Coppola grew up in the film world and made his acting debut at the age of eight in his father's "The Godfather: Part II." His role as the young Sonny required his hair be curled with a curling iron each morning, and little Coppola decided right then that the acting life was too much trouble for him. He instead set out to learn his father's craft and got his start as a teenager working on his father's productions. He began by honing his technical skills on the sets of the S.E Hinton adaptations "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish" (both in 1983). Working with the sound crew and aiding in the menial production aspects allowed Coppola a hands-on training in his chosen field. When he left for NYU film school at the age of 18, he already had two production credits under his belt.
After graduating from NYU, Coppola began working as a film producer. He produced a horror movie titled "Clownhouse" (1988), as well as a satirical comedy called "The Spirit of '76" (1990) about time travelers stuck in the year 1976 instead of 1776. He next turned to directing music videos and soon found a perfect medium to put his technical skills to work. His approach to video-making was experimental and cutting edge as well as progressively narrative. Opting for a visual which told a story (but usually a bizarre or abstract one) instead of simply cutting random images with concert band shots, Coppola's videos stood out from the crowd. He soon developed a reputation as a hot and sought-after director. In 1996, he opened his own commercial and video production company with Mike Mills called The Director's Bureau.
During his tenure as a commercial and video director, Coppola directed commercials for Adidas, Coca-cola and Levis and made videos for Wyclef, Daft Punk and Green Day, among a host of other big name clients and artists. In 1999, his directorial skills were highlighted in the innovative video "Praise You" by Fat Boy Slim. The video featured a group of ill-timed and oddly dressed dancers performing in the street and earned Coppola three MTV Video Music awards that year. Also in 1999, Coppola was second unit director for his sister Sophia's directorial debut, "The Virgin Suicides."
After almost 20 years of formal and informal education as a result of his life experiences, Roman Coppola felt ready to take the plunge and direct his own feature. The result was 2001's "CQ." Coppola described his film as "Barbarella meets David Holzman's Diary," a hip and engaging film set in Paris in 1969. Inserting a nod to his own creative dilemma, the story centered around Paul, a struggling young American filmmaker trying to make a personal and important film who is sidetracked by his assignment to direct a bumbling sci-fi movie about a sexy secret agent. "CQ" (code for "Seek You") garnered Coppola a reputation as a promising, up and coming directorial talent -- praise rightfully earned as a result of a film education that has spanned most of his 37 years, rather than as the heir of his father's legacy.