Film anlysis : Elephant by Gus Van Sant released in 2003
1h02-1h08
it’s his 2nd film others are Harvey Milk, Last Days successful with film critics
This film was inspired by the Columbine massacres committed on students in Columbine High school in Ohio by two pupils.
Gus Van Sant is an Independant film Director , this film won him an award at Cannes Film Festival
Is is considered to be an independant movie, financed by ind producers.
Why the title « elephant »: it comes from the expression « there is an elephant in the room ». meaning something is going on here , we have a problem on our hands and nobody cares.
We can divide this scene into two parts
The opening scene to the massacre
This scene central to the story begins at the end of the movie.
The choice of characters : young teenagers, juvenile aspect, blond for John the main character , wears bright clothing looks like an angel. The victims all wear bright colors.
The viewer intantly recognizes the good guys from the bad guys: the two teenage gunmen are in dark clothing, in kaki’s miltitary atire for one of them, a guerilla warfare dress a for the other and are holding automatic machine guns. This can sum up the major themes : youth and death
The viewer realizes at once that we have two different worlds that meet:
Emphasized by cross-cutting editing we follow the good guy and then the bad guy when thy meet. In that split second the teenage gunmen expose their bad intentions.
The Essay on Key Phrases Tells Scene Bad
Scene 1: The royal palace at Forres, Banquo talks on his own, he fears M has become King through evil means, but does not worry as he believes that the prediction the witches gave him will now come true. Then others come in, M requests Banquo presence at the feast they are having. M asks B where he is going, and then spreads rumours about the Kings sons. M asks B whether Fleance is going with him ...
An extreme close-up shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the viewer and the audience. Here, John expresses fear and aprehension. It announces the change in mood of the film.
Camera angles reveal the relationship between the characters Although they speak to them in passing a reverse angle shot emphasizes the lack of communication betwen them. As if they live in seperate worlds.
Diegetic sounds are present in this scene to emphasize reality of the outside world and the total different scene inside : ordinary day to day life, birds are singing outside. One can remark upon the intention of the director to emphsize it when he picks upon even on background noises, every noise is picked up and amplified. The contrast between indoors and outdoors is noticeable straight away : indoors we have on non diegetic mood music in this case it is silence. The reference to death is clear.(place wheer there are no sounds such as cemeteries)
The camera follows John outside, the young teenager thus, and lets the gunmen enter the building wheer the shooting will taks place the audeince feels he is letting something happen, he feels helpless there is nothing he can do to prevent this tragedy from taking place.John tries to those around
The second part
From here on the director, lets things happen or creates an impression that there is no contrôle over what is happening.
The next shot takes place in the building : Usually, to establish a general location the director uses an extreme long shot ;this is not the case , the non desript building they enter could be anywhere
Camera movement follows them through the corridors. A dolly shot gives us a detailed tour of the building as we follow the killers. The deliberate partiel framing emphasizes the lack of direction. The audience never knows where he is going. The corridors are like mazes where there is no escape.
The editing is seamless : hardly any cuts this is due the steady cam.
.A lots of camera shots are taken from behind making the viewers feel we are spectators of what is happening. The camera follows the killers as they track down their schoolmates. It could be a videogame only more real.
The Essay on Employment And Audience
a) A final-notice collection letter from an appliance manufacturer to an appliance dealer that is 3 months behind on payments, sent 10 days before initiating legal collection procedures. 1. The primary audience in this subject includes the appliance dealer, and his employees who will be affected by this situation. 2. The audience’s general attitude to this subject will most likely be skeptical and ...
Eye level angles puts the viewer and audience on an equal footing.
close-up shots and mid-shots of the those killed make the audience feel empathy towards those shot .
The aesthetic nature of the killings are amplified : we see blood only once ; the killings and in slow-motion with close-up shots of the victims. there are no special effects and the violence isn’t spectacular in any way.
Lighting is closest to natural lighting as possible.
The corridors are dark and create an eerie atmosphere whereas the classromms are lit up with bright neon lights. Like a stage is lit up and the audeince is kept in the dark.The killers enter these room and shoot. A theatrical effect.
The artificial lighting also creates a sterile room effect.
Absence of signposts outside, place markers or even time markers such as clocks, clasroom names , numbers create a stark, sterile effect. This could be a school or a jail. A Nondescript decor where the action takes places. This is emphasized by the long stark corridors leading into a maze of rooms.
The on screen diegetic sounds resonate in the school hall, the fire blazing, muffled far off screams, gun shots. It could be a war scene. (Implicit critique of the Irak War as the initial two member gunmen were goth fans and not war fans)
Rythm in this sequence is very important and plays a major rôle in the movie. The walk of the killers contrast with the running of the victims.This stresses the determination of the killers, their dominant position and the chaos they cause.
Slow motion effects allow for the audience to pause considereing the lenght of the scene and it enable them to
