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‘BOYHOOD’ Press Conference Highlights And More!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to not only see the new Richard Linklater film, Boyhood, but attend a press conference for it, featuring writer/director Linklater, along with stars Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, and Lorelei Linklater.  Boyhood was shot intermittently over the course of 12 years, as the story follows a boy, Mason (Coltrane), from 6 to 18-years old, and depicts his life with his family along the way.  I will have a review of the film posted later in the week, but this post contains the highlights from the press conference, along with the audio from it.  Continue on to learn more about the film, the stars, Linklater’s filming process, and more!

Here is a quick overview of the film from the press release:

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood – a fictional drama made with the same group of actors over a 12-year period – takes a one-of-a-kind trip, at once epic and intimate, through the exhilaration of childhood, the seismic shifts of a modern family and the very passage of time.

That is a pretty good way to sum up a feature film 12 years in the making.  I love how I only stumbled upon the existence of this film during the Sundance announcements, when I discovered what Richard Linklater and his friends/crew have been working on for over a decade, on the down low, apparently.  That said, while Linklater is no stranger to filming with the same actors portraying the same characters over a lengthy period of time (See his ‘Before’ trilogy), having this idea fitted into one epic motion picture is certainly a significant cinematic event from a filmmaker that has spent years producing his films and gaining lots of favor in the critical and film fan community.  With all of that said, here are some highlights from the press conference, followed by the recording of the entire conversation. (I should note that while the film is not one that can really suffer from spoilers, let’s just consider the information in this post to be very ‘light’ on spoilers.)

Highlights:

• The film was referred to as a “side project” by all involved during the many years it was being made.
• Ellar Coltrane and Richard Linklater remained in contact all the time, during the making of this film.
• Weeks before filming each year, there would be lots of conversations regarding what would be taking place for this section of the film.
• Jonathan Sehring, one of the producers who works with IFC Films, was a major factor in keeping this film possible, securing some money for its budget, and making sure it could continue to happen, over the course of a decade.
• There were a lot of lucky moments during filming, such as the scene where Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater, and Coltrane go bowling, where pins would ideally be knocked down (or not) in a certain way, along with the baseball game sequence, which featured some well-timed home runs actually happening, with no tricks being utilized, while the crew stealthily filmed the cast in the stadium.
• Richard Linklater refers to Boyhood as “making a period film in the present” given how the film automatically dates itself in various instances, which is very much on purpose.  He felt it would be “disingenuous not to include technological aspects (etc.) of history.”
• There is a lot of mention by all of how starting the film in 2002 and completing it in 2013 has certainly led to an observation of evolution as both a filmmaker and as an actor.
• Both Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater explain how very conscious they were about making decisions that come from who their characters are and not just acting as themselves over the course of the film.
• The music was largely chosen after the fact, but Richard Linklater intended the various tracks to be a reflection of the time.

• While there were certainly some ad-libbed moments, the film was mostly scripted.  The development of the script, as mentioned previously, generally happened very close to each year’s filming time frame.
• There was a time when Lorelei Linklater grew tired with the project and suggested that her character could be killed off, only to find that Richard Linklater had no real desire to delve that deep into the drama.  Lorelei would eventually find her herself enjoying being a part of the project again.
• While the film picked up a lot of momentum along the way, as far as how to proceed went, Richard Linklater had the last shot in his mind from the beginning.  The dialogue was a mystery, but the ending image was certainly a key part of knowing where he was going.
• The editing process was handled every year.  Richard Linklater would get each year’s portion shot, cut it, and added to the continuing growth of the main cut of the film.
• Very few deleted scenes from the film and more often it was just alternate takes of the same scenes.
• One thing that will be on the Blu-ray are interviews from the actors (particularly the kids) from every year, seeing how they evolve and grow over time.
• The most awkward thing to film was Ethan Hawke’s “sex-ed talk.”
• Richard Linklater is open to making another film in a similar manner to Boyhood, but has no real thoughts on a follow-up, which could presumably be called “Manhood.”

Here is the audio from the panel:

Boyhood Opens in Limited Release on July 11^th

Aaron is a writer/reviewer for WhySoBlu.com.  Follow him on Twitter @AaronsPS4.
He also co-hosts a podcast, Out Now with Aaron and Abe, available via iTunes or at HHWLOD.com.