Design Quote by Steven Sebring
![“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)
“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.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Documentary "Patti Smith: Dream of Life", 2017
He suggests using voiceover or poetry in editing to enhance emotional impact, then adding sound design for depth.
In simple terms: Use voiceover/poetry and sound design to enrich scenes.
Key Takeaway
Combine spoken word with sound for richer storytelling.
Themes
creativity
audio design
storytelling
Mood
inspired
thoughtful
Type
artistic
technical
When to use this quote
- film editing
- documentary production
- creative workshops
- audio post‑production
Key Concepts
voiceover
sound design
editing
emotional resonance
Questions to Reflect On
- How can voiceover complement visual narrative?
- When does sound design become intrusive?
A Different Perspective
Requires skilled timing and may distract if overused.
![“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)
![“I do remember, the first time we met [with Patti Smith], the door opening with a squeak. And then there was this very beautiful girl looking out.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9f8/steven-sebring-14700_beautiful_i-do-remember-the-first-time-we-met-with_2572516.jpg)
![“I was making a film [Dream of Life] about Patti [Smith], but I was taking pictures, too.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/825/steven-sebring-14700_cinema_i-was-making-a-film-dream-of-life-about_2370252.jpg)
![“Patti [Smith] was my experiment, to be honest. And the film is what we got out of it. At the end of the day, I learned a lot about how to make a film.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a1c/steven-sebring-14700_being-honest_patti-smith-was-my-experiment-to-be-hone_2229699.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)
![“I just wanted to be Patti's [Smith] messenger and get her word out there.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b45/steven-sebring-14700_messengers_i-just-wanted-to-be-patti-s-smith-messen_1768410.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)
![“I quickly realized that Patti [Smith] was somebody very special.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/db7/steven-sebring-14700_somebody-special_i-quickly-realized-that-patti-smith-was_788180.jpg)
![“I wasn't familiar with Patti [Smith ]much at all. When I was asked to photograph her, my wife said, "Oh my God, Patti Smith!" So I looked at some Robert Mapplethorpe books and I recognized those pictures.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/645/steven-sebring-14700_book_i-wasn-t-familiar-with-patti-smith-much_665684.jpg)
![“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 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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“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)
