- Speaking of musicals in New York, this is before my question.

You might think about doing a thing on Fiorello, I just finished a book about him.

(Rick chuckling) There's a musical about Fiorello- - Yeah!

Wasn't there a musical- - Fiorello as in LaGuardia?

- [Participant] Yes!

- The Mayor of- - [Participant] Yeah.

(voices drown) - That was a famous musical, right?

- [Participant] Pardy?

- Wasn't that a famous musical or a- - Oh, yes, yes!

Absolutely.

- [Host] So you're saying I'd make it into film- - If it's something for you to consider!

(audience laughing) - [Host] Okay, good.

- Have you ever thought about- - All right, I died.

- Writing an autobiography?

(mud thudding softly) - No, I am!

Yeah, so many of the films.

- This is your autobiography, right?

(Richard chuckling) - Yeah.

- We're seeing it play out.

- Someday.

Maybe, but not conventionally.

- Good question!

Sir!

- Hello.

(mic shuffling) I just wanna say it first.

Thank you, I can't like appreciate the work you do anymore.

It's been really formative for my life.

Just what you do for the community and your work.

And that kind of ties into what I want to ask is, with these two films about art, both about the medium and as a creator, I wonder how, this past decade, your personal life has maybe seeped into these two new films and how you feel it's shaped 'em.

- Well, there's no timestamp on that.

I mean, you put everything (hands swishing) into everything you do, so I consider most things I do autobiographical.

By the time you're making the film, it feels, I can, this 59 film, I go, "h, that's a portrait of me making my first film," making "Slacker" in '89.

I got a script no one understands.

I got everybody looking at me wondering if I'm, you bring yourself to everything, that's all you can do!

To articulate something.

So, yeah, you can!

And I'm one of the ones who admits "Apollo 10½," I go, yeah, "I lived in the suburb, that's my story."

- [Host] That's who you are.

- Yeah, I don't shy away from that.

Because you're transforming it anyway.

Directing is interpretive.

Even your own life!

You're reinterpreting it, you're cutting out a lot, it's like, memory is very selective, you gotta admit that.

So there's nothing special about, I think autobiographical versus a story you totally love, but you gotta put yourself in it.

I don't make a distinction, so but I think that's what the "Nouvelle Vague," taught everybody!

You can make personal films.

It was the notion of make a film about your childhood, make a film about a love affair, make a film about a trip.

It wasn't everything that had to be some big genre, big movie that delivers in the big sense.

It was like, no, it can be small, like a little short story, a little, it lowered the stakes of cinema and I think personalized it.

That's what forever it's influences felt all these generations later.

It continues to inspire people.

It's just the notion of personal freedom, expression, and maybe indie, just for yourself, sort of.

For yourself and your friends maybe.

- Thank you.

And let's just say "Dazed and Confused" is autobiographical in some respects- - Yeah!

- "Everybody Wants Some!!"

Is in some respects, autobiographical.

- Yeah, they're all in some- - "Slacker" is autobiographical- - Yeah "Before Sunrise," they're all (voice drowns) - They're all to some degree, sir!

- Hi, Mr.

Linklater.

So I wanna say, I find that films about filmmaking are really interesting.

And as a 19-year-old filmmaker, I often turn to them to try to learn more about the craft, and try to find ways to incorporate them into my own work, more kind of first feature and actually just open spaces out of your Austin studios.

So, I find that like a lot of your work is very inspiring.

I was wondering, in the process of making a film about filmmaking, did you learn anything about the craft that maybe was different approaching it from a different sensibility?

- That's a good question.

I mean, I don't think you learn that much about making films from watching (chuckling) films about, I mean, you could maybe be inspired by 'em or something, and it was pretty cool to go back in time and see how they did it then with the cameras and the kind of minimalist approach.

But did I learn anything?

I certainly learned a hell of a lot about "Breathless A bout de souffle."

We had camera reports, I knew how many takes they did of every shot they did.

I knew their schedule, and just to get under the hood of another movie was really fascinating.

