Coppola is an iconic figure in the history of cinema, and the following quotes are from Some of Coppola's views on directing, screenwriting and film storytelling, some of which I have described and explained, I recommend you to read.
Francis Ford Coppola won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for her first time for General Patton (1970). In 1972, he directed one of his most famous films, The Godfather, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for the first time and again won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, which also won Best Picture.
Its sequel, The Godfather 2, has always been considered more brilliant than the original and is one of the most famous sequels of all time. Coppola won Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture for the film.
In 1979, Coppola created Apocalypse Now, and between the 1980s and 1990s he directed films such as The Little Godfather (1983), Fighting Fish (1983), Cotton Club (1984), Peggy Sue To Marry (1986), Pioneers (1988), Four Hundred Years of Vampire Horror (1922), and The Godfather 3 (1990), based on classic vampire novels.
Francis Ford Coppola
1
Art and risk coexist, just as children must come from sex
This is Rule XXII, we know. Hollywood is very risk-averse, and they focus most on stories that are risky and innovative, but hollywood developments will keep you up to the current trend.
However, there's no doubt that you have to take a risk in screenwriting anyway. Many agents and development executives want to make a lot of money on the current hits, and they are always looking for the next hit, and this may be you and your script.
To do this, you have to stand out from the crowd. And to stand out, you have to offer something different. This requires taking risks and flipping the tide of the masses. Take the viewer down a formulaic path first, and then push them down a very different and unexpected path.
2
The way I write is like I have a big dough in my hand, when I write a script... Sometimes I'll take some to make pizza, sometimes I'll take some to make a cake, but it's always the dough in my hand. All the thoughts in my head, what I saw, what I dreamed, or what I observed.
You're constantly shaping your style throughout your career, but your "technology" doesn't just serve a vision, project, or purpose. You use bits and pieces of ideas for different stories you want to tell, a movie, a TV series, a comedy, an action movie, a horror thriller, and so on.
The hidden meaning behind this sentence is to understand that this is not just one thing, and too many screenwriters focus on only one script. You hone your skills and create a process that doesn't just serve one project, but serves multiple projects. The more projects and processes you shape, the more it changes and can be applied to other projects.
Coppola on the set of The Godfather
3
It doesn't have to be a fully fledged idea. It can be just a seed, and when I'm ready, I water it every day.
All ideas come from a seed, and as a creator, you have a responsibility to nurture that seed. To nurture this seed, you need to plant it in fertile soil (film type), water it (story character), provide nutrient solution to accelerate growth (story), and provide light (watch movies and TV series to spark your imagination).
This is how you work every day, first developing it and then watching it grow.
4
After I have sixty or seventy pages, then I will start reading it... All I have to do now is write it as a short story... Look at it from another perspective.
Part of finding yourself in the writing process is to break the mold. What can you do to be different and unique? How does this different and unique process fit into your creative thinking?
If writing a short story isn't for you, what should you do to see your script from another angle?
5
Write the ending first. The ending is obviously very important, and this is the final direction of the story.
If you don't know where the story is going, you'll never know which direction to go. When writing a novel, you can let the characters take you away, because writing a novel is more free and there is never a word limit.
And writing a script is not so free. Before you can write, you need to know where the story is going and how it ends so that you can enrich your script with a variety of techniques and complex plots, all of which are the basic elements of exciting and engaging screenwriting.
6
You get fired for the same reasons they give you a Lifetime Achievement Award 30 years later.
During the screenplay writing process, you will hear a lot of "nonsense", many suggestions, instructions, rules, regulations, etc., some of which are really helpful, but some of which are nonsense.
There will be development executives, producers, and representatives who claim that what you're writing doesn't meet the standards — you need to take less risks and write more successful films like this or learn from the successful screenwriter.
Along the way, you have to learn to distinguish between excellent advice and crap that can help improve your writing. There is no trick here, and with the accumulation of time and experience, you will slowly learn to distinguish.
7
You have to be very brave in the face of intuition and ideas; otherwise, you will give in and change your mind. Those episodes that could have been memorable will be missed with you
As you've read, risk is a common theme in Coppola's career. You'll find that the most famous directors and screenwriters stand out precisely because of the risks they take.
No one remembers the screenwriters who remade, rebooted, or watched a traditional action movie hundreds of times. People are always remembered for holding on to their ideas, believing in their instincts and being different.
8
You have to love your job... You have to love this project and this story because over time you'll start to hate it. And when you say ' I really like this story', it's important.
First of all, you have to love the screenplay writing process, although it's hard because if you don't love the job just to make money, then you'll get bored quickly.
Then, you have to make sure you like a certain story idea. Because this idea is in line with the current trend or popularity, it is right to decide to write this script. If you don't love the idea, then it's just a waste of your time.
Script writing requires passion. Whatever you write requires passion. If you become a professional screenwriter, you have to find a way to love the job.
9
I had always been a black sheep in the family and was always told to be dumb, had a low IQ, and did poorly in school.
It's easy to think that successful idols like Francis Coppola are born with some sort of subtle intelligence and that anything is easy for them, but that's not the case.
The success of these idols also comes from hard work. They experience no less failure than you would in your screenwriting career, and the reason they achieve what they are today is because they work hard, believe in themselves, and don't stop because of anything or anyone. When people say you can't do it, they move on.
10
I think filmmaking is a game that requires you to give it your all and make a desperate bet, so I give it everything every time I make a film. I think everyone should do that, and I think everyone should do that with everything.
That's what it takes to make a movie. You need to be fascinated by your work, be fully engaged, and not just find time to create but make time to create.
11
Images that are somehow grouped together far outweigh any of these individual images.
If the script is monotonous and only one scene is beautifully written, the play will have no effect on the reader or the audience. Every scene in the script is important.
You write a perfect scene full of intrigue and outstanding character development, but if the next scene is monotonous and tedious just to keep the plot going, then the perfect scene ahead is wasted.
Editing is everything, skillfully editing scenes and times so that they can transcend each other to become a better whole.
12
You're in an industry where everyone is giving you your opinions, and everyone has their own opinions. This is one of the reasons why George Lucas is no longer a director.
If you want to be a movie storyteller, you have to be thick-skinned. From the time you share your work to the time it is presented to an audience, everyone will have their own opinions about your work.
Movies are subjective. There is no way to solve this problem. Everyone brings their 'baggage' to a script reading or a movie theater – their needs, needs and desires.
You can't make everyone happy. But at the very least when it comes to feedback and constructive criticism, you should consider what they say. But in the end, trust your instincts and don't be afraid to swim against the current.
13
Often, your best idea or work will be attacked the most.
For whatever reason, this happens a lot, probably because your work pushes the limits, touches them, and takes risks.
Hollywood is a risk averse, and when someone seizes an opportunity, what was once considered a risk will become a new trend.
14
When I was 16 or 17, I wanted to be a screenwriter, but I felt like I was writing everything poorly. I remember falling asleep crying a lot because I didn't have the talent I wanted.
There is no overnight success in this world, you have to write more and practice more, so that you can cultivate your talent.
15
Some of the critics' words are very enlightening, they can make you realize how to do better, these suggestions are worth paying attention to.
Learn to be open to constructive criticism. Experiencing failures, learning from mistakes, and being open to advice are the necessary processes to grow into a creator.
Original English: https://screencraft.org/2019/07/19/15-wise-screenwriting-quotes-from-francis-ford-coppola/