Dream Quote by Steven Sebring
![“I shot [Dream of Life] all on 16-millimeter, and I just wanted to learn about Patti [Smith].” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0e/steven-sebring-14700_dream_i-shot-dream-of-life-all-on-16-millimete_583938.jpg)
“I shot [Dream of Life] all on 16-millimeter, and I just wanted to learn about Patti [Smith].”
About This Quote
Source Documentary: "Dream of Life", 2005
The filmmaker uses low‑budget film to explore an artist’s influence, seeking personal insight.
In simple terms: Learning through humble means.
Key Takeaway
Embrace modest tools for discovery.
Themes
creativity
learning
artistic influence
Mood
inquisitive
inspirational
Type
documentary
personal
When to use this quote
- film school
- independent projects
- personal growth
- archival research
Key Concepts
documentary filmmaking
low‑budget techniques
artist study
Questions to Reflect On
- What can you learn from constraints?
- How does medium affect perception?
A Different Perspective
May limit visual polish.
![“I quickly realized that Patti [Smith] was somebody very special.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/db7/steven-sebring-14700_special_i-quickly-realized-that-patti-smith-was_788180.jpg)
![“I became Patti's [Smith] messenger, basically, and the film is my view of how I learned about Patti.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/61f/steven-sebring-14700_film_i-became-patti-s-smith-messenger-basical_1482292.jpg)
![“When I started photographing Patti [Smith], I knew that there wasn't a whole a lot of information out there about her. I was periodically interested in films, and so I just kept asking her if I could come around.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ad7/steven-sebring-14700_asking_when-i-started-photographing-patti-smith_1891719.jpg)
![“When I went to Detroit, I was very naïve, actually, and I think Patti [Smith] picked up on that quite quickly.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/11a/steven-sebring-14700_detroit_when-i-went-to-detroit-i-was-very-na-ve_2860126.jpg)
![“Patti [ Scialfa] was an artist and a musician and she was a songwriter. And she was a lot like me in that she was transient also. She worked busking on the streets in New York. She waitressed. She had - she just lived a life - she lived a musician's life. She lived an artist's life. So we were…” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4b6/bruce-springsteen-546_art_patti-scialfa-was-an-artist-and-a-musici_3047221.jpg)
![“At the beginning I didn't even really think about making a movie [Dream of Life]. I was just thinking of documenting somebody.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2d5/steven-sebring-14700_dream_at-the-beginning-i-didn-t-even-really-th_30900.jpg)
![“We just grew to trust each other [with Patti Smith] more and more over the years. Most of the time I didn't even have a movie camera.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e21/steven-sebring-14700_cameras_we-just-grew-to-trust-each-other-with-pa_49044.jpg)
![“That was an amazing experience [making Dream of Life]. It's hard to imagine that we were editing every day for a year. And it was pretty extraordinary; it also went by super fast. But every day was an experiment.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/316/steven-sebring-14700_amazing-experience_that-was-an-amazing-experience-making-dr_102805.jpg)
![“We had a hodgepodge of footage. We didn't film [in Dream of Life ]all the time - we would just film periodically, so nothing was synced and nothing was slated.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/325/steven-sebring-14700_dream_we-had-a-hodgepodge-of-footage-we-didn-t_238597.jpg)
![“I thought about how to film something, how to take pictures of it and how to mix it all together. And I was getting that through Patti [Smith] - because she takes pictures, performs, writes; she does so many things, and that was a big inspiration to me. It helped me realized that I'm not just a…” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/08f/steven-sebring-14700_art_i-thought-about-how-to-film-something-ho_292986.jpg)
![“I would bring Patti [Smith ] in to the editing room [working on the Dream of Life] and say, "This is a great moment for a voiceover, or a poem," and then we'd bring in some sound design.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/142/steven-sebring-14700_design_i-would-bring-patti-smith-in-to-the-edit_322546.jpg)
![“Because the filming process was so organic and there was no script, the film [Dream of Life] was literally telling us what it wanted to be in the editing room.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b7/steven-sebring-14700_cinema_because-the-filming-process-was-so-organ_338933.jpg)
![“She let me in during her tour, in London. Her band members - especially Lenny Kaye - were shocked at the fact that I was filming Patti [Smith].” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a72/steven-sebring-14700_band_she-let-me-in-during-her-tour-in-london_416754.jpg)
![“I took pictures of the objects and artifacts that Patti [Smith] would show to her friends because I wanted to document them.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b31/steven-sebring-14700_artifacts_i-took-pictures-of-the-objects-and-artif_435299.jpg)
