Why boyhood took 12 years to film jump to media player richard linklaters latest film boyhood, is a comingofage story shot over a 12 year period with the same group of actors. The second is of a boy staring up at that sky, one arm bent under his head, the other flung out. Instead, a series of nonhierarchical situations take place, or perhaps more accurately in this case, they take time. Filmed over 12 years, boyhood follows a kids coming of age writerdirector richard linklater says picking the films star was vital because he had to. Filmed over 12 years, boyhood follows a kids coming of age. When the family is moving to houston, we can see a bumper sticker on.
The 19yearold spent 12 years working with richard linklater on the writerdirectors opus, boyhood, starring as the. Boyhood tells the story of a boy named mason ellar coltrane as he grows from a sixyearold to a college freshman, and rather than relying on makeup. It is a rapport that springs from a relationship unparalleled in filmmaking history. Richard linklaters boyhood and its 12 monthlong oscar. Boyhood is a 2014 american comingofage drama film written and directed by richard linklater, and starring patricia arquette, ellar coltrane, lorelei linklater, and ethan hawke. This is a mature movie about life and growing up with some sex situations and some alcohol abuse so i. Viewing boyhood for the first time was such a joyful experience that i didnt want to tarnish the experience by any comparison. The thing that gives boyhood its unusual kick is that linklater has. Richard linklater unveils boyhood, a movie 12 years in. This is a list of films shot over three or more years. No other film has done this before, especially with starting off with someone at the age of six and going all the way through his teenage years. Theres never been anything quite like richard linklaters new movie boyhood, which was filmed with the same cast over 12 years. The film follows the life of a boy named mason ellar coltrane in his longdeveloping but remarkable.
Richard linklater made boyhood three days at a time over 12 years. Coltrane from ages six to eighteen as he grows up in texas with divorced parents arquette and hawke. Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below. Richard linklater on why his new film boyhood took. Samantha would reunite for three or four days to film a new chapter in the life of a boy. I dont know what to say about the film, except 4207 days ago we started. Ellar coltrane is one actor who can say he has literally grown up on film.
Sequels and documentaries have caught up with people long after audiences have first met them, but a narrative film has never really attempted this sort of realtime examination of someones. How did they make sure the look of the film stayed the same. The film production employed a crew of 400 over that time. And taking all that time might be part of the reason. Twelve years in the making, richard linklaters boyhood tells, in real time, the story of a. Boyhood, the latest offering from director richard linklater before sunset, scanner darkly, school of rock, follows a first grader named mason ellar coltrane as he grows into a college.
Ifc films richard linklaters new film, boyhood, took only thirtynine days to shootbut those thirtynine days came over the course of twelve years. In the years until its release in 2007, they had to. Now available on digital hd and in select theaters. To be committed to any sort of project for that long takes true dedication, strength and artistic quality. His frequent collaborator hawke was the first actor on board, but. Ellar coltrane, taking notes on life and girls for boyhood. Filmed from 2001 to 20, boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of mason evans jr. A documentary film initially planned to be shot over a single weekend, the director wound up taking four years to work on it. How the boyhood cast changed throughout the 12 years it took to make the movie richard linklaters new comingofage film was shot in pieces over more than a decade.
Each year, when schedules allowed, they would catch up and film. Boyhood, the latest offering from director richard linklater before sunset, scanner darkly, school of rock, follows a first. Boyhood is a 2014 american comingofage drama film written and directed by richard. For that reason, right off the bat, i respect boyhood. Richard linklaters 12year odyssey boyhood is the film to beat in this. The first 11 years were in really good shape when they shot the 12th year. Ethan hawke is at the sxsw film festival this year with his latest directorial effort blaze, and he spent some time reflecting on his legendary indie film career during an hour long. The making of a new kurt vonnegut documentary took twice as long as boyhood. Watch on ifc films unlimited with prime video channels. What makes boyhood amazing is that it uses the twelve years narrative fantastically because it captures growing up and the little moments of life gracefully similar to how ozu perfectly captured family life with his naturalistic style, wouldnt be surprised if mike hated him too. How the boyhood cast changed throughout the 12 years it. Ethan hawke says richard linklaters truly original film. It coasts by like a day you spent doing something you love.
Boyhood runs 165 minutes and is rated r for language including sexual references, and for teen drug and alcohol use. Why richard linklaters boyhood took 12 years to film. The making of boyhood featurette ifc films youtube. O n july 11, moviegoers can watch an actor grow up in real time. In the years until its release in 2007, they had to get the voice cast to sign on which they did in 2001, almost 160 versions of the. The second shot of boyhood doubles as the movies poster image.
Boyhood is nominated for a total of 6 academy awards including best picture, best actor in. Twelve years in the making, richard linklaters boyhood tells in real time the story of a boy called mason played, since he was six, by ellar coltrane. Ellar coltrane portrayed boyhood s protagonist from ages six to eighteen. Weide later got turned down for a grant that would have been enough money to complete the film. He does not speak and there is no voiceover narration, so we cannot know whats in his head. To call his movie highly anticipated would have been an understatement, since few films have been teased as long as this one.
