Dream Quote by Steven Sebring
![“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)
“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.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Documentary Filmmaking Discussion, 2015
The production was improvised, using assorted clips recorded at irregular intervals without a unified schedule.
In simple terms: Filmmaking was chaotic and unsynchronized.
Key Takeaway
Embrace flexibility, but plan for cohesion.
Themes
creativity
process
logistics
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
process
methodology
When to use this quote
- indie film projects
- archival compilations
- experimental videos
- low‑budget productions
Key Concepts
documentary
editing
spontaneity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can spontaneous footage be organized into a clear story?
- What tools aid syncing disparate clips?
A Different Perspective
Lack of coordination can lead to incoherent narrative and wasted resources.
![“A lot of times I had footage that didn't have sound [in the Dream of Life film] - either I didn't bring a sound recorder, or I forgot to turn on the sound recorder - so we would have to improvise and build those scenes.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/264/steven-sebring-14700_dream_a-lot-of-times-i-had-footage-that-didn-t_1915609.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)
![“I think those moments in Patti's [Smith] bedroom really helped the film [Dream of Life] out, and those moments existed because of the trust between us. There isn't any real self-consciousness in the film because we all like each other.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9dc/steven-sebring-14700_bedroom_i-think-those-moments-in-patti-s-smith-b_3055270.jpg)
![“There are a lot of layers in the film [Dream of Life]. And during editing we would try to tame all the layers, try to make things a little bit more understood. We would move scenes around. We'd try all these things.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ce1/steven-sebring-14700_bits_there-are-a-lot-of-layers-in-the-film-dr_2750128.jpg)
![“Ultimately, the film [Dream of Life] is inspirational.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a10/steven-sebring-14700_dream_ultimately-the-film-dream-of-life-is-ins_2649164.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)
![“The only self-consciousness in the film [Dream of Life] is anyone's natural shyness.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b28/steven-sebring-14700_consciousness_the-only-self-consciousness-in-the-film_2288828.jpg)
![“I came up with more money, took all the footage, got a great editor and made this film [Dream of Life]. But I really didn't go into it with the intention of making a movie.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/323/steven-sebring-14700_cinema_i-came-up-with-more-money-took-all-the-f_2288043.jpg)
![“For me to see the film [Dream of Life] on a big screen - it's pretty extraordinary.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/adc/steven-sebring-14700_big-screen_for-me-to-see-the-film-dream-of-life-on_2278914.jpg)
![“The film [Dream of Life] came together when we started editing; it was organic, it became nonlinear and it was its own animal. And I didn't want to tame it, either. I wanted it to be different. It's not your typical documentary.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/421/steven-sebring-14700_animal_the-film-dream-of-life-came-together-whe_1512115.jpg)
![“[Some] times I'd have sound but no image. When Patti [Smith] was singing with her guitar, or doing something amazing with her clarinet, I'd just mess around and record the sound. So we'd use those sounds as another layer in the film [Dream of Life].” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7c4/steven-sebring-14700_clarinet_some-times-i-d-have-sound-but-no-image-w_1201111.jpg)
![“The editing process was a free-for-all, and since I hadn't gone to film [Dream of Life] school or anything like that, I just said, "We'll do this. We'll do that." It was a really great experience that way.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ce7/steven-sebring-14700_dream_the-editing-process-was-a-free-for-all-a_1036321.jpg)
![“It took 12 years to put this film [Dream of Life] together, but it was not until toward the end of those 12 years that I looked at Patti [Smith] and said, "Maybe we should do something with this footage."” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/183/steven-sebring-14700_dream_it-took-12-years-to-put-this-film-dream_867967.jpg)
![“Over time it just got more and more intense as far as the trust factor. For example, when we started editing the film [Dream of Life], I thought, man, I need to make sense of all the footage I have; I need to ground the film. And one day I was hanging out in Patti's [Smith] bedroom, which is where…” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c24/steven-sebring-14700_bedroom_over-time-it-just-got-more-and-more-inte_3200079.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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“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 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)
