Review: Boyhood, Directed by Richard Linklater

I had the opportunity today to attend a screening of Richard Linklater's latest film, Boyhood, which tells the story of a boy growing up from age six to eighteen. It captures the ups and downs, and growing maturity Mason and his family over a period of twelve crucial years in his life.

What is truly exceptional for a narrative film is the fact that the production was actually shot over a period of twelve years. The young boy we see in the first shots of the film is the same young man—the same actor—we see in the last image.

Linklater shot the film for a total of thirty-nine days over those twelve years, shooting every 9-18 months or so, and developing the story with the input and real-life experiences of his actors. In the film, for example, Mason develops a serious interest in photography, which reflected the developing interests of actor Ellar Coltrane. As Linklater explained in the screening I attended, if Ellar had become a wrestler instead of a sensitive visual artist, the film and its structure would been altered, and the fundamental experience would have been entirely different.

Boyhood is an extraordinary, non traditional film that has the rare feel of authenticity.  Few narrative films have managed to feel simultaneously epic and intimate. While the details of your own childhood may be entirely different, you'll identify closely with Mason's emotional roller coaster.

Boyhood, Directed by Richard Linklater and featuring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater (Richard's daughter) will be released in the United States by IFC Films beginning July 11th.

Meeting World War II Veterans

 Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a 70th Anniversary D-Day commemoration at the Port of Los Angeles, and met some of the remaining World War II veterans, all of whom are about ninety years old (one female vet was one hundred and four).  They were all in their late teens and early twenties then, but still, when asked, feel the loss of all of those friends and comrades they lost so many years ago.

Nine of the attending veterans received the Legion of Honor, France's highest award, for their service in restoring freedom to that country. Some could still stand as the French Consul General pinned the medal on their lapel, others received their award in their wheelchair. Unfortunately, this may have been one of the last opportunities to honor these veterans directly.

I'd shaken the hands of World War Two veterans in the past, but shaking their hands this time took on a special significance.

In a few years, they will have faded entirely into history. I'm grateful that I had this last chance to acknowledge the enormity of what they did so long ago. Today, we know that D-Day succeeded. I think we sometimes forget how uncertain the outcome had been. These veterans didn't know they would be returning home.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander during the War, prepared this statement, to be issued in the event that D-Day had failed. It's a sober reminder of what have been.

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."

The Dark Truth About the Platform People

Though I take the train only occasionally, I generally travel on the same morning train into Los Angeles. I buy my ticket from the automated kiosk and join the closest line. Without fail, I'm preceded in that line by the same group of regulars; individuals that have shared their place on the platform for years. They've become great friends. They share family adventures, discuss their favorite television programs, and even engage in playful teasing. They'll observe other lines up and down the platform, speculating on the lives of their fellow travelers. On rare occasions, their association has reached beyond the platform to birthdays and other family events. 

There appears to a curious limit to their friendship, however.

One of them, though clearly a part of the group, retreats to her favorite, albeit less social, queue  a few minutes before the train arrives.

For those who remain at their traditional platform position, their association appears limited to the station.  Once they climb aboard the train, they say their goodbyes and go their separate ways. They don't appear to have independent onboard social groups. The car they choose to board each morning is the "quiet car," designed to discourage the sometimes raucous conversation they typically enjoy together.

It almost seems as if they need the independent time to cool down from their free, true selves, to their more repressed professional personas. There's no greater symbol of that transition than their enforced route as they step off the train, then walk down a crowded ramp and into a narrow concrete tunnel. Fellow passengers shuffle slowly through the passage, anonymous cogs in a mindless machine.

Those last few moments on the platform in Santa Clarita, perhaps, offer them a desperate last gasp of humanity before darkness descends. 

That's my theory, anyway.

I could be wrong.

Train Writing

One of my most productive writing environments is on a Metrolink train on the hour-long trip from my home in the Santa Clarita Valley to downtown Los Angeles.  I don't think it's because of the the lack of wi-fi, however. I suspect it's the inevitable journey's end that creates an urgent, immovable deadline. At either end, I might not have the time or energy to find the quality time to create—it’s now or never.  On the train, particularly in the enforced silence of the "quiet car," I can't be disturbed. I can’t talk on the phone or with other passengers. I wrote a good portion of the my first book during these commutes, and I'm writing this blog on the way home at end of a long day.

Though I'm sometimes fascinated with the passing scenery, it also can prove somewhat hypnotic, allowing me the opportunity to concentrate on my work without the chance of getting distracted too long by a passing curiosity. 

I've played with the idea of taking a longer trip, perhaps cross-country on Amtrak, to discover what I might create with that opportunity. I actually have in mind the perfect concept–another thriller—to accompany me on the journey...

...but that's for another blog!

Why I'll Blog Every Day

In January, as an experiment, I wrote a blog every day for the entire month. It was a major struggle, but I worked to create content that might be of interest to my assumed readers—writers, filmmakers and those who have supported my writing projects. As the end of the month, my blog readership was at an all-time high, and I suspect individuals in my compartmentalized life were a little more aware of the range of my activities.

