Honestly, I think his early work like 'Day of the Fight' is super important because it shows how obsessed Kubrick was with every little detail from the start. I watched a bit of that documentary and you can see even then he wanted things to look and feel just right. He started as a photographer, which makes a lot of sense because later in his bigger movies, every shot is kind of like a weird, cool photo that tells you something about the characters.

I've read people say his documentary work taught him how to make things look real and raw, even in the middle of wild stories or sci-fi. In 'Day of the Fight,' you feel like you’re right there with the boxer as he gets ready, and in his movies you get the same feeling, just bigger and more intense. It’s like he never stopped caring about getting the tiny moments right. That’s probably why his movies have such a strong vibe.

Honestly, I feel like he would’ve been a perfectionist no matter what, but starting with documentaries just made him even better at making things look true. I honestly wish more directors did stuff like that first.