Study below:
This
assignment is an auteur study about Sofia Coppola, and three of her
self-directed films. Coppola is an American award-winning filmmaker,
director, producer and screenwriter. She was born May 14, 1971 in
New York City. Coppola was introduced into the film industry as the
daughter of successful filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. He is the
director of ‘The
Godfather’
trilogy and ‘Apocalypse
Now’;
she is also the cousin of Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage. Coppola’s
career started at a very early age in her life as an actress, mainly
playing minor roles in her father’s films, such as ‘The
Godfather’,
‘The
Outsider’,
and ‘Peggy
Sue Got Married’.
At the age of fifteen, Coppola interned with Chanel and worked for
Karl Lagerfeld, Coppola stated
‘I
was in the design studio, so I got to see Karl Lagerfeld doing haute
couture sketches for the final shows. It was incredible - he is so
creative. I was getting coffee and doing intern stuff, but just to be
around him was amazing.'
Vogue (2013).
After
dropping out of college in her teenage years, she created a clothing
line named ‘MilkFed’ that is now exclusively sold in Japan. As
Coppola grew up, she realized that acting was not her forte, but
rather filmmaking was, Coppola stated
‘Acting
wasn’t for me, but it’s good to know all the different aspects
when you’re making a movie’
(David Letterman, 2004)
Her
filmmaking career kicked off in 1996 when she co-directed a short
film named ‘Bed,
Bath and Beyond’.
It was in 1998 when Sofia began to write and direct her own material,
in which she created her first short film ‘Lick
The Star’.
Sofia’s directing debut feature-film was ‘The
Virgin Suicides’,
made in 1999.
Feature Films
Coppola
has created five feature presentations between 1999 and 2013. She was
twenty-eight when her directing debut feature-film ‘The
Virgin Suicides’
(1999) premiered. This film is based on the same titled novel written
by Jeffrey Eugenides, as it tells the story of five upper-middle
class sisters from Detroit in the 1970s living under close scrutiny
by their parents after the youngest sister makes an attempt to commit
suicide. As the movie progresses, we witness increasingly depressive
behaviour from the sisters, the film explores themes of isolation,
teenage lust, adolescence and loss. Coppola’s most successful
feature-film ‘Lost
In Translation’
(2003) premiered in 2003 when she was thirty-two. The story written
by Coppola is about an aging actor named Bob Harris and a recent
college graduate named Charlotte that cross paths whilst both staying
in a Tokyo hotel and create an unlikely connection. This film
explores themes of loneliness, insomnia and existential ennui. It is
believed that the story was written at a specific time in Coppola’s
life when she divorced from her ex-husband, so a lot of the story is
claimed to be based on her life. ‘Lost In Translation’ was a
major critical success whilst winning awards such as Best Original
Screenplay, as well as a commercial success, as it grossed almost
$120 million from a budget of only $4 million. One of Coppola’s
latest feature films ‘Somewhere’
(2010) premiered in 2010 when she was thirty-nine. This film is a
drama written by Sofia about a newly famous actor named Johnny Marco
that is trapped inside an existential crisis whilst feeling very
little emotion during his every day life, until he spends more time
with his daughter Cleo, and learns to extract joy and pleasure from
everyday life. The film explores themes of celebrity ennui,
parenthood and the comedy of show business. Although Sofia was
inspired by her own childhood whilst writing about eleven-year-old
character Cleo, she denies the film is autobiographical.
Directing Style
Sofia uses a very slow approach in her
films, as many of them explore stories that are often slow paced
whilst actually lacking an understandable plot, and rather developing
on characters and personality.
‘The
director's vision shapes the look and feel of a film. He or she is
the creative force that pulls a film together, responsible for
turning the words of a script into images on the screen. Actors,
cinematographers, writers, and editors orbit around the director like
planets around the Sun.’
(Annenberg Learner)
Whilst
Sofia’s films may be criticized for lacking a plot, they do not
lack in stunning visuals or deep themes. Many of her films such as
Lost
In Translation
and Somewhere
are targeted for being too slow paced, repetitive or meaningless,
whereas Sofia shines in portraying personalities and exploring
existential crisis’s. Coppola claims
‘I
always like characters who are in the midst of a transition and
trying to find their place in the world and their identity. That is
the most heightened when you’re a teenager, but I definitely like
it at the different stages of life. I like stories where the drama
comes more as an internal part of the character as opposed to from
outside forces that make you change.’
