An interview with Gus Van Sant (The Director) and Diane Keaton (Executive Producer), that I think gives a good idea of where he's coming from in the film:
Discussion Topic:
Talk about the use of "Time & Space" in Elephant. Many of the shots go on for a long time, and take us through many different rooms of the school. What do you think the intended feeling for the audience is supposed to be when we're following a character for a long period of time in the film? What is the feeling you walk away with after some of these shots? Also, there are certain moments in the film where Gus Van Sant uses slow motion. What effect do these moments have on the viewer?
49 comments:
Elephant was a very unique film in the elements of time and space. The methods used to manipulate these elements were often unclear, and hard to understand. But as the film progressed we began to realize how these methods were being used and why. I believe the two most predominant methods used to manipulate time and space in this film were replay, and slow motion. But also, in order to create spatial relationships between the audience and the multiple characters, we were constantly presented the same scenario from multiple angles. These multiple angles not only helped to fill in certain gaps in the story, they also had a tendency to change our view on any particular character. For example, when we first meet the character Alex, we see him from John’s point of view. He is walking into the school and appears to be heavily armed. This gave me a feeling of disgust towards him. Whereas later on in the film (but also at a point back in time within the movie), we see him being picked on from his point of view. This didn’t necessarily change my initial opinion towards him, but it did make me feel a sense of pity.
Now regarding the incredibly long shots where we (the audience) followed someone through many different rooms inside of the school, I believe this is an entirely different method used to emphasize time. And that is simply by not manipulating it at all. Like Gus stated in the posted interview, we see the journey, instead of just the beginning and the destination. And I believe the purpose of this was to leave the audience with a sense of complete understanding, or omniscience. When I finished watching this film, although I am still puzzled as to why someone would want to make this film, there was nothing I didn’t understand. I had no questions regarding the story or the sequence of the plot within the story.
I believe that the use of slow motion in this film was to identify points in the story where there were multiple points of view from multiple characters. One of the better examples of this is when we see John with the dog from his point of view, from Carrie, Nicole, and Brittany’s point of view, and from Alex and Eric’s point of view. But there is also the long shot when we see Nathan walking to meet his girlfriend. We also see a piece of this shot from the point of view of the three girls.
Overall, regardless of my view of the overall film, I believe Elephant was a brilliant use of manipulating time and space for the sake of the plot. It is certainly something that cannot be portrayed within theatre.
I think that the intended feeling for the audience when we are following the characters for a long time was that something was going to happen to them. When the camera was following a character for a long time, I kept expecting someone to hit him in the head, especially during the profile shots. I felt a little anxious during those shots because, as I stated before, I kept expecting the people to get hit, r, as the movie progressed, shot. The slow motion emphasizes certain parts of the movie.
With regards to the use of “Time and Space” in Elephant I think that the intended feeling “we” (audience) where supposed to get when Van Sant shot the characters over a long period of time was a feeling of where the students may have come from and where they were going…or not going. For me, the shots of the long hallways behind the students represented all the hallways they had walked through to get to high school. Most of us in the audience have attended K-12th grade and we walked through many hallways in grade school and middle school with anticipation about finally making to high school. In the same turn I think the shots showing the long hallways in front of the students represented their future and where they wanted to go, or where they might have been in their minds while they traveled through those hallways. When I was in middle school I could hardly wait to get to high school. For me high school was going to be this wondrous place and I would have great fun everyday. When I finally arrived it was not always so great and there where some days that down right sucked. The way that Van Sant shot the scenes was like we (audience) could be there walking behind the student, or walking towards the student being filmed. Van Sant also altered from tight shots of the students’ faces, to show their expressions back to long shots in the hallways and on the field to show their environment. I think Van Sant did that to emphasize that each student was in their own world and had their own perspective on what high school was for them.
