--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, the process of making a…" description: "\"You know, the process of making a documentary is one of discovery, and like writing a story, you follow a lead and that leads you to something else and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg" --- # You know, the process of making a documentary is one of… ![“You know, the process of making a documentary is one of discovery, and like writing a story, you follow a lead and that leads you to something else and then by the time you finish, the story is nothing like you expected.” quote by William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg) > “You know, the process of making a documentary is one of discovery, and like writing a story, you follow a lead and that leads you to something else and then by the time you finish, the story is nothing like you expected.” [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creative process is unpredictable; initial intentions evolve as new discoveries reshape the narrative. **In simple terms:** Stories change as you learn. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility and follow emerging leads. Themes creativity discovery storytelling Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - documentary production - journalism - research projects - personal memoirs - film development Key Concepts narrative evolution serendipity Questions to Reflect On - What have you learned that altered your project’s direction? - How do you decide when to pivot? A Different Perspective Unexpected twists may derail original goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Discovery Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery-like-2232690/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-discovery-2232689/) [Expected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expected/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Like Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-writing/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Making Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-documentary-624291/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-like/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The thing about making a documentary in Las Vegas is there isn't much to film apart from other people making documentaries about Las Vegas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-thing-about-making-a-documentary-in-las-vegas-is-there-isn-t-much/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [It's always important to understand as filmmakers that we're not making a documentary and it has to look good. It has to entertain, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-yeoh/it-s-always-important-to-understand-as-filmmakers-that-we-re-not/) [Michelle Yeoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-yeoh/) > [Making a documentary about my hometown was always going to be the most difficult topic I had ever covered! No question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-dooley/making-a-documentary-about-my-hometown-was-always-going-to-be-the/) [Stacey Dooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-dooley/) > [Twenty to thirty years ago, who was making documentary films? Nobody. Well, relatively few people. It was an art form that had limited theatrical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/twenty-to-thirty-years-ago-who-was-making-documentary-films-nobody/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Of course, when you're making a documentary, you don't have actors, but nonetheless, there is a writing process that does take place in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/of-course-when-you-re-making-a-documentary-you-don-t-have-actors-but/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) > [For someone like me, making a documentary - I don't kid myself. There's no influence at all. What I do is entertainment. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/for-someone-like-me-making-a-documentary-i-don-t-kid-myself-there-s/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [I think making a documentary gets you out and about more, with people. With stand-up, you're talking at people. With documentaries you're talking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/i-think-making-a-documentary-gets-you-out-and-about-more-with-people/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [If I weren't making documentary films, I suppose I'd be teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-lindstrom/if-i-weren-t-making-documentary-films-i-suppose-i-d-be-teaching/) [Brian Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-lindstrom/) > [Making the documentary was an extraordinary experience and it really hit home to me the quasi-religious nature of this anthropogenic global warming cause. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-minchin/making-the-documentary-was-an-extraordinary-experience-and-it-really/) [Nick Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-minchin/) > [So much of art-making is about reducing things to the essentials, so I don't feel particularly crippled by this. I don't want it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-holzer/so-much-of-art-making-is-about-reducing-things-to-the-essentials-so-i/) [Jenny Holzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-holzer/) > [There's always the question when you're making a documentary if the talking heads will work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ewing/there-s-always-the-question-when-you-re-making-a-documentary-if-the/) [Heidi Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-ewing/) > [The making of the documentary is an involving and collaborative process where you go deeper unlike in movies where you just borrow someone else's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/the-making-of-the-documentary-is-an-involving-and-collaborative/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [For me, the making of a documentary to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain was an intensely personal journey. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/for-me-the-making-of-a-documentary-to-mark-the-70th-anniversary-of/) [David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/) > [I spoke to my father about making a documentary on him. I have been seriously contemplating that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbaaz-khan/i-spoke-to-my-father-about-making-a-documentary-on-him-i-have-been/) [Arbaaz Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbaaz-khan/) > [I think the greatest thing about making a documentary is your ability to just follow the story and the subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/i-think-the-greatest-thing-about-making-a-documentary-is-your-ability/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) ## More by William Shatner > [My dad died of a stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/my-dad-died-of-a-stroke/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [We were basically one and the same, although Jim Kirk was just about perfect, and, of course, I am perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/we-were-basically-one-and-the-same-although-jim-kirk-was-just-about/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [It's irksome to read about someone I don't recognize. It frightens me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/it-s-irksome-to-read-about-someone-i-don-t-recognize-it-frightens-me/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [You might as well aim high. Why shoot yourself in the foot when you can shoot yourself in the head?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/you-might-as-well-aim-high-why-shoot-yourself-in-the-foot-when-you/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I think the supernatural is a catch-all for everything we don't understand about the vast other parts of life that we cannot perceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-think-the-supernatural-is-a-catch-all-for-everything-we-don-t/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I always thought that the spine of a character was awe and wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-always-thought-that-the-spine-of-a-character-was-awe-and-wonder/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [We live in grief for having left the womb, for having left the teat, then school, then home. In my case, it was leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/we-live-in-grief-for-having-left-the-womb-for-having-left-the-teat/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I love cameras but I find myself reluctantly taking pictures because what's past is past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-love-cameras-but-i-find-myself-reluctantly-taking-pictures-because/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I have been accused of never saying no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-have-been-accused-of-never-saying-no/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [If you make a fool of yourself, you can do it with dignity, without taking your pants down. And if you do take your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/if-you-make-a-fool-of-yourself-you-can-do-it-with-dignity-without/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I played comedies and dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-played-comedies-and-dramas/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I spent years doing 'Star Trek' bits and things, and a lot of people loved it, a lot of people mocked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-spent-years-doing-star-trek-bits-and-things-and-a-lot-of-people/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I watch movies and sports. I can count on the fingers of my hand the number of times I have watched an hour show.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-watch-movies-and-sports-i-can-count-on-the-fingers-of-my-hand-the/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [Marriage is a reflection of your life in general: how you treat people, how you argue, how secure you are in your own thoughts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/marriage-is-a-reflection-of-your-life-in-general-how-you-treat-people/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [Nature is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/nature-is-perfect/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) [Explore all 259 William Shatner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) ## More Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. Although this is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/throughout-my-work-i-have-assumed-that-the-standard-model-is-correct/) [Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Browse all 3,125 Discovery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know, the process of making a documentary is one of discovery, and like writing a story, you follow a lead and that leads you to something else and then by the time you finish, the story is nothing like you expected.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shatner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documentary-is-one-of-discovery-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discovery" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documentary-is-one-of-discovery-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/william-shatner-1304_discovery_you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documen_217826.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know, the process of making a documentary is one of discovery, and like writing a story, you follow a…” — William Shatner", "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": "William Shatner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You know, the process of making...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documentary-is-one-of-discovery-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/you-know-the-process-of-making-a-documentary-is-one-of-discovery-and/#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 } } ] } ```