Gia Coppola: Movie making is amazing

Gia Coppola felt like a teenager making her first feature.

The filmmaker is making her directorial debut with coming-of-age tale Palo Alto, which details the experiences of Emma Roberts' loner character April.

It's written by James Franco, who also stars in the flick. Despite working so closely with the renowned actor and being part of the famous Coppola family - her aunt is Somewhere director Sofia and her grandfather is movie great Francis Ford - Gia had to find her feet.

"Nothing can prepare you for making your first film," she admitted to British newspaper Metro.

"There are so many new experiences. I say it's a lot like being a teenager - you're trying to understand your feelings, you lose yourself for a moment, you get hot-headed, your skin breaks out... but it's everything I love in one format. It's something I feel at ease with. I feel very happy doing it."

The 27-year-old refers to herself as a "nerd" at school but says she did occasionally get into trouble with her girlfriends. Despite making a movie all about teens, she doesn't have any advice handy for those struggling with their hormones.

"I don't think there's anything that you can prepare yourself for," she reasoned.

"Just trying to understand who you are and understand your feelings, and top it off with hormones... it's so hard!"

Around the time Gia was filming, her aunt was busy making The Bling Ring, a movie starring Emma Watson about a group of young people who stole from celebrities' houses. However, Gia didn't reach out to Sofia for help, as she wanted Palo Alto to be her own vision.