#megadoc

MegaDoc    [trailer]

A behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis.

You have to admire Coppola's ambition and his idealism. But the doc shows where it all went wrong.

It's a folly to start such an amibitious production without having a detailed plan what movie you want to create. You can still add and improvise during production. But you need to have a functioning plan A.

I wonder if there were people in his inner circle who at least tried to tell him that he needs to be better prepared.

Megadoc Mike Figgis USA, 2025 ★★★ oh this is so much my jam. I did like MEGALOPOLIS so I guess I was an easy sell, but I still think this is good. one of those "unlimited access" projects that usually work out (for the viewer, at least)

Now, it's different for film than it is for writing, because film is horrendously expensive and, taking place in physical reality, requires physical objects that take time and labor to make. You have a shooting schedule that you have to stick with, and a budget that you can't balloon too much, and if you want someone to wear a different dress than the one that was prepared, you have to wait for wardrobe to get everything in place, during which time you have to pay everyone who's on set.

But having just finished writing Untitled Villainess Otome, which was largely on the improvisational side of things, and while it was fun, and while I'm approximately happy with it as it stands, I kept thinking about how much I was learning in the process of writing, and how much work it would be to shape it into its "final form".

So the correct thing to do, IMO, is just to get everything exactly correct on the first draft, and to do that, you have to understand where and when you can improvise, and also preplan as much as possible so you have a framework for improvisation later. You want to be able to bring the bones in and lay the meat and skin down on them, but do it in such a way that the bones are robust to changes in the muscles, and so you don't wind up with an abomination.

🎬 Title: Megadoc An exploration of the artistry behind Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. Story: Discover an in-depth behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative process of a true visionary. Directed by Oscar-nominee Mike Figgis, Megadoc offers audiences an unfiltered and heartfelt insight into how Francis Ford Coppola’s monumental sci-fi film, Megalopolis, came to life. ⭐ Rating: 6.9 (5…

There’s a moment early in Megadoc in which Francis Ford Coppola is giving a speech to his assembled Megalopolis actors on the first day of rehearsals, and it feels very much like the first day of a high school theatre course. He quotes Dante’s Inferno, specifically the quote “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here,” which is posted at Hell’s gates, but then says that he has his own version, which is…