BPS 348: First-Time Filmmaking, Oscars & Netflix With Scott Copper

BPS 348: First-Time Filmmaking, Oscars & Netflix With Scott Copper

Author: Bulletproof Screenwriting January 4, 2024 Duration: 1:05:17
Scott Copper (Director, Screenwriter, Producer) made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with Fox Searchlight’s Oscar-winning CRAZY HEART, which he also wrote and produced. The film, which starred Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall, earned three Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Actor (Bridges) and Best Original Song (T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham). Cooper won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and earned WGA, USC Scripter and Independent Spirit Award nominations, for his screenplay.

Cooper’s follow-up was the Leonardo DiCaprio/Ridley Scott-produced OUT OF THE FURNACE, starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Zoë Saldana, Forest Whitaker and Sam Shepard. For his work as writer, director and producer, Cooper won the Best Debut and Second Film Award at the 2013 Rome Film Festival, where he was also nominated for a Golden Marc’Aurelio Award. Next was Cooper’s 2015 Warner Bros. gangster film BLACK MASS, which Cooper both directed and produced and which made its worldwide debut at the Venice International Film Festival.

The box-office hit garnered wins from critics associations across the country, and earned lead actor Johnny Depp the Desert Palm Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as a Best Actor nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. In 2017, Cooper’s western epic HOSTILES debuted at both the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festivals, earning widespread critical acclaim. The film reunited Cooper with his OUT OF THE FURNACE star Christian Bale and featured performances from Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane and Ben Foster. Cooper followed this up with ANTLERS, an exploration of yet another genre in the Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror film. Searchlight released the film to acclaim in October 2021.

Most recently, Cooper re-teamed for the third time with Bale on THE PALE BLUE EYE, an adaptation of Louis Bayard’s novel of the same name. The film tells the story of a series of murders at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1830 and a cadet the world would later come to know as Edgar Allan Poe. Robert Duvall, Gillian Anderson, Timothy Spall, Toby Jones and Harry Melling round out the cast. The Netflix film will debut in Fall of 2022. Born in Virginia, Cooper now resides in Los Angeles.

Please enjoy my conversation with Scott Copper.

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Ever find yourself staring at a blank page, wondering how the stories you love actually got made? Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast digs into that process with the people who live it. Each week, we sit down for honest, detailed conversations that pull back the curtain on the craft and business of telling stories for the screen. You’ll hear from Oscar® and Emmy® award-winning writers, not just about their triumphs, but about the drafts that failed and the specific problems they had to solve. We also talk with best-selling authors who have adapted their work, seasoned Hollywood agents and managers who know what sells, and various industry insiders who provide a clear-eyed view of how things really work. This isn't about abstract theory or motivational fluff. It's a practical resource built on real experience, covering every aspect of the screenwriting process from that initial spark of an idea to navigating the complexities of the marketplace. The goal is straightforward: to provide you with actionable insights and straight talk that can strengthen your work and clarify your path forward. Whether you're just starting out or have a few scripts under your belt, this podcast offers a grounded perspective on the journey, one concrete discussion at a time. Tune in for a dose of reality and craft from those who have been in the trenches and emerged with stories to tell.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 500

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