Sofia Coppola is an American film director known for the films The Beguiled (2017), The Bling Ring (2013), and Lost in Translation (2003). Her first feature film was The Virgin Suicides (1999), but she has also directed several music videos and a couple of short films, including Lick the Star (1998).
The style of directing she uses highlights the character's loneliness to the audience, but also creates a dreamlike world, as many of her shots are framed wider and are quieter than is traditional. Her films always involve moments of transition for the characters, such as the loss of innocence of the young girls in The Beguiled as they become aware of the outside world for the first time, the realisation of the consequences of their actions for the teenagers in The Bling Ring, and even the deaths of the sisters in The Virgin Suicides.
The main reason I decided to research Sofia Coppola for this project was because I felt that her dreamlike, emotional, but detached visuals would help convey the fantasy aspect of Once Upon A Time, but could offer a different perspective compared to the show's normally close-up view of the characters and their lives. I had also never seen any of her films before.
Looking out a car window - characters in a dream state:
Top left: Lick the Star (1998), Top right: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Bottom left: Lost in Translation (2003), Bottom right: The Bling Ring (2013)
The most frequent shot Sofia Coppola uses is one in which her characters stare at the world outside of a car window, usually with the street going by superimposed over their faces. During these moments, the characters are seen contemplating, reflecting on events, and dreaming. It is as if they are trapped, moving forward but having no clear idea as to what the way forward in their lives is.
For example, Scarlett Johansson's character, Charlotte, in Lost in Translation is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to do with her life, whilst being stuck in a strange city and failing marriage, symbolised by the enclosed nature of the car, made clear by placing the audience on the outside looking in. By looking out of the window at the city with the crowds and buildings moving past it can be seen that she dreams of connecting with someone, foreshadowing that she will later find a friend in Bill Murray's character.
The outside world is shown both through superimposition, and tracking shots from the character's point of view, so the audience's focus is on the character's mind and their dreams. Therefore, their emotional state is shown through these visuals, as they are confused by their lives lack of direction, symbolised by the blurry superimposition of the outside world, which can be unclear and confusing for the audience, sometimes even covering the character's faces.
Opening shot of a character in an unspecified place:
Top left: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Top right: Lost in Translation (2003), Bottom left: Somewhere (2010), Bottom right: The Beguiled (2017)
At the opening of her films, Sofia Coppola introduces characters by framing them in an unspecified space at an unspecified time. This helps to show their isolation, and loneliness as they are often much smaller than their surroundings.
For example, in The Beguiled, the first shot the audience see is of Amy (Oona Laurence) dwarfed by the forest. The only signifier of where the film is set is a forest somewhere, but this could be anywhere in the world, as well as what the character is wearing, which signals that it is probably some time in the past. A similar shot to this is held for some time as the audience follow Amy alone in the forest as she collects mushrooms. This draws the audience into the story as Amy acts as a sort of guide into the film's world, as she is the only person seen. Therefore, when she finds an injured Corporal, the audience are also shocked and find him strange, as Amy does.
This opening shot could also signify the character's mental state, as Amy does not leave her school much, and has therefore not seen much of the world outside. Her being so small compared to her surroundings signals that the world confuses her, and is somewhat alien to her, as is the film's world at this point to the audience, therefore it has power over them.
Distant sounds:
The Beguiled (2017)
For example, in this clip from The Beguiled, as the character of Martha (Nicole Kidman), is introduced the distant sounds of the bell ringing and Amy shouting can be heard. There is further sound in the background as gunfire and fighting outside of the school can be heard throughout this scene, and the rest of the film. This shows just how shut out the outside world is for the characters, but also reveals to the audience the time period of the film is during the American Civil War, later confirmed by the explanation of the Corporal.
This is shown with characters as well as environment. Also during The Beguiled, Amy is seen sitting high up in a tree whilst the other girls can be heard below her laughing and talking to one another. She is seen as isolated not just by her silence highlighting the presence of others around her, but also because of her detached position in the tree. This has the effect of making the audience feel detached from part of the film's world, but more intimately inside Amy's world.
Hidden emotions:
Top: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Bottom: Lost in Translation (2003)
Sofia Coppola sometimes shows the back or side of characters, obscuring their faces during emotional moments. This can make identification with the characters difficult for the audience, as they are not sure exactly what they feeling. However, the characters are usually unsure of what they are feeling, or why they are feeling like they are, in these moments also.
For example, in The Virgin Suicides, after the suicide of her youngest daughter, the mother is seen only from the back when the priest comes to see her. This reinforces that she does not want to see the priest, but also signifies she does not want anyone to see her as she is ashamed at what has happened, similar to Charlotte in Lost in Translation. She cries whilst on the phone, as her friend thinks it's impressive she gets to be in Tokyo, which she does to, but she admits that she no longer feels anything. Her friend doesn't pay attention to this and tells her she has to go, leaving her alone again. It is as if she feels ashamed that she does not know how to feel even though she is in such an amazing city, the uncertainty and shame of this reinforced by the audience only seeing her framed this way throughout the whole scene.
Establishing shots of building exteriors:
Top: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Middle: The Bling Ring (2013), Bottom: The Beguiled (2017)
Location exteriors are often shown in Sofia Coppola's films. These reinforce the boxed in nature of the character's worlds, along with the car window shots and distant sounds.
