The Value of Independence: Richard Linklater as a premier of the Indie Film

Written by Anthony Watkins

One of the beauties of Hollywood today is that, due to past successes in the industry, films can be produced that carry a budget of tens of millions (sometimes hundreds of millions) of dollars. This allows for top actors to be cast, expensive film equipment and locations to be utilized, and (in some cases) the finest special effects available today to be implemented into the film. These big budget features are in no way a negative thing for the industry or audiences, but they can have the ability to deeply overshadow lower-budget, independent films. These films, typically not even given a wide release, cannot compete on the grand scale of these Hollywood blockbusters. You will not see as many trailers for them or TV spots and, chances are you won’t see many other forms of advertisement or marketing for them. As a result, many people are not as quick to purchase a ticket to see these films in theaters. A large benefit of independent films is that the director is given much more artistic freedom than in large productions (this was the basis for the New Hollywood that emerged in the 1960’s). As a result, they may be on par (or better) with the big budget films in terms of artistic quality, but because they do not get some of the marketing benefits of the larger films, audiences sometimes overlook them. This is a tragedy, as some of the finest films produced in years past have been independently produced.

One of the most successful of these independent filmmakers is Richard Linklater. Born on July 30, 1960 in Houston, Texas and raised by his mother, Linklater’s original passion was baseball. Awarded a scholarship for his ability, Linklater attended Sam Houston State University. However, due to a medical issue involving an irregular heartbeat, he eventually gave it up and dropped out of college altogether. After working a few years at an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, Linklater moved to Austin, Texas, co-founded the Austin Film Society and began working on short films (Biography).

It was not long before Linklater produced his first feature-length film with It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1987), astoundingly writing and directing it with no education in filmmaking. His next feature, Slacker (1991---on a budget of only $23,000) officially put him on the map as a director. The film, as with the vast majority of his early work, deals with the Generation X individuals that came of age in the late 80’s and early 90’s. These were often educated, but apathetic and rebellious youth who weren’t as quick to make career decisions and tended to choose not to follow in their parents’ footsteps. They were thus eventually given the term “slacker.” Linklater successfully captured the soul and spirit of this generation with critically acclaimed works including the before mentioned Slacker, as well as Dazed and Confused (1993), Before Sunrise (1995), and SubUrbia (1996). These films, which at times borrowed aesthetics from the French New Wave, became the foundation of the Independent Film Renaissance that emerged in the 1990’s, with Linklater among the first and most successful directors of the period.

Slacker (1991), an Indie film produced for only $23,000, was Linklater's first success as an emerging filmmaker. The film catapulted the Independent Film Renaissance of the 1990's and accurately depicted members of Generation X.

After the turn of the century, Linklater continued to produce critically successful independent films, including two follow-ups to Before Sunrise including Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013). Most recently, he released a feature twelve years in the making with Boyhood (2014). A semi-autobiographical work, and once again focused on youth and growing up, the film garnered widespread critical acclaim for its innovative filmmaking style and for its pertinence to audiences. Though nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, the film only received one award for Best Supporting Actress with Patricia Archette’s performance as the main character Mason’s (Ellar Coltrane) mother. 

Boyhood (2014), a semi-autobiographical portrait of Linklater's life, was shot over the course of twelve years and focuses on the coming-of-age journey of a boy named Mason (Ellar Coltrane). 

Independent filmmaking is something that tends to be overlooked by audiences. Boyhood was one of the few independently produced films in many years that received widespread attention and acclaim. These films, although possessing microscopic budgets compared to Hollywood blockbusters, deserve just as much attention and viewing as the larger features. As many young aspiring filmmakers are taught in universities, you don’t need to be rich or have a large budget in order to make a great film, and many independent directors (including Linklater) have proved that and continue to prove it.

 

 

WORKS CITED
“Richard Linklater.” Biography. 2015. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/richard-linklater>.