For some of the students like John, I think the school and the hallways represented a place of safety and escape from his home life. His dad was an alcoholic and John was at least one of the caregivers for his father. He had to be responsible and drive the car when his dad was too wasted and he also took the brunt of being late from his teacher because of his father. In one scene John started to cry in a classroom and that is why I think school represented a place of escape and safety for him. John was a caring person and it seemed that many of the students knew who he was and treated him with kindness. In the scene when John plays with the dog I think the slow motion shot was used to emphasize John’s personality and his kindness to others may have been one of the reasons why his life was spared when Jerry and Eric came to school with a mission to kill and told John to stay outside. John in fact did save other people’s lives when he warned them not to enter the school, although he did not tell anyone why, nor did tell anyone to call the police. I think other students like Elias viewed high school as a canvas for his
photography and used the opportunity to expand his portfolio. Maybe Van Sant used the replay sequence of Elias taking Johns photo to show the different views and experiences of the students that day walking down the same hallway at different times. Other students like Brittany, Jordan and Nicole experienced high school as a social place and they all bonded there. All three of the girls gossiped together in the hallways and threw up together in the bathroom; unfortunately the bathroom would become the last place they would ever see as they all died in that very place.
Nathan, the good looking soccer player and his girlfriend Carrie may have seen high school as a popularity contest. The girls that died in the bathroom thought Nathan was very attractive and I think that was emphasized in the slow motion scene when in the hallway. Nathan may have been a person who consistently received positive attention at high school and therefore, believed that if he and Carrie hid out in the freezer their lives would be spared, which was not the case. Jerry, who had been picked on in high school was now in the power position as one of the gunmen and he taunted Nathan and Carrie while they stood there waiting for Jerry to shoot them. Some of the students were killed simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Michelle was the first person shot and in the film she was also portrayed as a person who was picked on and she was a timid girl who may have viewed school as a place of pain, but she just buried it and continued on. Benny was a student who was investigating the sounds of the guns and died maybe in part because he made a good target or maybe because he looked as though he was an athlete.
Jerry had been picked on by some of the athletes. They threw spit balls at him in class and laughed at him, so school was a place of embarrassment and torture for Jerry. Although he was a talented pianist his experiences at school fueled a deep rage that erupted into violence and he killed anyone who he saw that day including his fellow gunman Eric. It was not understood in the film if Eric hated school too, but Eric was a follower who hung out with Jerry and may have just been part of Jerry’s plan to kill students. I believe that Van Sant expressed that in the film when Eric was seen playing violent video games at Jerry’s house, yet when Jerry walked up to Eric in the hallway he killed Eric without a second thought. Was Jerry mad because his original plan of setting off the bombs, allowing him to shot hundreds of students running in the hallways did not happen and he blamed Eric for it? Maybe Jerry had felt as if he had been the prey in high school and now he was the hunter, so it did not matter who he killed, so long as he killed.
Van Sant’s use of “Time and Space” in Elephant depicted each students experience at school and how different it was for all of them. Towards the end of the film I wondered if Van Sant used the long shots in the hallways to represent the roads that we all choose to walk down. Some of the students ran away from the conflict, some of the students hid from the conflict and some of the students faced it, but many of them died regardless. Two people decided to take innocent lives that day possibly due to revenge, boredom or a power trip. No matter what the reason it was wrong and it was heartless, but maybe that was one of the points Van Sant was trying to make.
In the controversial movie, Elephant, the director Gus Van Sant utilizes Time and Space to manipulate the story line where the viewer can see the lives and stories of various characters in the High School throughout the critical school day. Van Sant has us follow many characters for long periods of time and in different views throughout the film. I think that the intended feeling is to see what goes on in the average High School student’s life in America. It is showing us how different the daily High School experience is for each student, and how the actions of student can deeply affect the lives of another. So deeply, that it drives two students to commit the ultimate sin of mass murder. The feeling that I walked away with from these shots was that of understanding. Understanding that although these students walked the same paths down the same halls to reach their destination, they all had their own problems, some more severe than others. That behind every face is a story that no one sees, hears or knows. Van Sants use of slow motion was at many different random points in the film. It gives the viewer an eerie feeling, that in that specific day something significant is going to occur.
I found this film to be very difficult to follow. When I got comfortable with following one character, the movie would switch to another character. I think the feeling was to give a quick introduction but not to become too attached. The slow motion makes the scene look more dramatic and it emphasizes the importance of that scene.
