Sofia Coppola & Auteur's Voice
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Lost In Translation (2003)
Sofia Coppola heavily used light effects (both natural and orchestrated) to illuminate characters, or for emphasis on a particular part of a scene. Sometimes light was used to immerse the viewer in the beauty of the surroundings, or to create a sense of mood whether it be excitement, intensity, loss, or uncertainty. Light might sparkle or glow for optimism, or be dim and narrow to convey a sense of dread.
In the case of The Virgin Suicides, Sofia's color palette (which was warm and golden) reflects the idealistic psychology of the main characters, and the whimsical view of the boys re-telling their story. There is a paradox of optimism and beauty against anguish and strict limitations. Light glistening through the trees seems to demonstrate the girls' hope in spite of their isolation, which makes their fate more poignant. The girls wanted to believe in something better. Lost In Translation also has a dreamlike quality with muted colors to portray the city of Tokyo in a calm, sophisticated manner as opposed to the bright, frenzied, overly energetic way Tokyo is represented the majority of the time. Marie Antoinette's color palette emphasis is on bright pastels, reminiscent of Versailles itself with vibrant colors everywhere. The dreamy environments makes the audience feel enveloped in the scenery as opposed to something dark they want to escape. Sofia uses color to create a sense of atmosphere based on the mood and emotional mindset of her characters or their era.
The music used in Sofia Coppola’s films is generally contemporary with hints at the era being conveyed. The Virgin Suicides soundtrack captures the style of the mid to late 70's, but also the mood and mindset of the Lisbon girls, especially Lux. You can practically feel the desperation of these sisters in the melodic, but melancholy arrangements. The music seems to illustrate the longing for some sort of answer to everything that happened to the girls. In the case of Marie Antoinette, the guitar is used to depict Marie Antoinette’s overall perception of being an outsider in the middle of Versailles. While this seems like an odd choice for such a period piece, Marie Antoinette demonstrated a more modern feminine mindset not representative of her era. The score in Lost In Translation is mostly guitar with a contemporary feel that is mellow and melancholy to communicate the emotional neglect felt by the two main characters. Sofia takes great care in her films to choose music that serves the emotional weight of any scene.
Sofia Coppola took great care developing entire worlds for her characters to live in. She even shot extra footage not necessarily planning for it to be used in the final film. For The Virgin Suicides, Sofia recorded “home movies” of the Lisbon girls when they were younger. While this never appeared in the final film, this was done because she loved the source material and wanted to expand the world of the Lisbon girls. For Lost In Translation, Sofia shows us Charlotte's world with Polaroids, notebook sketches, and by her travels to see monks worshiping. This is meant to show the audience the character's genuine interest in Japanese culture rather than simply a personal trip as a means to escape. As a director, Sofia observes the good writer's rule of “Show, don't tell”. In the case of Marie Antoinette, we see Marie observing the members of royalty within Versailles, and her reactions to the social dynamic and cultural norms. We see everything she witnesses as a revelation and a paradigm shift because she was in an arranged marriage, and everything good and bad is out of her control.
Sofia puts great emphasis on costume and set design. In The Virgin Suicides, the clothing, hair, make up, and music are all authentic to the 1970’s, as well as general attitudes. The neighborhood is reminiscent of suburban life in the 1970's. Marie Antoinette was filmed on location in Versailles, and the costuming and hair resembles classic paintings from the 1700's. In Lost In Translation, the clothing style and hair is contemporary and understated so the viewer focuses more on character emotion and surroundings. From film to film, Sofia's visual authenticity is consistent, and so is audience immersion.
Each shot in Sofia's films feels like a well thought out piece of photography. Great care was taken in structuring each shot so there was intimacy with each character. Moments are illuminated with beauty, even in the darker moments. Thoughtful lighting from scene to scene makes the audience want to stay invested in the atmosphere. Even dark moments are aesthetically pleasing as opposed to making the audience on edge or uncomfortable. This leaves the audience free to feel for the characters instead of themselves.
When depicting a tragedy, Sofia Coppola takes great care to show the emotional weight of the scene rather than glorify its violence. Visual details that might be considered vulgar are avoided out of respect for her characters. Some of the dead are depicted in silhouette allowing the audience to view the tragedy without feeling fear or offense. Sofia prefers her audience be engaged by atmosphere, story and characters rather than repelled by graphic visuals.
The camera shots, at times, almost appear “third person” as if we are in the room. We are privy to character emotions at their time and place. During action scenes, the camera might move with the characters as if we are along, or shot from character point of view. The camera might point toward the sky if the characters are looking up. The audience feels as if they are sharing time with the characters through the camera movements and angles. Story is furthered by what we witness in addition to the dialogue we hear. Cinematography includes shots from a variety of angles and perspectives so the audience feels the vast atmosphere of the cities or landscapes along with the characters. Sofia's love for filmmaking and photography is represented in the visuals captured by the cameras under her direction.
Specifically with Marie Antoinette and The Virgin Suicides, Sofia puts great emphasis on femininity. Both Lux and Marie are depicted as having more modern and idealistic attitudes than their eras (or circumstances) would allow. They both express frustration of having a more modern view, but suffering the limits placed upon them by their time. In the case of Lost In Translation, Charlotte is somewhat isolated from all things familiar because of her husband’s work abroad as a photographer. The interactions she observes between her husband and his friends is merely shallow conversation. When she expresses her desire for more meaningful connections with people, she's dismissed as being a snob. Charlotte, too, is a woman seeking a more meaningful existence than her circumstances provide.
Based on these subtle cues in tone, lighting, character development, and mindful unfolding of story, I’d say that Sofia Coppola definitely has an auteur's voice. She does not shy away from her emotional connection to the material, and expressing it through the characters. Her father, Francis Ford Coppola, had a great influence on her as an artist. His directorial style combines memorial dialogue with intense visuals which are strong enough to further story. However, Sofia developed her own style based on material that inspired her. As a young art student, I have always been a huge fan of Sofia's work for its beautiful cinematography. The Virgin Suicides has been a favorite film of mine since I was 14. Compared to other filmmakers, Sofia's visual style conveys the emotional depth to the audience that, for me, feels like poignant non-verbal story telling. We aren't just following with our eyes, we are feeling with them.
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