By Julia Scott

Roman Coppola taps into a new generation of youth culture

If you want to be a filmmaker, being the son of legendary Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola can't hurt. Roman Coppola made his acting debut at age 8 as Sonny in The Godfather: Part II and went on to work on the sets of The Outsiders and Rumble Fish (both 1983).

After graduating from NYU film school, Coppola produced five feature films and was second unit director for both Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) and The Virgin Suicides (1999), directed by his father and his sister Sofia Coppola, respectively.

Coppola's own directorial debut came in 2001 with the critically acclaimed C.Q. (code for "Seek You"), a groovy 1960s-era film set in Paris and starring our own Angela Lindvall as both first-time actress Valentine and sexy sci-fi character Dragonfly. Coppola also wrote the movie, which tells the story of an earnest first-time director trying to serve up an artistic movie under commercial pressure.

As a well-established music video director, Coppola has worked with an incredible list of musicians and bands, including Fat Boy Slim, Wyclef, The Strokes, Moby and Green Day. He's also created commercials for The Gap, Coca-Cola, Levis and others (for a complete tour of his work, check out his production company The Director's Bureau.

What was your experience of the world as a kid? What issues were you thinking about?

I grew up in San Francisco and a little later in the Napa Valley. San Francisco in the late 60s and early 70s was a pretty progressive place to be, with regard to the arts and social awareness. I remember as a kid going to peace rallies and that whole kind of hippie culture, Save the Whales and all that kind of stuff.

Who would take you to the rallies?

I would go with my parents, to Golden Gate Park. It's not like they were so directly involved in that movement, but you're around it. So I do have these early memories of being exposed to these kinds of issues… I remember that the Save the Whales movement was particularly vibrant at that time. I remember another was to make sure that you bought tuna fish that didn't harm dolphins.

So it was generally environmental issues that got talked about at home?

I don't want to overstate it, but just being in that time and place, San Francisco in the early 70s, it's hard not to be aware of that stuff. There was a drought around that time, so there was a lot of awareness of sick water and all that type of thing. My mom in particular is a pretty socially conscious person, and so you grow up with all those little things—like if you're using a paper towel to wipe something up, you go, "that's a tree."

What sorts of things were you interested in as a kid?

I've always been interested in the arts, painting and music and crafts—building things, making things, drawing, making inventions. I was very interested in theatrical makeup. I would make scars or do monster makeup.

On yourself?

Yes, it was a hobby. And I was very interested in magic, still am. I'm very interested in technology and gadgetry and stuff. In my business you get to build sets or props. My interests now have evolved into filmmaking, which embraces so many of those other art forms.

What kinds of stuff did you invent as a kid?

I remember making a rocket propelled egg in a contest: whoever could make the most interesting vehicle that could transport an egg without breaking it. We made these various helicopter-type things that had a parachute, rocket skis that could shuttle on the ground.

What are your impressions of Collage and why have you decided to get involved?

I'm a friend of Angela's. She's someone I care about and I'm really interested in what she's up to. I got to know her pretty well when we were filming our movie and always liked her passion and interest in environmental issues and social consciousness for younger people. A lot of young people are into whatever they're into—bands or movies or whatever—and she's into this area, which is very important.

So as her friend, I wanted to participate. But I also liked the idea of a project that uses the lingo of youth culture and style—rather than to sell perfume or clothes—to sell information about our world and all the stuff that's worth preserving, to involve people in a way that's fun and appealing. She asked me if I was able to participate, so I've been cooking up a little animated project which is basically a moving collage, a short piece that will hopefully be useful to get people to check out what Angela's doing.

Given your work with youth culture in your music videos and in C.Q., what do you think we should have on our website?

I think if you ask anyone, "Would you like to preserve nature and trees and all these wonderful species for future generations?" everyone would say yes. And yet there's so many things we all do that go against that desire. If there's a forum to get those little bits of information that everyone could tap into and therefore make the difference—if everyone bought the products that were the most environmentally friendly, or did all these little things in their daily routines, it would all add up.

I find that websites always need to have something that compels you to come back. If there's a little thing that you get… exclusivity, when you can't get something, makes you want it. If you were to have something that no one else had, like if you got Moby or Fat Boy Slim to compose some piece of music that was only on your website, that would tap into their power and draw people there. Whether it was a photograph or some special edition skateboard thing, something that was not available anywhere else, that might do it.

What made you choose Angela to star in C.Q.?

When I met her I did not feel like there was anyone else who came close to being those characters. I'd been looking everywhere and two people simultaneously recommended her. I had been aware of her from her photos, and thought she was a very captivating persona in her images. Anyway, when I met her I was totally enchanted by her and felt she was the only person that could play in it. I'm very lucky and very grateful to her that it worked out that she did.

I heard that she didn't agree right away.

She was a little startled, because I actually flew to New York to meet her. And I didn't say that because I didn't want to freak her out, but she was just meeting me very casually. I think she had just agreed to meet me for the sake of courtesy. But I became very convinced that she was the person, I knew it right away…I contacted her agent and offered her the role. At first she was interested, but I think it was also kind of scary—"oh my god, what am I signing up for, two months in this weird small country in Europe?"

Where did you film it?

Luxemburg. She was nervous, it was happening so fast. She backed out, and I was very distraught because I felt she was the one. This was just a few weeks before filming. So I tracked her down in Seville and got her on the phone and begged. I didn't want to be a bully about it. But what I said to her was that it was better to have an experience than not have an experience. In the end, she took the plunge and she did it, and did a great job. I'll always be grateful to her for coming through for me.

When you were getting into film, did you always want to make a specific kind of movie?

No, I've always been curious about all different types of movies, which is hopefully evidenced by my film, which is schizophrenic. I'm interested in doing different things, so each project is kind of a little way to satisfy my curiosity. I'm always trying new techniques, whether it's with the camera or the way the story's told.

How has your father's filmmaking impacted your own work?

It's hard to quantify. He's a person who gives a lot of advice, and I think we share a lot of different traits, like an interest in diversity—he's made lots of different types of movies in different styles, and the style will support the content of the film. Dracula used a lot of techniques from the turn of the century when the book was written, photographic techniques and style; so that reflected that approach to making the film in that way—old-fashioned, doing it all in the studio. The idea of tapping into the spirit of the movie via the way you go about making it—for CQ, my example is that it's a story about a young American making his first movie in Europe, and I was that. I was first-time filmmaker in Europe, trying to make a movie and find a balance between art and commerce, which is the story of my movie, and doing it all at the same time.

What have been some of the more exciting moments for you in your career?

A little over a year ago, I directed a live television broadcast of The Strokes performing. It was very exhilarating; it was broadcast live and I don't know however many millions of people were tuned in.

Where were they performing?

In Hollywood, in a studio that actually used to belong to my Dad. So that was a real thrill, to call the live camera shots out, editing it live. Another thrill was doing my film and being able to take it to Cannes, the old dream come true—being able to conceive, and write, and direct a more personal, unusual film and see it get out there.

What work are you involved in these days?

I am eager to do another film soon. I have another couple of videos coming out: one for The Strokes and one for a band called Ima Robot. I invented a magic trick recently that's going to come out in magic stores.

That's so cool! What is it?

It's called "Ghost Card." It's a kind of card illusion. I got a patent pending action on it, so that was fun to get. I have interests all over the place, that's sort of my approach.