Richard Linklater talks Boyhood brainwave

Richard Linklater has called Boyhood his "light-bulb moment".

Despite having a successful time at other awards ceremonies, Boyhood missed out on all but one of the six Oscars it was nominated for last night - Patricia Arquette was named best supporting actress.

That hasn't deterred Richard though, who gave his take on awards season in an interview before the winners were announced.

"I wanted to make a film that expressed what it feels like growing up, and also what it feels like to be a parent and go through something that epic with your kid," he told scotsman.com. "When I had my big light-bulb moment, what I saw was a film that covered 12 years and all the actors got older and the culture changed – and you would experience it all in one sitting."

Boyhood also stars Ethan Hawke and Ellar Coltrane, 20, who was seven when shooting began. The cast and crew filmed for several days every year and the result is a film about what growing up is like.

What makes Richard particularly proud of the flick is that it's picked up prizes even though it wasn't released in the run-up to Christmas. Traditionally this is when flicks which are expected to triumph hit screens, but Boyhood went on to scoop BAFTAs, Golden Globes and a SAG Award.

"Any film that comes out in March, like Grand Budapest Hotel, or the summer, like Boyhood, the people behind the films are not saying ‘This is our award-winner for the year,'” he explained. “Otherwise it would be coming out in October and November. You know: 'Awards Season'. It’s a marketing plan and obviously it was not part of those films’ plans to be awards films. So maybe there’s something kind of pure about that – that it’s there because it stuck with people.”