Photographer Matt Lankes' portraits of the cast of Boyhood influenced the film's storyline
The young actor playing the titular "boy" in Richard Linklater's Oscar-nominated movie became fascinated with photography, and his character develops a similar interest
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.When the photographer Matt Lankes was hired in 2002 to take annual portraits of the cast of Boyhood, Richard Linklater's Oscar-nominated movie filmed over 12 years, he couldn't have predicted that his presence on set would influence the storyline.
But as time wore on, the young actor playing the titular "boy", Ellar Coltrane, became fascinated with photography, and would ask Lankes endless questions about lenses and lighting. In the film, his character, Mason, develops a similar interest – a development that becomes central to the plot.
Meanderings about the life of an artist, and self-doubt about what he might bring to the form are both tackled. "I think Rick brought the photography thing to the Mason character because of Ellar's interest," says Lankes, 45. "They bled into each other."
A native of Texas, where the film was shot, Lankes never felt intimidated by the project, despite having to commit 12 years to it. "It was basically a selfish portfolio piece for me. I couldn't wrap my head around the amount of time. It was about halfway through I began to think I could maybe make a book out of it."
While that book features photographs of the entire cast and crew, it is the pictures of Coltrane that are the most transformative, as he evolves from soft-faced child into chiselled young man, chronicling the passage of time in an intimate way.
Lankes and Coltrane have decided to continue the project and plan to meet around May for the next shot. "He's been such a great subject over the years, particularly because of his interest in photography. We'll see how long we carry on for."
'Boyhood – Twelve Years on Film' is published by Boyhood, Inc and IFC Productions, priced £29.99. The DVD of the film is out now
Photographs from Boyhood: Twelve Years on Film (Copyright © 2014 Boyhood Inc. and IFC Productions I, L.L.C.) used by permission of Matt Lankes. For more information visit University of Texas Press at www.utexaspress.com.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments