Fun takes precedent in this exclusive clip from the creative duo's offbeat new film, which documents a spontaneous road trip across the Sunshine State
Extraordinary conclusions can arise from the most ordinary of beginnings. Case in point: the meeting of American filmmaker Gia Coppola and musician and video-maker Tracy Antonopoulos, who were first introduced, as Coppola explains casually, "through a mutual friend. Tracy was dating one of my friends and we stayed in touch". At the time, Coppola had just finished studying photography at university and was working as a bartender while contemplating her future. "A friend of mine was making a fashion film and wanted me to be in it, but I didn't want to, so he said 'why don't you make your own?' and I asked Tracy to help me," she says, adding. "She was really interested in music and has a band [Cable] that eventually scored the film."
The resulting short became the first in a series of experimental collaborations between the duo – including a sparky film for cult boutique Opening Ceremony starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman [Coppola's cousin], and a "story called The Balloon Monster" in which the pair ventured into Coppola's uncle's art studio and drew faces on balloons. "That was a really silly little film, we made it kind of campy," she notes. Most recently, the pair has joined forces to create a new film, directed by Antonopolous, for the innovative concept retailer, Semaine. "It was an opportunity," explains Coppola. "Tracy lives in LA and I reside in New York, and I wanted to do something creative with her."
Shot on a lo-fi combination of smartphones and "camcorders like people used to use in the 1990s", the whimsical film sees Coppola and Antonopoulos zoom around Antonopolous' native Florida on a road trip with "no set schedule". "I let Tracy come up with the plotline and do what was interesting to her. It was fun to bounce ideas off of each other, it was mostly her idea," reveals Coppola. Subsequent scenes were played out in Disneyland, a music-themed motel complete with complimentary country books and Antonopolous' parents house. "We were inspired by Ghost World and Wes Anderson movies, and maybe Thelma and Louise too. I hope it turned out alright, we had so much fun." Below, AnOther reveals an exclusive clip from their adventure...
View the film in full at Semaine.com.