And I come out more impressed than ever that that film even worked.

It's pretty amazing.

But I think you're always learning, you know, I don't know.

But specifically, nah, I don't wanna feel like I'm set.

But I look for more inspiration than like, information maybe.

But that's just, I've done a lot of films now, so.

You'll get there, hopefully.

(chuckling) (audience laughing) But yeah, so you're in that phase, you gotta just do a lot of it to, but you take in everything so.

There's a small sub genre about films, about making films.

So it's fun (people chuckling) to be in part of that now.

- Thank you.

- [Host] Thank you!

Hi!

- Hi, I wanted to ask, because over your illustrious career, you've shot on tape, you've made rotoscope animation movies, and you've like now like, are like shooting a musical, like over 20 years.

And I wanted to ask, what has inspired you to experiment and what continues to experiment and push the boundaries of filmmaking in your career?

- You're definitely not doing the same thing over and over!

(Richard chuckling) - Yeah.

Trying not to, just like, I don't know!

Storytelling, what kind of story are you trying to tell, how to tell it?

It was fun this time, this is the first time I ever shot in black and white!

Or had a black and white film, you know?

So that was fun.

And that aspect ratio, "Blue Moon" is wide screen, this is like academy, so.

Everything has its own different form.

But film's kind of a wonderful art form because there's always been this technological element to it.

There's new tools all the time.

You wouldn't, maybe, I don't want you to think of it when you see the movie, but there's 300 visual effects in "Nouvelle Vague," 300!

That's like a Marvel movie kind of thing.

(audience laughing) But they're just architectural, they're in the background.

You're erasing a lot of stuff, you're creating 1959 everywhere you look.

But, so technology's your friend.

I've been playing around with AI a little bit.

But I think you can, I don't know.

- What is AI doing for your process?

How are you thinking about it?

- I'm in process, yeah, I don't know.

It's pretty fascinating.

- It's early in the?

- Yeah!

Yeah.

I think it's, I mean, AI's not gonna make a film, but people could use it to make, I'm thinking, I always go like, how could you make a film that couldn't be made conventionally?

You could only do with AI.

Could it be its own little art form or something, but I mean, I take that approach better than it's gonna kill us all.

- [Host] Is there anything to the?

(audience laughing) - 'Cause if it does that, there's not much we can do about it- - [Host] Whew!

I was worried (Richard chuckling) about that actually.

So, to the questions point.

- Maybe both- - Is there something you haven't experimented with yet that you want to do next?

- Hmm.

Yeah, I just think you're talking.

Yeah, technically you're just open for whatever tools are in front of you.

I think shooting digitally or film, whatever.

But I don't consider it experimental.

Like, I think things that I've done different are really more in the narrative category.

Making a film with unconventional narratives.

To me, that's my cinematic brain has always been in that direction.

Like, how to tell a story, can you make a movie like "Slacker" with no story?

Can it just be characters?

Can you make a movie just about something?

So usually, it's pretty minimal idea.

"Boyhood's" really not about all these little moments.

It's not about much of anything except maturing, I guess.

So that's the area, I think, if I'm being experimental or it's probably in the storytelling area more than technical.

- [Participant] I see, thank you- - But they're both there to help - Thank you!

Hi!

(hands shuffling) - Hi!

One of the things I've, oh, sorry.

(people chuckling) One of the things I've noticed about your filmmaking, and you kind of touched on this in other questions that you answered, is that you have a really superb sense of like location and time.

Like the setting is always very strong, even from like your very first film, "Slacker."

It's really like deeply rooted in that location.

I was kind of wondering if there were things that you were thinking about or doing in the pre-production and production of these movies that gave them such a distinctive like place.

- Yeah, well, films can do that.

I think that I'm a big believer in like a place and a time.

And it's kind of magical when you're doing a period film, you're having to create all that.

These two films, I'm creating, 1943 New York, 1959 Paris.

When you're shooting in contemporary setting, you're just trying to capture where you are.

I guess it depends the story, so.

