“When describing nature, a writer should seize upon small details, arranging them so that the reader will see an image in his mind after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-describing-nature-a-writer-should-seize-upon-small-details/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [I don't think there's any show comparable to 'Game of Thrones' in terms of the way it does the fantasy element to such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-murray/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-show-comparable-to-game-of-thrones-in-terms/)

[Hannah Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-murray/)

> [It was always that detail that drove me. Ever since I was a little kid, I used to get into the nitty gritty... when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-base/it-was-always-that-detail-that-drove-me-ever-since-i-was-a-little-kid/)

[Graeme Base](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-base/)

> [When you design a building, you start from a general philosophy, and you come down, and you start from detail and come up. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/when-you-design-a-building-you-start-from-a-general-philosophy-and/)

[Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/)

> [When it comes down to playoff basketball, it's attention to detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-williams/when-it-comes-down-to-playoff-basketball-it-s-attention-to-detail/)

[Lou Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-williams/)

> [In the person with autism, the brain may already be seeing the part and be less distracted by the whole, and in the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baron-cohen/in-the-person-with-autism-the-brain-may-already-be-seeing-the-part/)

[Simon Baron-Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-baron-cohen/)

> [I learned no detail was too small. It was all about the details.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-grey/i-learned-no-detail-was-too-small-it-was-all-about-the-details/)

[Brad Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-grey/)

> [A lot of silence takes so much specificity and detail. To not fill the space with words takes restraint and an extraordinary amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/a-lot-of-silence-takes-so-much-specificity-and-detail-to-not-fill-the/)

[Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/)

> [I don't like to discuss my work in a lot of detail; I'm afraid of dissecting it in a way that is not good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-kane/i-don-t-like-to-discuss-my-work-in-a-lot-of-detail-i-m-afraid-of/)

[Carol Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-kane/)

## More by Shawn Michaels

> [I was always hurting to some extent, but never really cared about it. Now, I do care, because I have a reason to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/i-was-always-hurting-to-some-extent-but-never-really-cared-about-it/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [Acting is something I always wanted to try after wrestling, and I felt like this was a perfect fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/acting-is-something-i-always-wanted-to-try-after-wrestling-and-i-felt/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [I don't consider myself a great multitasker, so I try to do one thing at a time, even though there were opportunities when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-great-multitasker-so-i-try-to-do-one-thing/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [There are Christians who think there were seven actual days, or that creation was over time. They have answers for dinosaurs and things of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/there-are-christians-who-think-there-were-seven-actual-days-or-that/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [My years in the WWE, a lot of stuff came out that you're not even aware of because they come out with it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/my-years-in-the-wwe-a-lot-of-stuff-came-out-that-you-re-not-even/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [If you're desperate enough for attention, any attention will make you feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/if-you-re-desperate-enough-for-attention-any-attention-will-make-you/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [You Canucks are not the sharpest knives in the drawer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/you-canucks-are-not-the-sharpest-knives-in-the-drawer/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [The Heartbreak kid does not lay down for ANYBODY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/the-heartbreak-kid-does-not-lay-down-for-anybody/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [There's no one of us that's perfect; there's no one of us that can't do just a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/there-s-no-one-of-us-that-s-perfect-there-s-no-one-of-us-that-can-t/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [Back in my day in the WWF oh.. the WW EEEEE, we had it all. We had Garbage men, we had clowns, we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/back-in-my-day-in-the-wwf-oh-the-ww-eeeee-we-had-it-all-we-had/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [In every aspect of my life, I live under the protection of and in accordance to the laws of this nation. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/in-every-aspect-of-my-life-i-live-under-the-protection-of-and-in/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [See! I just kicked Stan!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/see-i-just-kicked-stan/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [Seriously. Thank you all. In that ring w/all of u watching was THE best place for me for a very long time. Thx for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/seriously-thank-you-all-in-that-ring-w-all-of-u-watching-was-the-best/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [My life now is about my heart going pitter-patter for my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/my-life-now-is-about-my-heart-going-pitter-patter-for-my-children/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

> [The Heartbreak Kid is a doormat for absolutely nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/the-heartbreak-kid-is-a-doormat-for-absolutely-nobody/)

[Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

[Explore all 145 Shawn Michaels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/)

## More Camera quotes

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/)

[Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/)

> [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/)

[John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/)

> [When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/when-i-made-my-debut-as-an-actor-in-rock-on-i-was-confident-to-get-in/)

[Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/)

> [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/)

Mitra Farahani

> [To be honest, I don't know... something about the camera like turns me into such a diva. Like when it's on and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-something-about-the-camera-like-turns-me/)

[Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/)

> [When the camera is on, I am an actor; otherwise, I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/when-the-camera-is-on-i-am-an-actor-otherwise-i-am-an-ordinary-person/)

[Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/)

> [“A camera is an opening in a box: that is the best emblem of the fact that a camera holding an object is holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-cavell/a-camera-is-an-opening-in-a-box-that-is-the-best-emblem-of-the-fact/)

[Stanley Cavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-cavell/)

> [It's such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There's a camera pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/it-s-such-a-weird-thing-because-you-have-a-whole-crew-of-people/)

[Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/)

> [“The camera lets me see things in a different way. It's like I finally have perspective. I can't always say stuff right in words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-camera-lets-me-see-things-in-a-different-way-it-s-like-i-finally/)

[Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/)

> [I was so green, and my background was mostly in theater. The only thing I'd done in front of a camera, besides an infomercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-britton/i-was-so-green-and-my-background-was-mostly-in-theater-the-only-thing/)

[Connie Britton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-britton/)

> [As far as lighting and blocking, camera angles and facial expressions, all that stuff that has to be very specific in film, as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-torres/as-far-as-lighting-and-blocking-camera-angles-and-facial-expressions/)

[Eve Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-torres/)

> [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't like to move the camera that much anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-to-move-the-camera-that-much-anyway/)

[Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/)

> [I feel like 'Preacher's Daughter' was my Trojan horse, in a way. I'm excited to pull back, be behind the camera instead of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-feel-like-preacher-s-daughter-was-my-trojan-horse-in-a-way-i-m/)

[Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/)

[Browse all 2,026 Camera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I started, you didn't focus so much on production, certainly not - gosh - down to the finest little detail of how you shifted your eyes or how you turned to somebody. A lot of the shots were far away from a still camera. There weren't as many close-ups and intimacy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shawn Michaels"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much-on-production-certainly-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Camera"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much-on-production-certainly-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/shawn-michaels-2920_camera_when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much_978917.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I started, you didn't focus so much on production, certainly not - gosh - down to the finest little…” — Shawn Michaels",
                "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": "Shawn Michaels",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I started, you didn't focus...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much-on-production-certainly-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/when-i-started-you-didn-t-focus-so-much-on-production-certainly-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