(Rookie)
Trademarks
With
Coppola
only
having
made
five
feature
presentations,
there
are
only
so
many
films
one
can
watch
and
analyse
to
identify
specific
trademarks
within
each
film.
Each
of
Coppola’s
films
follows
a
pattern
of
basing
its
plot
around
high
status
individuals,
commercially
famous
actors,
or
celebrity
culture.
All
of
which
link
together
quite
suitably.
'Even
if
the
contexts
of
her
films
differ
wildly,
they
share
a
preoccupation
with
celebrity
-
whether
of
the
high
school
or
Hollywood
variety
-
and
the
pitfalls
thereof.
Wanly
beautiful
heroines,
cool
clothes,
and
even
cooler
soundtracks
are
a
given.'
(Film
4)
With
that
said,
Coppola's
films
all
also
share
captivating
soundtracks
that
add
the
finishing
touches
to
each
creation.
Coppola
has
used
artists
such
as
Air,
New
Order,
and
Sleigh
Bells,
each
defining
each
of
her
films
in
ways
that
stick
into
the
viewers
mind.
Colour
is
also
a
large
addition
to
Coppola's
trademark,
with
each
film
glaring
with
a
specific
set
of
colour.
Alan
Woo
(2008)
carried
out
a
project
to
find
out
if
there
were
any
stark
similarities
or
contrasts
within
particular
films.
He
used
a
program
written
in
processing
that
captures
each
frame
of
each
movie
that
created
a
pie
chart
of
the
colours
contained
within
each
film.
He
found
that
three
of
Coppola’s
films,
The
Virgin
Suicides,
Lost
In
Translation,
and
Marie
Antoinette
all
have
a
specific
colour
code,
green,
blue,
and
orange.
Female
representation
Coppola
is
one
of
very
few
successful
female
directors
in
the
film
industry.
The
film
and
many
other
industries
are
extremely
male
dominant,
and
it
can
be
hard
for
females
to
allow
their
talent
to
shine.
‘Employing
women
in
writing
and
directing
roles
makes
business
sense,
yet
is
still
relatively
rare,
suggests
a
new
study
by
the
BFI.
The
report,
Succes
de
plume?
Female
Screenwriters
and
Directors
of
UK
Films
2010-2012,
indicates
30%
of
the
most
successful
and
profitable
independent
British
films
of
the
period
had
a
female
screenwriter
and/or
director.’
(The
Guardian)
Coppola’s
representation
of
females
in
her
films
is
mostly
positive,
as
they
are
more
than
often
the
protagonists
of
each
story.
This
allows
Coppola’s
female
audience
to
relate
to
her
characters
and
her
stories.
Coppola’s
films
that
have
female
protagonists
are
‘The
Virgin
Suicides’,
‘Lost
In
Translation’
and
‘The
Bling
Ring’.
Coppola’s
female
characters
are
often
represented
in
a
progressive
manner,
as
they’re
strong-minded
and
independent.
However
Coppola
sticks
to
traditional
female
roles
as
all
of
her
female
characters
dress
in
a
feminine
way
and
identify
as
being
straight,
therefore
not
separating
from
the
norm
of
female
representation
and
sticking
with
a
comfortable
representation
that
sells
well
to
the
public.
Ennui
Coppola
more
than
often
explores
ennui
within
her
characters
and
bases
her
stories
around
individuals
suffering
from
existential
crises’
that
feel
lost
or
lonely
in
their
lives.
‘A
feeling
of
listlessness
and
dissatisfaction
arising
from
a
lack
of
occupation
or
excitement’
(Oxford
Dictionaries)
From
the
Lisbon
sisters
experiencing
boredom
in
their
youth,
to
Bob
Harris
experiencing
a
life
crisis
in
his
late
adult
years,
Coppola
seems
to
follow
a
trend
in
most
of
her
films.
‘Two
of
Coppola’s
films
‘Lost
In
Translation’
and
‘Somewhere’
are
influenced
by
her
own
experiences
whilst
growing
up.
Both
films
showcase
their
location,
as
Coppola
spent
her
college
years
living
in
Los
Angeles,
and
her
early
20s
in
Japan.
Both
films
look
at
each
location
as
an
outsider
entrancing
and
connecting
to
the
viewer.’
(Amanda
Elizabeth
Clarke)
With
that
said,
a
selection
of
Coppola’s
films
reflect
her
own
personal
experiences
and
feelings
she’s
had
in
the
past,
whilst
telling
a
new
story
that
a
viewer
and
enjoy
and
relate
to.
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