Cool by Osmosis

Having said that, I was relieved to return to my occasional blogging schedule. My posts since then have had a higher readership than my posts previous to the January experiment. Content choices and increased awareness of my work both have played a part. Blogging every day, and disciplined social media sharing also helped sharpen my skills in creating responsive content.

Why do I blog?

Writing a novel, at least for me, is a long, complicated process. I can't often bring new content to my readership. Posting blogs allows me to connect with readers much more often. and expand that readership. Selectively sharing my blog entries on Facebook and Twitter have especially been useful in widening my interaction not only with readers, but with resources as I continue to learn my craft and develop my marketing skills.

I've come to the conclusion, though, that for this blog to be truly effective for my goals and objectives as a writer and storyteller, then it's an all or nothing proposition. With that in mind, I'm returning to my daily posts. I'll be sharing my thoughts about writing in general, my own work, marketing and media creation.

I'll also define those goals. I'd like to develop a healthy readership of course, but I'd also like to use the experience of writing and marketing my work to generate the opportunity for some new adventures. I'll be sharing those thoughts, too.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Follow me on Twitter @rickflix
Visit my website at richsamuelsauthor.com

Teasers, Trailers and My Books...

I recently created a book trailer for Ours, a book I haven't written as yet. It's been in the back of my mind for a very long time, but it's still at least a year away from publication, at best. In fact, I'm in the midst of rewriting my second book (the follow-up to My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain), the title and plot of which I haven't revealed.



So, why do it?

I work as a video producer/editor, and I'm in the midst of transitioning from Final Cut Pro editing software to Avid Media Composer. I created the Ours trailer as a goal-oriented exercise in becoming more familiar with Avid. Simply following exercises in a manual or video isn't very useful, as far as I'm concerned. Creating real-world content is much more productive and motivating.

At the moment, I don't have the time or resources to actually shoot content for a trailer, so I started to browse for ideas on Videoblocks.com, an affordable subscription-based stock video/audio site I use frequently. A month before, I had used the site in much the same way to create a new trailer for My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain. Since I'm not ready yet for the reveal of Food Chain's follow-up novel, I searched for content that could serve me in other ways.

The trailer for My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain

I found stock footage of an abandoned school (and/or office building - it's hard to tell), and thought immediately about Ours. Since this is a teaser, rather than a full trailer, I could afford to be somewhat mysterious with my imagery and effects. A teaser generally provides less information, and is intended to keep the plot line an intriguing mystery, rather than provide the more in-depth expository of a full trailer.

As I continue to ponder and struggle with the question of proper marketing, I'm hoping that his teaser of my third book will help me develop legitimacy and a long-term readership as I more toward completion of my second book. Creating an audience and raising awareness demands a long term plan, and trailers, teasers and other videos, I believe, will be useful building blocks.

Ours, incidentally, is a thriller aimed at an older readership than the middle grade audience I imagined for My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain.  Text in the trailer, interspersed with all-American images of kids and teens in idealistic settings and a long-abandoned building, reads, "For three years, they lived their lives as if they had nothing to hide...but they did." Down a hallway in the abandoned building, we hear a light knock, and an attempt to open a locked door....

Literally Racing Along

There's been a great deal going on lately in the My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain world lately.

I was interviewed on the Layered Pages blog, as part of my B.R.A.G. Medallion recognition. I think it came out fairly well - I'm hoping to book more of these interviews in the coming months leading to the debut of the second book in the series.

I released a new book trailer. I'm much happier with this than the original version. It's a very simple tease that I think catches the spirit of the story.

The book trailer (and the landing page linked above) was the center of a Facebook Ad campaign I recently concluded. My primary gain in the campaign was a higher profile, rather than outright sales. The ad itself received numerous likes (which I hadn't expected), and I added more followers to the Facebook Page. To be perfectly honest, the trailer and the campaign didn't translate to sales, at least as far as I can see at the moment (for some markets, sales reports might take up to a month or two to appear). I still haven't quite worked out right approach to turn interest into results.  There are so many factors at play(subject matter, audience reach, ad timing, advertising materials, for example), and it's going to take time to understand exactly how to make this work more effectively. Independent reaction to the book has been positive—but I'm still working on the marketing learning curve...

In the meantime, I'm moving on with the second book in the Food Chain series, and have now delivered a draft to my editor (The Book Scrubber). If my last experience was any indication, we'll be working on this for the next couple of months to further develop and finalize the book for publication. I'm hoping to launch it this fall. I think it captures the spirit of the original, while it moves Alexander's story forward in a fun new direction.

In the next few days, I'll be sharing the title of the new book, and a few plot details. Check here, the Facebook page, or Twitter @rickflix for the latest. Reviewers interested in an advance copy should let me know as soon as possible.