The A24 Podcast This Is How It Should End with Paul Schrader & Sofia Coppola
May 30, 2018
Paul Schrader, veteran filmmaker, and Sofia Coppola discuss Paul's unexpected career trajectory, ambiguous endings, challenges of writing without 'nighttime additives,' and what it took for Paul to finally make First Reformed, the movie he's been waiting his whole life to make.
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Plan A Release Like A Campaign
- Pass through festivals and curated screenings to reach audiences; distribution takes relentless campaigning.
- Treat releasing an indie film as full-time work and plan festival strategy early.
Career Low Led To Creative Rebirth
- After Dying of the Light was taken away, Paul sank into despair and alcoholism, then regrouped by making a wild comeback film.
- That recovery led him to demand final cut and pursue riskier, quieter projects like First Reformed.
Final Cut Enables Risky, Low-Budget Work
- Final cut can free you to make financially modest but artistically daring films that studios wouldn't risk.
- Lower budgets plus creative control let you pursue themes you previously avoided.