Monday, January 26, 2015

2015 OSCARS: Boyhood (2014) - Other Time Jump Indicators

[Quick Summary: The story of young Mason, from age 5-18.]

I am glad this film exists.

It is a bold and massive undertaking:
- It was written and shot over 12 years.
- The script is 185 pages long.
-Linklater continues to emphasize the observational over the narrative (previously mentioned here; It's not my favorite method, but glad that he does.)

I did like that the script has many time jumps but does not use dates.

It lets the reader put 2 + 2 together.

ex. "BILL: Olivia
MOM: Hm?
BILL: Nice kid.
MOM: Thanks.
BILL: So you think, uh, Grandma might be available for a little baby-sitting?
MOM (O.S.)(giggles): Maybe.
BILL: Really? Well, great.

EXT. BACKYARD - DAY
Mason and Samantha play an outdoor trampoline game with Randy and Mindy, their new stepbrother and stepsister. They are in the big backyard of their new home, where Dr. [Bill] Welbrock and his children have lived."

Note how Linklater sets up small steps of logic for the reader:

In the first scene, Mom and Bill are dating.

In the second scene, the words "new stepbrother" + "new home" = Bill and Mom have moved from dating to marriage.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: There are other creative ways to show a jump in time (besides a date in the slugline).

Boyhood (2014)
by Richard Linklater

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