- You shot "Nouvelle Vague" in?

- Oh yeah, Paris- - In Paris.

But you shot "Blue Moon"- - A lot of the real locations.

- You shot "Blue Moon" in, did you not shoot it in Berlin?

- In Ireland!

- In Ireland, yeah.

- In Ireland!

- Outside of Dublin.

- So you recreated Sardi's in Ireland?

- I mean, we could recreate it in Ireland or in Queens.

(chuckling) It wouldn't have made- - It would have to be recreated!

- Yeah, 'cause they're not gonna let you take over (Rick's voice drowns) the restaurant for a month!

(audience laughing) And it looks a little different now.

But yeah, it's all a magic trick, you're kind of creating it anywhere.

But I think my metaphor, like on these, I always tell the crew and everybody, we're just dropping a camera down on this night or at this stage, and we're just capturing kind of documentary feel, like what it feels like.

I did that in "Dazed," I was like, "It's just 1976, we're back there.

And I want it to feel real."

So, and that goes with the performances, everything.

Just kind of be in your moment, both character-wise and look-wise too, you know?

So I'm trying to create a feel of a place.

And it's even more magical to imagine that for a place you've never been, that's just in your mind.

Something you have to create based on everything you've read or whatever research- - Well, Paris at that time is one of those things, that for many of us, never had the opportunity to be there.

Heard about it, read about it.

- Yeah!

- And to create it and have it feel so real is it's gotta be very rewarding!

- Phew!

Big challenge for the art department, for costumes and everything.

But yeah!

But well-documented.

We had photos, we're replicating a lot like angles, and it was fun to be very specific in the recreation, yeah.

- [Host] Love that.

- So fun- - [Host] Thank you.

- So fun- - [Host] Thank you.

- [Richard] So anyway, good question.

Sir!

- Hey Rick, how are you?

- [Richard] Hey, how's it going?

- It's going really well.

Thank you for sharing today.

Through my son's time at the University of Tulsa, which is a new city for me to visit, which I find to be very 1980s Austin.

(audience laughing) - That's what I'm hearing.

(participant's voice drowns) - Sterling (indistinct) I've met him a few times.

- I've met him there.

And he absolutely looks up to you.

- [Richard ] Oh.

He calls himself The Indigenous Linklater.

(audience laughing) Which is pretty cool.

So, there is a museum there that is the Outsiders Museum.

And Danny Boy O'Connor, who is from the band House of Pain, bought the house that is in "The Outsiders," and built a museum around it.

And it's a lovely experience, it's really cool- - Wow!

- And on my visits there, I've gone a couple times.

And I think it's time for the "Dazed and Confused" museum in Austin.

(audience laughing) - What would it be?

What location though?

- I think it would be up at The Violet Crown.

- [Richard] Oh yeah, have an emporium.

(people laughing) - Yeah.

So that's my (voice drowns) - Someone missed their chance, they could have like, that place comes up for rent every now and then, if someone wants to just, yeah.

- I don't know what that would be.

- Thanks for all you do!

- [Richard] That would be, oh, thank you!

I've gotta go there!

I gotta go to Tulsa!

- I think it should be at the, what's the place on Burnett?

- Topnotch!

(audience laughing) - Topnotch!

It should be (voices drown) - The side of the Topnotch!

- Yeah, it is there forever.

- Yeah, right.

- Ma'am!

Please forever.

- Hi.

I'm an alumna of the Creative Careers program with the FS, so thank you for that.

- [Host] Oh!

Great.

- I was gonna ask a question about "Nouvelle Vague," and was there a correspondence between Godard or other members of the New Wave, and like what that looked like during the process?

- Oh, you mean.

(sighing) It's well-documented, that's for sure.

We're going through letters and everything, but no one, I mean, they're all gone.

There was no.

- I had to be reminded that Seaberg died at a very young age!

When she was at 40- - Yeah, 40.

- But you said everybody else in the film is gone by now?

- [Richard] Yeah.

- Oh, okay.

It was 10 years in the making, right?

- Right.

