10 Screenwriting Tips from Francis Ford Coppola - How he wrote The Godfather and Apocalypse Now

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Screenwriter and director Francis Ford Coppola is widely considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His accolades include five Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Palmes d'Or, and a Bafta.
After directing The Rain People in 1969, Coppola co-wrote Patton (1970), earning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay along with Edmund H. North.
Coppola's reputation as a filmmaker was cemented with the release of The Godfather (1972). The film revolutionized movie-making in the gangster genre and was adored by the public and critics alike. The Godfather won three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay (shared with Mario Puzo).
The Godfather Part II, which followed in 1974, became the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
His next film, Apocalypse Now (1979), which notoriously had a lengthy and strenuous production, was widely acclaimed for its vivid depiction of the Vietnam War. The film won the Palme d'Or, making Coppola one of only eight filmmakers to have won that award twice.
01 - Be courageous about your instincts, your ideas. New work will always be challenged because it’s never really been seen, or proven to work, before. But, new innovative cinema is always remembered the most.
02 - When adapting a novel, make notes on your initial read of the book. This allows for your initial honest thoughts to come through. Later, create a notebook alongside the novel and re-read it with even more adjustments and thoughts.
03 - Make sure you are in love with the project you're making. Throughout writing, or production, it will become difficult, and even unbearable. But it is a love for the story which will get you through, and make a final cut worth while.
04 - Take inspiration from anything, never be afraid to use others ideas. In the process of filmmaking, you’ll always make it your own, so always look into using other work to inspire your own.
05 - Writing, like acting, is a skill that can be worked on. Look around you, and just bit by bit build upon your ideas. Then, later on, construct a story around these ideas starting with the end.
06 - Writing, and acting, are the magical ingredients to any film. A film that technical looks bland, but has great characters, acting, & writing can become a hit. A film that looks great, but terrible writing and acting can’t be.
07 - Cinema, now, is looking for smaller, more meaningful stories. Try to look at how film can depict the struggles and meaning in everyday life. Really think about film as art, and how you will use this medium to tell the truth of life.
08 - Each time you make a film, write a script or direct a picture, give it everything you have. Put up everything you have, and be determined to actually create your work. See the fact your film doesn’t exist as a sin, and seek to fix that.
09 - Theatre can be a useful stepping stone for any writer, director or actor. The theatre can help you build simple skills, such as working with actors, or writing one act plays, that translate very well to filmmaking. So consider using theatre, or studying it, as a strong initial step into filmmaking.
10 - Filmmakers need to be courageous. Simply waiting for funding, or chance, most likely won’t work. Jump into every chance with the thought that you get one life, one chance and it’s better to regret failure than not even taking the chance to begin with.
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