A few words from Francis Ford Coppola
There is a time when, after years of directing, you begin to think that you have read, seen and learned all that there is to the craft. You know which lens to use, camera movement or wardrobe design simply by reading a script or being told the genre and the cast. You just know everything…
And then you meet Francis Ford Coppola.
And then you start from zero.
I had the opportunity to attend a Master Class with Francis Ford Coppola during the recent Marrakech International Film Festival and the session felt like getting advice from an old wise man about the meaning of life.
What struck me most, though, was Coppola's humility. Before Marrakech, I attended a forum of young Filipino filmmakers and was so shocked at the arrogance and ostentation some of them exhibited after winning a couple of awards. I know that these filmmakers mean to encourage would-be cineastes and usually their idealism go hand in hand with being feisty. Coppola, on the other hand, opened his talk with "I am not comfortable calling this talk a Master Class because I am not a master". For him, Kurosawa, Truffaut and Eisenstein are masters. He doesn't consider himself one because he is still learning. He may be ahead of us in many ways but he prefers to be considered a graduate student rather than a master.
He also talked about how only you can define your success; not the media, not your friends and not your colleagues. He also said, "Don't ask anyone to finance your film and leave them out of any decision in the project because it is their money you are using. Do not tell them it is an investment because making films--or at least, films that you want to do--are not investments."
He said, "Money and movies do not really mix. The only thing they have in common is that they both begin with the letter M."
That is why Coppola is busy with his day job as a vintner. In that way, he can make the movies he wants without any pressure from anyone who put their money in a film. In the world of show business, that may be an irony but it certainly makes sense.
Contributed photo
Disclaimer: The views and observations of the author do not represent the position of Yahoo! Southeast Asia on the issue or topic being discussed.
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