Linklater has always been good at organizing a unique cast for the film, and this time is no exception. Many actors are from past works. The starring Willie Weggis is almost unknown, and only played a supporting role in Linklater's "Youth and Frolic". Ethan Hawke and Julie Delby are the leading actors in "Before Sunrise". Their natural and tacit understanding has received a lot of praise. This time they will play the role of that film again. This is also the third collaboration between Ethan Hawke and Linklater. The work of French actress Julie Delby is better known as "White" by Kieslowski. More non-professional actors participated in the performance, including behind-the-scenes production staff and even their relatives and friends. Even Linklater's daughter also appeared at the beginning of the film.
This is undoubtedly a work that will occupy an important place in the history of Hollywood movies. The way it is made is very special.
The preliminary work was done by Richard Linklater with Liquid Crystal Display . He reduced the film crew to a minimum, consisting of only four people, which is similar to a documentary production crew. Linklater believed that this approach gave him considerable freedom and flexibility, and greatly improved work efficiency. They took only 25 days to complete the filming, of which 22 pages of the script were shot on the most day, and under normal circumstances, only 2-3 pages were shot a day. Another special feature is that the editing work is not carried out after all the shooting is over, but cutting while shooting. For this new attempt, Linklater felt very comfortable.
The post-processing of the film can be much more complicated. Linklater handed the live-action actor's video to animation expert Bob Sebiston for processing. His works have been included in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art . He organized more than 30 artists to use his software to paint real-life images. This technique was used in MTV shooting, but it was the first time it was used to make feature films. Each artist chooses a role to make the film according to his interests and hobbies, and he can give full play to his own style and imagination to create. In this way, the film presents a colorful appearance. However, it is also quite time-consuming. Each minute of the film requires about 25 hours of processing. The full animation took 9 months to complete.
Richard Linklater said that making this film is actually equivalent to making two. The production of the live-action part and the animation part are independent of each other, and they work together to achieve a harmonious and unified effect.
