Time & Perspective Quote by David R. Ellis

It is career humility with a quiet edge: David R. Ellis frames ambition not as a hunger for the spotlight, but as a refusal to panic when it doesn’t arrive on schedule. The line reads like a director’s version of “stay ready,” and it’s telling that his fallback plan isn’t leaving film or “starting over,” but returning to second-unit work he “loves.” That one word does heavy lifting. Second unit is the engine room of studio filmmaking - action beats, chases, inserts, logistical problem-solving. Calling it love signals craft-first identity: he isn’t slumming it while waiting for the “real” job; he’s staying in the arena where skills are built and reputations are earned.

The subtext is a corrective to the industry myth that success is a straight, heroic climb. Ellis describes a lateral strategy: remain close to great directors, absorb their methods, and keep accumulating trust. “Opportunity” here isn’t romantic destiny; it’s a practical outcome of proximity and competence. He’s also smoothing over the bruising reality of Hollywood gatekeeping. If you’re not getting the “good opportunity,” the system is saying no. Ellis answers with persistence that doesn’t read as desperation, because it’s grounded in work he can control.

Context matters: Ellis came up through stunt work and second unit before directing larger projects. That background makes the quote less motivational poster, more survival manual for a collaborative medium. The “time was right” isn’t passive faith - it’s patience backed by reps, relationships, and the willingness to keep making the machine run while waiting for your name to reach the top line.