And we lost a lot in, had we done it 10 years ago, they were all there, including Godard, I've just seen him all slowly disappear.

Jean-Pierre Leaud, the famous French, he's a boy from "400 Blows."

He's in it briefly in Cannes.

He's on there, they're kind of (indistinct).

So he's still alive.

I mean, he's in the film for that long.

And we found the script supervisor of the film.

She's still alive, like in an old folks home, so we found a couple people still.

But for the most part, they're not there.

But they're always, it feels like they are, you can have a dialogue with people a long time after they're gone.

There's a lot of memoirs, a lot of interviews.

There's been some little documentaries made.

So like, I'm not kidding.

It felt they were there, the dialogue continues!

- Great, thank you.

- [Host] Thank you for your question!

(Richard chuckling) - [Host] All right, hi!

- Hi!

- [Host] Hello!

- I'm gonna cut right to the chase.

Do you think you have any characters or stories that you tend to gravitate towards the most when you're wanting to do stuff?

- Most?

I wouldn't think so.

I mean, I think you're stuck with your own limitations of your own interests and your own, what you think you can and can't do.

But I don't know, I'd like to feel like I could find my way into anything, or but then you realize how limited sometimes you are.

Once you're doing it, like, oh, I'm doing this again.

It's like, but yeah, I don't know!

I don't think about that much.

- Cool!

- [Host] Thank you!

(Richard chattering distantly) How's our time?

I just want to be sure we.

- [Participant] How much do you have allotted?

- I mean, (people chattering distantly) this is exchanging the hostess for the money on the bridge.

(audience laughing) - I don't know, I don't know, I'm fine!

Yeah, whatever.

- You okay- - I'm here, yeah!

- Great.

- Sure!

- [Host] Sir- - Hi Rick.

- [Host] Howdy!

(people chattering distantly) - [Richard] Hey, how you doing?

- Good, yourself?

- [Richard] Pretty good!

(audience laughing) - All right!

(people chattering distantly) Well, congratulations on 40 years for The Film Society.

That's quite an achievement- - Amazing!

- There's nothing like that anywhere else in the country, probably the world- - Amazing.

- True.

- I think we're like the third largest?

Do we know for sure film organizations in the country?

We're one of the largest.

- Definitely one of the largest.

- Like one of the, maybe the third largest or something?

- Well, it's a very unique community- - [Richard] Which is amazing.

Thank you.

- Nothing like it.

- [Richard] We should find out exactly- - Well, I guess the question (people chattering distantly) mind, if you could expound, what are your thoughts on AI?

You said you see it as a tool or something that's can be used going forward, but do you really see it as revolutionary as people say?

How do you feel about that- - Well.

I mean, it's coming at us rather quickly.

I don't know.

I don't think I have thoughts any deeper than anybody else.

Like I said, I'm just kind of playing around with it technically, but not even that much.

But I have some friends who are much more into it than I am.

But I'm just interested in it.

- [Participant] It's fascinating, you can.

- It'd be a tool.

(participant's voice drowns) I've been impressed with a few things that can do visually.

But I'm not worried, like I said, it'll never, not in our lifetime.

I don't really think it'll, on its own, will be creating- - Replace you!

- It's just, yeah!

- [Participant] Well that is a tool!

- Yeah.

(people chuckling) - I mean, it might, (chuckling) it's gonna replace certain things for sure.

But it's interesting to be living in such tumultuous, changing, you can just feel it, you know?

(voice drowns) The film industry's always felt that way.

There's always been threats and things to it.

It's an existentially threat.

Art, commerce, technology.

- Everything's evolving, yeah.

I guess it's gonna be all right, all right, all right.

(audience laughing) - From your mouth.

- Good one!

(audience laughing) Let's hope, thank you- - [Participant] Thank you.

- Two more and then we're gonna wrap, sir!

(feet shuffling) - Hey, what's up man?

- [Richard] Hey, how are you?

(audience laughing) Mazzy Star shirt.

(participant chuckling) - Thank you.

