--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's only one way to prep, so far as I…" description: "\"There's only one way to prep, so far as I know. You have your script, you hire the people you want, you find your locations and your setups, everybody ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/william-monahan-3226_film_there-s-only-one-way-to-prep-so-far-as-i_2901305.jpg" --- # There's only one way to prep, so far as I know. You have… ![“There's only one way to prep, so far as I know. You have your script, you hire the people you want, you find your locations and your setups, everybody shows up and you shoot the film.” quote by William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/william-monahan-3226_film_there-s-only-one-way-to-prep-so-far-as-i_2901305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/william-monahan-3226_film_there-s-only-one-way-to-prep-so-far-as-i_2901305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a15/william-monahan-3226_film_there-s-only-one-way-to-prep-so-far-as-i_2901305.jpg) > “There's only one way to prep, so far as I know. You have your script, you hire the people you want, you find your locations and your setups, everybody shows up and you shoot the film.” [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A straightforward method for making a movie: script, crew, locations, shoot, repeat. **In simple terms:** Film making follows a simple, repeatable steps. Key Takeaway Follow the basic production checklist. Themes film production process logistics Mood practical focused Type instructional industry When to use this quote - independent film - budget constraints - location scouting - team coordination Key Concepts pre‑production shooting crew management Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance structure with creativity? - When is deviation from the script beneficial? A Different Perspective May overlook creative flexibility and improvisation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [ Be humble and say okay, all right, I have to prep myself. So everybody prepped, and we finished the film \[Valerian \] four days… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-besson/be-humble-and-say-okay-all-right-i-have-to-prep-myself-so-everybody/) [Luc Besson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-besson/) > [When you're making an independent film and you care about it so much you do all the prep work beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/when-you-re-making-an-independent-film-and-you-care-about-it-so-much/) [Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/) > [I was confirmed at my prep school at the age of 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-was-confirmed-at-my-prep-school-at-the-age-of-13/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [When you prepare for something, you can then play around; you're not as worried about remembering your lines because you already know them so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krysten-ritter/when-you-prepare-for-something-you-can-then-play-around-you-re-not-as/) [Krysten Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krysten-ritter/) > [I was at a school in England, a prep school, from the ages of 8 and 13. And every play they did was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-cox/i-was-at-a-school-in-england-a-prep-school-from-the-ages-of-8-and-13/) [Charlie Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-cox/) > [Prep things in advance so that you don't have to cook everything at the last moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/prep-things-in-advance-so-that-you-don-t-have-to-cook-everything-at/) [Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/) > [There'll always be that prep in me that I can't seem to get rid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-sevigny/there-ll-always-be-that-prep-in-me-that-i-can-t-seem-to-get-rid-of/) [Chloe Sevigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-sevigny/) > [I first decided that I wanted to act when I was 9. And I was at a very bizarre prep school at the time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-first-decided-that-i-wanted-to-act-when-i-was-9-and-i-was-at-a-very/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I went to prep school, Eton and Oxford. When people hear that, they think they know you, and you think: 'No, you don't.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-lloyd/i-went-to-prep-school-eton-and-oxford-when-people-hear-that-they/) [Harry Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-lloyd/) > [That's the thing about prep, is that it's a joy to have it there and you can spend all this time prepping, but ultimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-coleman/that-s-the-thing-about-prep-is-that-it-s-a-joy-to-have-it-there-and/) [Jenna Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-coleman/) > [Our prep's not going to be any different. It will be optional batting practice like there was today. I don't want any more work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-maddon/our-prep-s-not-going-to-be-any-different-it-will-be-optional-batting/) [Joe Maddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-maddon/) > [Wool, cotton, and the odd bits of silk and cashmere are the only acceptable materials for Prep clothes. They look better. They require professional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-birnbach/wool-cotton-and-the-odd-bits-of-silk-and-cashmere-are-the-only/) [Lisa Birnbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-birnbach/) > [You prep, you prep, you prep. And on the day that you film, you let all of that go. I try to achieve emptiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/you-prep-you-prep-you-prep-and-on-the-day-that-you-film-you-let-all/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [I spend a lot of time preparing. I think a lot about what I want to do. I have prep books, little notebooks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-newton/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-preparing-i-think-a-lot-about-what-i-want-to-do/) [Helmut Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-newton/) > [I'm a guy whose first motion picture experience was seeing Ridley Scott glide past on a camera on a hundred and fifty million dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-m-a-guy-whose-first-motion-picture-experience-was-seeing-ridley/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) ## More by William Monahan > [“I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-put-no-stock-in-religion-by-the-word-religion-i-have-seen-the/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [When I was a kid in London there was just something about the light and there's something about the way London went onto film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/when-i-was-a-kid-in-london-there-was-just-something-about-the-light/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [I think the only real referent for anybody writing drama is probably Hamlet. You have the most extreme tragic drama, this sort of blood-boltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-think-the-only-real-referent-for-anybody-writing-drama-is-probably/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [If you need someone to come out of the sewer with a wire you don't hire someone who needs laborious collective instruction. You let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-need-someone-to-come-out-of-the-sewer-with-a-wire-you-don-t/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [In reviewing films, people get quite liberal about saying "the script" this and "the script" that, when they've never read the script any more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/in-reviewing-films-people-get-quite-liberal-about-saying-the-script/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [The era I love most is the Federal period, just after the Revolution and the formation of the United States. The birth of America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/the-era-i-love-most-is-the-federal-period-just-after-the-revolution/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [You know a shooter when you see it. At least the creative people do. If a picture isn't obvious in the first draft you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/you-know-a-shooter-when-you-see-it-at-least-the-creative-people-do-if/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [If you see, as I do, in edited film, you're going to end up as a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-see-as-i-do-in-edited-film-you-re-going-to-end-up-as-a-director/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [I wanted to do London Boulevard because I saw the potential of a story about two people who need each other desperately, who love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-wanted-to-do-london-boulevard-because-i-saw-the-potential-of-a/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Dialogue is used to reveal not what we want to say, but what we are trying to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/dialogue-is-used-to-reveal-not-what-we-want-to-say-but-what-we-are/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Poetry died as a commercial form and then it died as a serious art form. No one serious touches it. It used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/poetry-died-as-a-commercial-form-and-then-it-died-as-a-serious-art/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Casting is all about availability, as much as anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/casting-is-all-about-availability-as-much-as-anything-else/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [For me, film has been good because I'm able to work at top crack, working at something I love to do, in the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/for-me-film-has-been-good-because-i-m-able-to-work-at-top-crack/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [London matters to me because it's the center of what I do for a living and has been since Tudor times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/london-matters-to-me-because-it-s-the-center-of-what-i-do-for-a/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [I was always entirely about work, about getting where I am now. If I'm not working I'm thinking about it, though at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-was-always-entirely-about-work-about-getting-where-i-am-now-if-i-m/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) [Explore all 136 William Monahan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) ## More Film quotes > [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/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [My only close-to-game-plan is to follow good writing. If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [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/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [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 started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) [Browse all 32,254 Film quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's only one way to prep, so far as I know. 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