--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started my filmmaking journey 17…" description: "\"When I started my filmmaking journey 17 years ago, I honestly didn't know what a documentary film was.\" — Tony Kaye" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg" --- # When I started my filmmaking journey 17 years ago, I… ![“When I started my filmmaking journey 17 years ago, I honestly didn't know what a documentary film was.” quote by Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg) > “When I started my filmmaking journey 17 years ago, I honestly didn't know what a documentary film was.” [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting without knowledge is normal; growth comes from learning on the job **In simple terms:** Beginners learn by doing Key Takeaway Embrace learning through experience Themes growth film documentary learning Mood inquisitive encouraging Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - First film project - learning new software - researching subjects Key Concepts Self-directed education creative process Questions to Reflect On - What resources can accelerate your learning? - How do you ensure accuracy while learning on the fly? A Different Perspective Risk of misinformation without proper study ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-film-624293/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking/) [Filmmaking Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking-journey-5263442/) [Honestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honestly/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-documentary-1725789/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-filmmaking-2667636/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I started filmmaking when I started surfing, so the two things have been with me since I was 12 years old, so it's sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-steele/i-started-filmmaking-when-i-started-surfing-so-the-two-things-have/) [Taylor Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-steele/) > [When I was in New York I heard many people saying that the independent film industry was in big trouble. I was reflecting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/when-i-was-in-new-york-i-heard-many-people-saying-that-the/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > [I try to learn from both, from features and documentaries. In both cases you have to find a way to make the camera as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-try-to-learn-from-both-from-features-and-documentaries-in-both/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [I've always been interested in how to present something that relates to our reality - which is not really... I don't even know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-how-to-present-something-that-relates/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) > [With documentary-film projects, you hope you highlight an area of concern people haven't thought about before. A lot of times, I'm asking myself -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/with-documentary-film-projects-you-hope-you-highlight-an-area-of/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [Immediately after film school, I got an opportunity to work as a freelance cameraperson. I used to shoot a documentary film for the Discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/immediately-after-film-school-i-got-an-opportunity-to-work-as-a/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [Making an independent documentary film is so hard that usually, the usual model is that your film becomes a model for advocacy, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hetherington/making-an-independent-documentary-film-is-so-hard-that-usually-the/) [Tim Hetherington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hetherington/) > [Michael Moore announced that his next documentary film will attack the health care industry in America. He's not out to get the pharmaceutical companies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/argus-hamilton/michael-moore-announced-that-his-next-documentary-film-will-attack/) [Argus Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/argus-hamilton/) > [“Idea For A Short Documentary Film Representatives of different food products manufacturers try to open their own packaging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/idea-for-a-short-documentary-film-representatives-of-different-food/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [When you make a documentary film, after many years the only thing you remember is what you put into the film, not what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-yates/when-you-make-a-documentary-film-after-many-years-the-only-thing-you/) [Pamela Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-yates/) > [I am particularly pleased to see that there are so many women working in documentary film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hegedus/i-am-particularly-pleased-to-see-that-there-are-so-many-women-working/) [Chris Hegedus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hegedus/) > [A documentary film is a great way of helping people understand because, somehow, when one is able to see the people involved, it lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/a-documentary-film-is-a-great-way-of-helping-people-understand/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Documentary film is the one place that our people can speak for themselves. I feel that the documentaries that I've been working on have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-obomsawin/documentary-film-is-the-one-place-that-our-people-can-speak-for/) [Alanis Obomsawin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-obomsawin/) > [Every time you are getting ready to make a shot in a documentary film, you are asking yourself questions about your cinematographic approach. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/every-time-you-are-getting-ready-to-make-a-shot-in-a-documentary-film/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) > [It's a funny thing with documentary films - you want them to feel as entertaining and as gripping as a fictional film. With a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/it-s-a-funny-thing-with-documentary-films-you-want-them-to-feel-as/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) ## More by Tony Kaye > [I've come up through art school, through painting, through graphic design, through advertising, through TV commercials and music video. I've designed books, built billboards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/i-ve-come-up-through-art-school-through-painting-through-graphic/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [As a documentary filmmaker, I'm very respectful, and my interview style is not intrusive. I don't really have an agenda. I just go in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/as-a-documentary-filmmaker-i-m-very-respectful-and-my-interview-style/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [No, I'm a very normal and orthodox person that goes out of their way to present eccentricity. It's not that I do that so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/no-i-m-a-very-normal-and-orthodox-person-that-goes-out-of-their-way/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > ['Breaking Bad' is the best, the greatest, the most amazing thing I have ever watched on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/breaking-bad-is-the-best-the-greatest-the-most-amazing-thing-i-have/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [Everything that happens is meant to be. It's meant to happen like that. But sometimes you don't know at the time that it's meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/everything-that-happens-is-meant-to-be-it-s-meant-to-happen-like-that/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [I'm trying to make as many films as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/i-m-trying-to-make-as-many-films-as-i-can/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [You want to enjoy making a movie - it's a wonderful, collaborative thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/you-want-to-enjoy-making-a-movie-it-s-a-wonderful-collaborative-thing/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [I'd love to have done 'John Carter.' I'd love to work for the Disney Corporation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/i-d-love-to-have-done-john-carter-i-d-love-to-work-for-the-disney/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [I just spend my life studying the manufacture of sound and picture and my education, if you like, has come from what I've chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/i-just-spend-my-life-studying-the-manufacture-of-sound-and-picture/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [So I've tried to be this very eccentric character, and that works very well if you want to be a painter which I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/so-i-ve-tried-to-be-this-very-eccentric-character-and-that-works-very/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) [Explore all 11 Tony Kaye quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) ## 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": "When I started my filmmaking journey 17 years ago, I honestly didn't know what a documentary film was.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Kaye" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17-years-ago-i-honestly-didn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17-years-ago-i-honestly-didn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/tony-kaye-38634_cinema_when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17_1458544.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started my filmmaking journey 17 years ago, I honestly didn't know what a documentary film was.” — Tony Kaye", "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": "Tony Kaye", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I started my filmmaking journey...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17-years-ago-i-honestly-didn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/when-i-started-my-filmmaking-journey-17-years-ago-i-honestly-didn-t/#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 } } ] } ```