“Time and Space” was used in the movie Elephant to demonstrate the life of each of the characters. I think Gus Van Sant wanted each person watching the movie to see what it was like for each of the characters. He was demonstrating how different each character may be, but in the end they all go to the same school and face similar situations. The movie follows situations that happen within a matter of minutes, but stretches it out into 90 minutes by going extremely slow in some situations and following every character. You don’t know anything about their backgrounds, only what their life is like for a few minutes in high school. I kept feeling that something was going to happen each time we were following one specific character for quite some time. It was created to make it feel like it was building up anticipation for us, although nothing happened until the last five minutes of the movie. The slow motion made me feel that we needed to pay attention to that specific part that they were showing, otherwise we might miss something.
--Kelly Roop
The usage of many "time and space" elements truly make the unique movie Elephant what it is. Throughout, the cameras stay fixed on one particular scene or one particular character, depicting everyday journeys (ie - walks through the hall at school) and everyday conversations about ordinary topics (ie - shopping, concerts, and the like). With this particular technique, the audience is intended to feel close with the character, as if he or she is right in the action with the character. One might begin to feel as if he or she knows the character since they are being followed on an ordinary school day (which turns out to be out of the ordinary, of course) doing ordinary teenage things. It is most likely intended for the audience member to walk away from one of these shots feeling close to the character, or at least more familiar or acquainted with him or her.
A few select shots in the film are done in slow motion. The most important of these, in my opinion, took place when John crossed the grass at school and was about to come face to face with Eric and Alex. It was at this moment John learned the very possible fate of his school and fellow classmates, and then proceeded to warn others of the impending doom. Because this moment was tremendously important to the plot as a whole, it was filmed in slow motion. Scenes such as this in the film bring about a very ominous feeling for the viewer.
Time & Space was used in many different ways in the film. There are long shots, where a charater is folowed for a long period of time, the use of slowmotion, and replaying at different angels.
I thing these are all used to create the story the so you see it the exact way that Van Sant wanted you to see it. The story fills its self in as time goes on so you are able to fully understand every thing at the end of the film.
I think the feeling you are suposed to get when folowing a character for a long period of time is you are suposed to feel as though you are the charater. Feeling the things they felt at the begining the middle and the end of the shot. Its as if each shot is its own little story that fits into the bigger picture.
I believe the parts where Van Sant uses slow motion is meant to really focus on a moment in time and to make the viewer very aware that he feels that this is important.
Gus Van Sant uses time and space very uniquely in Elephant. This is because most of the film takes place about five minutes before the shooting occurs, though its over about sixty minutes of real time in the film. Those five minutes are just shown over and over, but each time the camera is following a different character.
The more we, as an audience, follow and get to know a character, the more we are able to relate to them and we begin to develop feeling and opinions about what we want to happen to that character. We also got to see the other characters from the point of view of each main character. The camera follows other students as they walk down the hallways, talk to friends and go to class. Many characters are shown in long tracking shots that do not turn away from that character.
Regarding the incredibly long shots, I personally got tired of them. They seemed to just drag out and there was no action. Th camera would just follow a character down the sidewalk for a solid two to three min. and nothing would happen. They were probably intended to create suspense, but they weren't doing it for me.
I believe the slow motion was also used to create suspense, but to also let the audience analyze all that was happening and all the details of the shot. An example is when we see Alex and Eric walking up to the school dressed in camo for the first time in the beginning of the film. From that point on I knew the film was going to be about a school shooting. The use of time and space, along with the story line make Elephant unique because without the manipulation of time and space as in the film, the story wouldn't be able to be told the same way.
Elephant was a very interesting movie indeed. Personally I have never seen a movie use “time and space” like this one has. Van Sant has many shots where he will follow characters around for a long time, I believe that the intent for this is to show how each charcter has their own story, their own life that will eventually be taken from them. If he were to just have followed the two terrorists around and watched them shoot the other students, they would just be random people and it would be meaningless. This method allows us to see how much was taken away from each character in the story. We are also able to feel a kind of connection to them, like we see the different activities they engage in, the different conversations with people, all which help give a glimpse of what type of person each one is. Van Sant also has a way of following different characters. Doing this provides a different view of the same story. It creates a certain amount of depth to the story that many movies just coast over.