I guess I just was curious, what's your favorite era of Godard?

- Favorite?

Oh, that's a good question!

It fluctuates by the day!

I mean, like everyone, 60 through weekend, 67 and then everyone skips like the next 13 years.

And then, he had a lot of different lives.

I mean he's really such a chameleon.

Always followed his unique cinematic brain.

I mean, there's no one else like him.

So, he's so interesting.

But he's kind of, I don't know, I wouldn't even call him my favorite.

Like a much more of a (speaking indistinctly).

Godard can make you feel kind of stupid.

- [Participant] Intentionally (participant's voice drowns) - His world.

But like at the '80s, that era, all those films.

'Cause I was first getting interested in cinema.

I was watching the new Godard films that were coming out every year, and catching up with all the olds.

(participant's voice drowns) So, that was kind of special.

But we're still catching up with him, he did so much.

We'll be seeing new Godard films for many, many years.

'Cause a lot of his things just haven't shown that much.

- I hope that this film actually, among other things, produces a little Renaissance and interest in Godard, right?

- Yeah, and- - Like, it'd be nice if we suddenly- - An entire new (indistinct).

- Right!

(hands tapping) - It'd be cool if, I'd love some young person to see it and go, "Oh yeah, I wanna look up.

I want, yeah, I don't know that much about it, I wanna look it all up."

- [Richard] New (speaking indistinctly).

- Yeah!

Exactly.

- [Host] Good.

- It's always worth.

- [Host] Thank you!

- Thank you.

- [Host] Alright, last one!

Hi!

- [Richard] With the old- - With that vintage Austin Film- - [Together] The original!

(audience laughing) - Good Scott Van Horne's design.

- You get an award for that one - I made those T-shirts, not that T-shirt, but I made a bunch of T-shirts back in the '80s.

- Fantastic!

- [Richard] I made the screen.

- Love the T-shirt, just was at The Film Society for the premiere of "House of Abraham" this past week.

Covering for Boss Ladies on the record, I'm Helen.

- [Host] Alright, baby.

- So happy to be here.

My question, we love "Dazed and Confused."

Definitely probably couldn't make it today.

I just love to know what your thoughts are on the changing nature of adolescents and how you would cover something like that today?

- Hmm!

Wow, changing nature.

(audience laughing) I don't know.

My own kid said, "Dad, don't do any films about young people, you don't know anything, don't."

(audience laughing) Just don't even try.

You can't understand us.

And so.

(laughing) Yeah, wow!

Changing nature.

I mean, you can't do that film again, but you can make a film.

There's always, people are gonna express the world they're living in.

Or usually maybe a 10 year delay.

Like the film about adolescence now will be made 10 years from now when somebody goes, "What the hell was that?"

And they wanna depict it, but in real time, it's always, film's probably not the best medium to express things.

There's a long delay mechanism.

I always thought music was a little more expressive for the feelings of being a young person.

But I don't know, TV, there's a lot of shows, a lot on TV, everybody's taking a stab at it.

(audience laughing) But I don't know, it's trickier.

I read an interesting thing recently about films and TV just have trouble capturing the real world now 'cause you don't want to make a film about people staring at their online life!

(audience laughing) How did it pick that in the work!

To ignore it is to not be realistic, right?

- Right.

- And but if you do it, it's boring to watch people staring (audience laughing) at their phones!

So what is it?

I'm just happy when I make a period film to not like, "Nope!"

(audience laughing) - Nah.

- Nah!

Pre-iPhone, pre!

Like it's fun to not be burdened with modern technologies in your movies.

So, but yeah, so it's a challenge.

I don't know, I don't know.

(mumbling) - [Host] Thank you.

(Richard chuckling) Thank you for repping the film side too.

- [Richard] Yeah, good, I love it.

- [Host] Alright, everybody, please give Ric a big hand!

- Still my favorite shirt.

(audience laughing) - Thank you very much for being here!

(audience clapping) - Thanks guys!

- You're welcome!

- Great being here!

(people chattering distantly)