For example, in The Bling Ring, members of the group's houses are shown, signifying their status and class by the type of houses they own. They desperately want to break out of the status and class they are currently stuck in, which is why they begin robbing celebrities' homes, as this is the lifestyle they dream of escaping to. However, this freedom is only an illusion, as by breaking out of their own homes, they only escape to bigger houses, bigger boxes, with more security. This repetitiveness highlights their want for escape and transition into something more, as only through robbing these houses do they spend time together and leave behind the isolation of their own homes.
Similar to this is the building where the youngest sister in The Virgin Suicides sees a councillor, as she is trapped in the building by the session she has to attend, but also her mental state is signalled as she is trapped in the repetitiveness of how she feels, which ultimately leads to her suicide.
This is also true for the girls in The Beguiled, as because of their fear of the war outside they are stuck in the school building, which, although the audience never see the battles, it can be heard constantly going on through the repetitive sounds of the gunfire. When Amy does manage to escape to the woods, this fear is only realised because she finds the Corporal, making her freedom an illusion.Corridor shots:
Top left: Lick the Star (1998), Top right above: Marie Antoinette (2006), Top right below: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Bottom left and right: Somewhere (2010)
By showing her characters walking down corridors, Sofia Coppola shows them commanding the spaces they are trapped in.
For example, in Lick The Star, the antagonist is shown walking down the corridor towards the camera, immediately giving her power, as although she is trapped like the other characters, she seems sure of the place she is in, and sure of where she wants to go within it. This is reinforced by the fact the audience already know her through the voiceover of the main character as the queen of the seventh grade, and she is seen as the only character who is able to orchestrate operation 'Lick The Star'.
This is also true for the teenage boy in The Virgin Suicides as he is also seen walking towards the camera. He is seen by the audience as being the person who can help the sisters by making them happy, therefore he could stop them taking their own lives, giving him power in the narrative.
Attention to detail:
Top left: Lost in Translation (2003), Top right: The Bling Ring (2013), Bottom left and right: The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Even though she typically frames many shots wide, Sofia Coppola uses close-ups to show details such as objects or hands.
For example, in the opening sequence of The Bling Ring, collections of jewellery, shoes, and clothing are shown as if they are important, highlighting just how much stuff the celebrities own and the power this will have over the teenagers as they are tempted to steal it.
These close-ups are also used to show intimacy as in Lost in Translation, Charlotte is seen looking around a temple, and she sees a couple, as the camera tilts down to frame their hands. This signifies Charlotte's want for something like this, as she is stuck in a marriage that she believes is failing and therefore feels all alone in the strange city.
This is used in a similar way in The Virgin Suicides as one of the sisters begins to connect with the teenage boy. By framing their hands close-up, the intimacy of the moment is heightened, but also the tentative nature of this gesture, as it is realised just how far apart the characters are from each other due to the sisters' isolated upbringing causing her fear at getting close to someone because of the consequences that might then occur.
Whole scene as master shot:
The Bling Ring (2013)
Some scenes are framed wide by Sofia Coppola, and this shot is held for the entire scene, creating a detached, dreamlike quality.
For example, in this scene above from The Bling Ring, the house is framed so that it is the size of a dollhouse, and the people the size of dolls. The audience are able to track the teenagers robbing the house through the lights turning on, but they are dwarfed by their surroundings, much like Amy in the opening shot from The Beguiled. However, this could signify that they are unimportant compared to other goings-on in the world, as no one knows yet that the robberies are occurring, and one of their main motivations for the robberies is that they feel as if they have a lack of attention due to their isolation. This also shows how boxed in they are, as they appear like toys, played with by the industry of Hollywood and the lifestyle they desire.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Similar is this scene from Lost in Translation, as it is mostly silent, and Bill Murray's character, Bob, is seen mainly facing away from the audience, as when he does face the camera his face is covered by the rim of his hat. This highlights his isolation as it is clear no one is around as the audience are able to hear him hitting the ball it is so quiet. It also shows how unimportant he suddenly feels, being a fading movie star who is used to attention.
Natural light and muted colours:
Top left: The Beguiled (2017), Top right: The Bling Ring (2013), Bottom left: Lost in Translation (2003), Bottom right: The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Adding to the dreamlike quality of her films is the natural light Sofia Coppola uses. This is usually shown shining through trees overhead, further reinforcing the feeling of the character's being trapped, as they are not even able to reach the sunlight.
Sometimes, as in the example above from The Bling Ring, this causes the picture to become overexposed, but this further adds to the mystery of the characters, what they feel, and where they are going.
Left: Lost in Translation (2003), Top right: Marie Antoinette (2006), Bottom right: The Beguiled (2017)
Sofia Coppola's films also frequently feature a palette of muted colours, which much like the natural light often makes the images appear washed out. However, this only further adds to the dreamlike quality of her film's worlds, making things appear fragile, similar to many of her character's mental states as they are unsure of what or how to feel.
For example, in Lost in Translation, the still above is when Bob and Charlotte begin to become much closer to one another, so the black contrasting with the more muted colours signifies the sudden certainty they have found in each other.
Overall, all of these elements add up to create a dreamlike world of isolation in Sofia Coppola's films, but they can sometimes make her films feel like documentaries.
Lost in Translation (2003)
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