COPPOLA: It's weird, because I never studied directing and never really thought about doing it, and then I just found myself in that situation and tried it. I like to be observing everything else, and I get self-conscious in front of the camera.
COPPOLA: I liked that the story seemed to capture what it was like to be that age, something that I haven't seen many people get right. It just seemed really authentic to me. You know, the way you can be obsessed with these little details of something that someone owned. Also how strong your feelings are the first time you fall in love. The obsessiveness and all that.
How thoroughly did making "Lick the Star," your 1998 short film, prepare you for directing a feature? And did your earlier work as an actor give you insight into how a director is supposed to behave on a set?
Making "Lick the Star" helped me think that directing was something I could do, which was a nice surprise. I had been on film sets all my life, but actually making one gave me the feeling that this was something I loved. And being in front of the camera helped me to be sensitive to actors—to appreciate how vulnerable you can be.
Making "Lick the Star" helped me think that directing was something I could do, which was a nice surprise. I had been on film sets all my life, but actually making one gave me the feeling that this was something I loved. And being in front of the camera helped me to be sensitive to actors—to appreciate how vulnerable you can be.
You adapted the screenplay for The Virgin Suicides yourself—and you've written all your subsequent films. How important to you is doing the scripts?
To me, it's part of making a film: dreaming up in your mind the movie you want to make. That's the starting point for me. I've never worked from someone else's script. I don't know if I'd know how to approach that.
Did you do anything on the set of Virgin Suicides that you regret now?
I definitely learned a lot and I'm sure I made mistakes. I remember the worst part was that we didn't have a lot of money budgeted for film stock, so the producers were always freaking out that I was doing these long takes of the girls hanging out in their bedroom. I guess that isn't an issue these days!
Was there anything about the job you didn't expect?
I remember how depressed I was after seeing the first rough cut. My dad had prepared me by telling me a movie's never as bad as the first rough cut. But mine was so bad, and I thought I had let everyone down who had helped me make it. And I didn't know how hard it was to shoot in a moving car. You don't think about these things when you're writing and I remember vowing to not do it again. But now, of course, I've done it a bunch.
To me, it's part of making a film: dreaming up in your mind the movie you want to make. That's the starting point for me. I've never worked from someone else's script. I don't know if I'd know how to approach that.
Did you do anything on the set of Virgin Suicides that you regret now?
I definitely learned a lot and I'm sure I made mistakes. I remember the worst part was that we didn't have a lot of money budgeted for film stock, so the producers were always freaking out that I was doing these long takes of the girls hanging out in their bedroom. I guess that isn't an issue these days!
Was there anything about the job you didn't expect?
I remember how depressed I was after seeing the first rough cut. My dad had prepared me by telling me a movie's never as bad as the first rough cut. But mine was so bad, and I thought I had let everyone down who had helped me make it. And I didn't know how hard it was to shoot in a moving car. You don't think about these things when you're writing and I remember vowing to not do it again. But now, of course, I've done it a bunch.
What attracted you to The Virgin Suicides?
First of all, I loved the book. I thought he wrote beautifully about being that age, about being a teenager and about being at that age where you're first thinking about love and mortality.
First of all, I loved the book. I thought he wrote beautifully about being that age, about being a teenager and about being at that age where you're first thinking about love and mortality.
What were your biggest fears and challenges as a first-time director?
I loved the story and, just growing up around filmmaking, I thought of things in that context. When you haven't done something before, I think you have a naivete that helps you jump into things blindly and you don't realize what you're getting into. I think it helped a lot not knowing how hard it really was, but my main motivation was just to make what I loved about the book translate visually to the screen.
I loved the story and, just growing up around filmmaking, I thought of things in that context. When you haven't done something before, I think you have a naivete that helps you jump into things blindly and you don't realize what you're getting into. I think it helped a lot not knowing how hard it really was, but my main motivation was just to make what I loved about the book translate visually to the screen.
How was your first day on the set?
I was more nervous the day before and driving to the set in the morning! My biggest fear was that everyone was going to look at me as the boss and I would freeze up and go blank and not know what to do. But that never happened so I'm really lucky. We had prepared for so long that as soon as I got there, we had so much excitement about finally being on the set that all my nerves just went away. We had a lot to do in 29 days so I didn't really have time to stop and second-guess things. I just had to charge through and it helped that I had grown up on sets and felt so comfortable in that environment.
I was more nervous the day before and driving to the set in the morning! My biggest fear was that everyone was going to look at me as the boss and I would freeze up and go blank and not know what to do. But that never happened so I'm really lucky. We had prepared for so long that as soon as I got there, we had so much excitement about finally being on the set that all my nerves just went away. We had a lot to do in 29 days so I didn't really have time to stop and second-guess things. I just had to charge through and it helped that I had grown up on sets and felt so comfortable in that environment.
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