Comparison Of Boyhood And A Street Cat Named Bob

Unlike Hollywood movies that consist of an immense budget, special effects, and well-known actors, Independent Cinema is composed of a small budget with actors not as known in the acting world. However, some of the greatest movies ever produced, like Boyhood and A Street Cat Named Bob, are considered independent. Boyhood had an ensemble cast that was nominated for best film and best director in 2015 and A Street Cat Named Bob won a national film award for the best British Film. While both of these films fit the basic definition of an independent film, camera techniques, storylines, character roles, and personal issues concerning the director expand the fundamental definition.

Boyhood clearly presents the rough parts of growing up

with separated parents, unstable households, and influencing friends. Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane is filmed within a twelve-year time period, along with the other cast members, presenting a clear view of the struggles through his eyes from road trips, family dinners, and everything in between. The camera techniques used to capture these moments consists of close-up, medium close up, medium shot, reverse angle and two shots. These specific techniques outlined the importance of the conversations amongst characters and also the significance of each event. One instance in particular is when Mason and his sister, Samantha see their father for the first time in years. After enjoying the day doing fun activities, their dad drops the two off at their mom’s house but walks into their rooms with them. Samantha and Mason are both overly ecstatic to show their father all of the cool things they own as well as their grades. To highlight this scene, a medium close up is used to really portray the sense of excitement and bond between a father and his kids who he has not seen in a while. This directly leads into the story line behind this film.

The storyline behind this film is quite unique and assists in expanding the definition of an independent film. Boyhood is a coming of age film produced over a twelve-year time period with the same cast. It depicted the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans from the ages of six to eighteen years old as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents. Originally, film creation began without a completed script. This is different than normal Hollywood movies where a script is written from start to finish before beginning production. Richard Linklater began production with only a few prime plot points and an ending. He unfolded the script throughout construction of the film, writing the script based off the scenes filmed from the previous year. He also allowed his actors to assist in the constructing of the script by including their personal life experiences into the life of their character. Another illustration as to how this film falls under an independent category. The film started off when Mason was six years old and lived with his mom and his older sister, Samantha in Texas. Not shortly after do they move closer to Olivia’s mom in Houston where she hopes to start a better life for her kids. After that, the downfall of a failing marriage, alcohol abuse, and physical abuse consume Olivia and she is forced to file for divorce from her second husband, and prior college professor, Bill. All in the mix, both Samantha and Mason experiment new things as in hair color, alcohol, sex and marijuana usage, as most teenagers do. The film ends with both Samantha and Mason attending their dreams school, and despite the life adventures they endured, they came out as decent kids. Being a kid who grew up dealing with similar issues, this film is influential and clearly depicts the struggles some kids encounter throughout their childhood.
Another way Boyhood is considered an independent film is the roles the characters play and the directors motivation for the film. As in most Hollywood films, characters play a role they auditioned for and directors create films for excitement, grief, and humor. In Boyhood, the director created the film because for a long time he “wanted to tell the story of a parent-child relationship that follows a boy from the first through the twelfth grade and ends with him going off to college.” Linklater had an approximate storyline intact, but allowed his actors to include bits of their own life into their character. For example, “Hawke’s character is based on his and Linklater’s father – both Texan insurance agents who divorced and remarried – and Arquette’s character is based on her mother, who resumed her education later in life and became a psychotherapist.” Linklater focused his film on personal issues and had an ensemble cast of unknown actors.

A Street Cat Named Bob is based on a true story involving the struggles of a recovering drug addict.

The camera angles and framing in this film played an immense part in creating the tone of the scenes. Medium shot and long shot are two of the main framing styles used throughout this film. Medium shots are typically used when a conversation is occurring between two characters or to show some detail of action. Long shots present the actual distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema, while remaining focuses on the characters and including sufficient background detail. Eye level, a fairly neutral shot, is when the camera is positioned as if a human is observing the scene. A particular scene in this film where a medium close up is used to portray the intensity of the scene is when James Bowen OD’s and wakes up in the hospital. His drug support worker is there standing over his bed in disappointed. The focus switching back and forth from the talking character shows that each person’s dialogue is of equal importance. Camera techniques in independent films assist in emphasizing the details of the

scene.

The story behind this award winning film is a touching one and focuses on the characteristic of independent films, personal issues.

James Bowen, a homeless, recovering drug addict was given one last opportunity to better his life by his drug support worker, Val. Val gave Bowen his own apartment to live in, in which a ginger cat appeared in his kitchen one day. After believing it was to be a neighbors, he set on the lookout to find the cats rightful owner. However, had no luck. A few days following, Bowen notices the cat has a wound on its back and quickly gets it the attention and care the animal needs by a charity vet. From this point forward, the “two lives became entwined,” in which Bob, the cat assisted in Bowen’s busking. It was because of this cat that Bowen gained responsibility for life and determined that he no longer was going to be hooked on

drugs.

Luke Treadaway and Bob were by no means known actors, but their appearance in this film was impeccable. Luke played the reality of James Bowen. The fight James endured to be able to have food on the table for him and his cat was a harsh one. He was arrested for busking in the downtown center and was told to not be seen there again. He was suspended for being accused of selling newspapers out of his territory. Thankfully, James had Bob with him every step of the way to keep his mind straight. Because of his success from this film, Bowen was able to stop busking, move out of his accommodated flat, and buy a house in which him and Bob remain inseparable.

While the budgets of this award winning films were nowhere near the budgets of non-independent films, the ratings and reactions of the audience remained the same. These two films both portrayed the difficulties of life and what it has to offer. The uniqueness of these movies types including camera techniques, storylines, and character roles helped to expand the viewers knowledge of how these films are listed as independent.