Both patricia and i feel a sense of loss with the film done. He cast a young boy, ellar coltrane, and shot the film a few days at a time for over a decade so that he could capture how his leading actor, and the rest of his cast, aged. Richard linklaters boyhood is a comingofage drama that the director spent twelve years making. The list excludes projects comprising individual films not shot over a long period, such as the up series, the children of golzow, or the harry potter film series. List of films with longest production time wikipedia. Ill preface this by saying that ive only seen gone girl, birdman, grand budapest hotel and boyhood. Then theres the rare one that takes years by design. One of my favorite movie of the year is richard linklater s boyhood, which tells the story of a young boys childhood from age 5 to age 18. And every time an actor from boyhood or the films name gets called as the winner for an award, a pretty song from the movies soundtrack plays. Boyhood is the story of one boy, not the story of all boys, and as a result, mason becomes an individual with whom the audience can empathise, rather than a symbol that only certain viewers can apply to themselves. Yorker profile, linklaters parents separated when he was in the first grade.
But year after year we pinpointed things that would literally come out and we did internal edits along the way. Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, richard linklaters boyhood is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named mason a breakthrough performance by ellar. That doesnt disqualify boyhoods achievement in filmmaking just because someone else did it before. Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, richard linklaters boyhood is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named mason a breakthrough performance by ellar coltrane, who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Patricia arquette and ellar coltrane at an event for boyhood 2014 richard. The film is 166 minutes long but could be double that. Accompanying david marcheses story about richard linklaters film boyhood, a 12year project, is a slideshow of portraits of ellar coltrane, who grows up onscreen as the main character. How they made boyhood across 12 years and 100 hours of. The first portion of the documentary film took place in 2008, while the final portion was shot in 2011. Ethan hawke on boyhood sequel and the future of the. Boyhood has been an extraordinary undertaking, a long haul that began when ellar coltrane was six and finished. Richard linklater interview every year for more than a decade richard linklater gathered the same cast including ethan hawke and patricia arquette to.
The first shot in boyhood, richard linklaters tender, profound film, is of a cloudy sky. Filming spanned four years in order to work around the ensemble cast members schedules. Richard linklater unveils boyhood, a movie 12 years in the making. A few years ago, we were all raving about a russian film shot in one take. Boyhood, richard linklaters ode to american childhood, was considered one of the frontrunners for best picture at the 2015 oscars. However in the case of boyhood, which took director richard linklater 12 years to make, it was the perfect amount of time he needed to put together his timelapse of a human life. Ellar coltrane lying on his back in green grass, staring at the sky. It had little else to commend it, but the single take was supposed to make it a classic film.
Writerdirector richard linklater filmed boyhood in threeday increments over 12 years to. When did you understand what a special, different kind of film this was. Youve probably also heard that the movie was filmed. I sat and watched boyhood on a plane, and thought it was cringeworthy, the main actor wasnt great and although ethan hawke was. There are long gestating films that take forever to make due to complications and circumstance. Kelly thinks arquette was very brave to take on this role.
While the film succeeds on many levels, boyhood also exhibits significant flaws that simply cannot be overlooked. Richard linklaters 12year odyssey boyhood is the film to beat in. When arquette became the lead on the tv series medium, she filmed her. Throughout the film, we watch as olivia suffers through romantic and financial woes, mason sr. It gave me so much time to just think and process everything we had done so far. The first 11 years were in really good shape when they shot the 12th. The making of a new kurt vonnegut documentary took twice. Olivia takes a job in teaching psychology at college and moves in with jim. In taking these pictures, matt lankes developed a relationship with coltrane that he hopes will continue beyond the films completion. But boyhood, which traces the life of mason, a fictional texas boy ellar coltrane, from age 7 to age 18, does something with film and time that neither truffaut nor apted did something that. Although linklater had referred to the project as boyhood during the early years. Boyhood its a really good movie and i think everybody should watch it but the problem is that the last half hour could be over long and may be boring.
Richard linklater and ethan hawke on boyhood the new. The groundbreaking nature of richard linklaters boyhood has received much praise, and will probably get a few oscars coming up on. Ellar coltrane, taking notes on life and girls for boyhood nprs tamara keith spoke with the star of the film, ellar coltrane, who spent more than a decade shooting the movie. I am not exaggerating when i say that after i watched this film i sold all of my other tickets to sundance films. Before we started filming, rick had me take the kids for the weekend. Stuck on on takes sizeable post challenges of boyhood w. Boyhood, shot in real time over about 10 years, held my attention, but if it had not been shot over such an extended period, i wonder if it would have received so many awards. He was looking for a boy with acting experience ellar had made some. Stuck on on takes sizeable post challenges of boyhood w scratch parke gregg, cofounder and chief colorist at stuck on on, met richard linklater while doing the challenging postproduction for the slacker tribute that was sponsored by.
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