There are many occasions in the film where slow motion is used. We talked about this in class and it applies to this movie very well. For example in the hall scene where the jock walks by 3 girls, you get a slow motion shot between the blonde and the jock. This helps us to establish that there is a connection between these two, whether emotional or physical, either way they seem to be attracted to eachother. Many people talk about how time alters when they are with someone they love, I think this common phenomenon is emphasized during this scene. Also, there Is another way to look at slow motion shots, not only do they establish a connection to the character, but also it can be a kind of “hint” that maybe these characters are important for later in the story, and is is a cue for us to remember them.
All in all though when watching this movie I really did not like it. But when thinking back about it, I still don’t like it, but It really is a very intriguing film in it’s style and originality. Some might call it a work of art, I might have to agree.
In the film Elephant, the director, Gus Van Sant, uses both extended shots and slow motion to help create a relationship between the audience and the characters.
Van Sant uses shots that last for a bit of time to allow the audience to really experience the character and build a relationship with him or her. Most movies tell you what to think of the characters and build your opinion of the character for you. The extended shots in Elephant provide the audience with a detailed view of the character. Once the audience experiences some of the characters actions, they can build a fair opinion of the character, even if it is not the same as someone else’s. This is an essential key to this movie. As Diane Keaton mentioned in the interview, Elephant was created to make people think about Columbine, and form their own opinions, rather than listen to what journalists all over were telling the people about it.
The slow motion in this film shows the real feelings and personalities of the students. For example, when Nathan walks past the three girls and looks back at them, one may get the feeling that he is not entirely concerned with the fact that he has a girlfriend and rather enjoys the fact that many girls in the school admire him. His lack of concern for others feelings is shown again in the classroom when he does not stop his friend from throwing things at Alex in the back of the classroom. Without slow motion shots, the audience would not be able to fully understand the character.
Gus Van Sant’s manipulations of time allow the audience to fully experience Elephant for themselves, and generate their own ideas about, not only the film and Columbine, but what is occurring in schools across the country.
Time and space in Elephant is what makes the film so unique. The movie sends a very direct message by painting a very distorted picture through convoluted time sequences. Both notions of forward moving time and space are all mixed up and it was very dissoreinting at first but as the film progressed, these ideas began to come together. I believe the long trips through the halls were put in to develop a very close connection for the audience. When following these poeple, I felt like I was walking through the halls myself, nothing special at all about it, just walking around. This would set the scene for the dramatic ending and add to the drama by making us feel like we are there watching our friends get shot in the halls of our school. The impact of the slow motion shots helped focus on key points of the movie. Any slow motion sequence was slowed down for emphasis. It comes off as something of a playful way to make a serious point. In addition to this, I think the best part of the film was when Elias was confronted by the gunman, that is a scene that I will never forget.
The use of time and space in Elephant was very subtle and nearly confusing for the first few times the camera followed a character. Upon figuring out what was actually going on, the following, and backing up through time makes it interesting and shows different view points from all walks of life on the same event. During the few instances where slow motion is used, it adds emphases on the particular moment. It also adds that shot scene to memory and makes it easy to remember when the camera follows different people through the different rooms.
I think that the use of exceptionally long shots allows the audience to see each character's step-by-step actions. Also, seeing the long shots definitely allows the viewer to not only relate to characters well, but to see the relationships between the different characters. These long scenes really caught my attention because they demand that the audience pays attention to them. The lack of dialogue allows the audience to observe what is happenening instead of hearing the story line through long conversations and lots of verbal interaction between the characters.
The slow motion shots, i thought, were very interesting. These shots seemed to occur many times each and I believe that Gus Van Sant wanted to do this so that it could tie different characters together. Also, the slow motion shots allowed for the audience to see what was going on at one time from various character's different view points.
