DZ-76: Spotlight on Sofia Coppola

9 snips

Feb 1, 2021

Discover Sofia Coppola's masterful character writing in scripts like 'Lost in Translation' and 'The Bling Ring'. Explore her unique approach to screenwriting and uncover the secrets behind her captivating films. Dive into the intricacies of character dynamics and the impact of visual storytelling. Delve into discussions on satire, racism, and gender portrayal in Coppola's work. A must-listen for aspiring screenwriters and film enthusiasts alike!

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 5min

Exploring the Richness of Director's Screenplays

04:46 • 8min

In-depth Analysis of Lost in Translation Film

13:12 • 3min

Unveiling Romantic Intentions Through Script Analysis

16:33 • 26min

The Intricacies of Character Dynamics

42:21 • 25min

Analysis of Visual Impact and Character Dynamics in Two Scenes

01:07:26 • 2min

Exploring Satire and Character Dynamics in Scriptwriting

01:09:10 • 20min

Analyzing Sofia Coppola's Script Writing Style

01:29:27 • 13min

Casual banter, gratitude, and analysis of racism in a film scene

01:42:37 • 4min

Depiction of Racism and Gender in Scripts and Films

01:46:58 • 7min

What can we learn from Sofia Coppola’s on-the-page skills over her career?

Following the success of the Tips from Tarantino episode, we have again decided to look at three different scripts from over the course of a long screenwriting career from a single writer to see what we can learn. Our beloved patreons not only selected Sofia Coppola as said writer, but also selected the scripts to analyse: LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE BLING RING and THE BEGUILED.

Stu and Chas are joined by repeat Draft Zero offender Melanie Killingsworth and are surprised to find that Coppola does not often write the tone or experience of her films into her scripts (given how specific her tone is and how unique the experiences of her films are). Instead, we are treated to a masterclass in writing character performance on the page - actor catnip, if you will - as well as Coppola’s insightful use of white space.

You can also watch the complete live stream on YouTube.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND.

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3. Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and to Carissa Lee for reading the script excerpts.

RUNNING ORDER

00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:12 - Sofia Coppola & Writing to Direct
00:13:49 - Lost in Translation
00:54:07 - The Bling Ring
01:18:24 - The Beguiled
01:34:53 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings
01:45:28 - Backmatter: Cultural Portray in Lost in Translation

EPISODE LINKS

FOLLOW: Melanie Killingsworth – @mehlsbells on twitter
WATCH: Lost In Translation
READ: http://dailyscript.com/scripts/lost_in_translation.pdf
WATCH: The Bling Ring
READ: https://raindance.org/scripts/The%20Bling%20Ring.pdf
WATCH: The Beguiled
READ: https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-beguiled-2017.pdf
READ: DZ-76 Sofia Coppola Collated Scripts
READ: Hit film gets lost in racism row
READ: Latent racism 'Lost in Translation'

RELATED EPISODES

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp - https://www.scriptupstudio.com - use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Randy, Bjorn, Jack, Khrob, and Sandra. They’re good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.