Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola

Director of, Marie Antoinette, The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, The Bling Ring and Somewhere.

Coppola's Aesthetic

Sofia Coppola's Dreamscapes from Jacob T. Swinney on Vimeo.

 

Coppola's aesthetic includes the use of soft and natural lighting however slightly emphasised by a pastel colour pallet. This creates a theme of innocence reflected from the characters. The footage is handheld floating around the characters creating a more realistic perspective. All of the visual characteristics work together making Coppola's dreamlike atmosphere.

In addition, the aesthetic is not only within the visuals but Coppola's atmosphere mirrors the characters inner goals and motives. In Lost in Translation, the main character Charlotte wonders around washed away in her clothing blending into the matching surroundings. The camera stutters around in a circular motion, following her as she fully realises life. The Bling Ring, the characters are silhouetted across the glittery horizon chasing their tainted desires. In Marie Antoinette, the shots of nature portray a longing for freedom and self-fulfilment.
Coppola creates these dreamscapes to show the audience the personalities of the characters as well as what they want or who they want to be.

 

Sofia Coppola #supercut from atramoloc on Vimeo.
 

 Coppola’s most important auterial characteristics capture themes of loneliness, dreams and ambitions, finding purpose and dysphoria. As a story about nostalgia and the loss of adolescence, The Virgin Suicides establishes Coppola’s common theme of capturing a sens
e of emptiness through five teenage girls. Coppola’s cinematographic style and use of mise-en-scene within this film, and following films, includes European-style qualities. Her documentary-style aesthetics through use of wandering ,edgy cinematography and dead-time, reflects her preference to show the narrative rather than tell it/narrate it. Again, this is another aesthetic choice.
Coppola’s films deal with characters, mainly female, that have issues with societies expectations and personal ambitions. She uses simple plot lines to allow the audience to focus on the relationship between the characters and their environment.

 I think Coppola does share themes with director Tarkovsky by the style of narrative, the characters connection with their environment, childhood and innocents as well as use of time and themes of dreams. Coppola also uses Tarkovsky's colour theory by emphasising scenes with either warm or cold tones. Tarkovsky instead changes the colours completely with either, sepia, black and white or colour.
I plan to create Coppola's cinematographic style of dreamscape and pastel aesthetics. Including characters connection with their environments reflecting goals and motives.