Francis Ford Coppola Interview

[Jacob 0]

New interview from Francis Ford Coppola (published today or yesterday I think).

Considering how the topic of plagiarism gets batted around here at JWFan, I thought this part was interesting:

Is it important to veer away from the masters to develop one’s own style?

I once found a little excerpt from Balzac. He speaks about a young writer who stole some of his prose. The thing that almost made me weep, he said, “I was so happy when this young person took from me.” Because that’s what we want. We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what we give you and you will put it in your own voice and that’s how you will find your voice.

And that’s how you begin. And then one day someone will steal from you. And Balzac said that in his book: It makes me so happy because it makes me immortal because I know that 200 years from now there will be people doing things that somehow I am part of. So the answer to your question is: Don’t worry about whether it’s appropriate to borrow or to take or do something like someone you admire because that’s only the first step and you have to take the first step.

http://the99percent.com/articles/6973/Francis-Ford-Coppola-On-Risk-Money-Craft-Collaboration?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=ALL&utm_campaign=MIH+Jan+5+2011

[crocodile 8,095]

Great quote. Thanks for sharing.

I remember Alan Moore saying that it's not bad to be influenced by things. You just have to make sure you draw inspiration from different places and not just one. It makes the work your own in the process. Something like that, anyway...

Karol

[Thor 7,683]

Love Coppola. He's really the only one of the "movie brats" who in recent years have DARED to go back to his art film roots, probably inspired by his daughter's brilliant movies. Respect, man! I wish Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese etc. would do the same.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,267]

I thought he went back to his roots because his last few films flopped and no one is prepared to give him a decent budget.

[Thor 7,683]

I thought he went back to his roots because his last few films flopped and no one is prepared to give him a decent budget.

Yeah, that may have something to do with it too.