Elephant was very unique in the way Gus Van Sant used "time & space." With regards to why he used this method, I think the intended feeling for the audience was to leave them wondering what was going on and what was going to happen next. The feeling you walk away with after some of these shots is suspense. Gus Van Sant used slow motion quite a bit in the movie, and I think this was to emphasize the dramatic feel of what the characters are thinking and feeling and also to add to the suspensful theme. It was like he was trying to drag on something that was less important to transition into a more important part of the movie, I thought that it also might have been used because often when a traumatic experience is happening or has happened, you recall your thoughts in slow motion, almost as if it isn't realistic.
The intended feeling for the audience is sympathy when we are following a character for a long period of time in the film. This is because Gus Van Sant wants us to know what the character usually experiences at school and to reflect on the character’s perspective on certain occurrences. After some of these shots, I felt insightful and sympathetic to the characters; whether it was the shooter or not.
For the slow motion, I believe Gus Van Sant intended to emphasize certain motions that many students will not experience after they are fatally shot. This is to let the audience know that life is so fragile and can easily be taken away from us at any moment in time. This film, overall, is a piece made for the audience to think (as said in the interview).
The movie "Elephant" used the elements of time and space. It went through the views of different people throughout the movie. What they did through that specific time frame and how it coincided with the other people that were involved in the movie. This movie used time by going back in the past to show how people were feeling or what they were doing to show their part. We were sometimes shown the same scene but from a different angle or perspective; in order to get another reaction. It was most likely to have a different opinion about the people that were shown. The time and space aspect was used to describe scenes where we would follow people for a period of time with no cut outs. The shot showed what the character was going through when they were walking through the halls, who they knew, what their actions were. This movie used great space and time and was a perfect example of how to use it.
Through the long shots following each character, it is hard to not connect with the character somehow. You got to see the school from each person perspective. To not be watching the person but rather be walking with them.
Stepping back from the movie, you can have some kind of correlation with the character. From it being someone like you, a friend, or the school wide known person. It wasn't some random school that was filmed in, it was like your school.
In the shots that slowed down, it was possible to see things that didn't take you first notice. it allowed you to see the whole picture and grasp the idea a little better.
Elephant uses various techniques to draw the viewer in. The slow motion and flash backs allow the viewer to live the moment through someone elses' eyes. This play on time and space increases suspense and gets the viewer on the edge of their seat, waiting for the action to happen.
Elephant's use of time and space is something that most movies do not use today. But each time a character was being followed during the day leading up to events at the end you began a slight relationship with each of them. The movie in a sort of way resembles a puzzle and finally at the end all the pieces were put together, for example with the homosexual discussion in the class room fits with the boys in the shower scene. Every scene had a meaning that lead to each person destiny in the film. While the slow motion shots were just to show differnt points of view from different characters. The movie was completely scattered but wraped it all up at the end to have a good finish.
In the interesting movie, Elephant, Gus Van Sant uses a lot of Time and Space techniques. Through out the entire film we are constantly following some sort of stereotypical high school student. What makes this film so unique is that we are seeing all thier points of views at the exact same time. This causes the audience to take in "lack of talking" and think about what is going through all the character's minds. I believe Gus Van Sant used some slow motion shots to let the audience look at what is going around and see the other characters in the background, making them realize that everything is happening at the same time.
Elephant was a very suspenseful movie! I feel that the director focused on the timing by making what would be 5 minutes in reality over an hour longer in this movie. I think he did this to show what was going on through the gunman's head and how time seems to almost stop in any type of tragedy and in this case a school shooting. Also, I think he emphasized the slow down of time to show the audience each of the character lives and backgrounds.
I feel that the director really wanted the audience to relate to the characters therefore he showed a variety of different scenarios.
Also the use of slow motion was to show how the characters themselves viewed school, different people, and different situations. It was a way for the audience to see inside the characters heads.
Elephant was a very interesting movie and the director did an excellent job portraying the use of time and space.
The long shots in the film Elephant give the feeling that you are following everything the character is doing. Yes, it follows multiple characters in the same way, but the way Gus Van Sant uses those slow shots is unique to this film as in most other films, they would skip over a simple task such as walking in the hallway and just switch rooms as a simpler way to show the elapse of time. The elapse of time is much slower and is quite like following a person's life in "real time." We see many rooms of the school as Gus Van Sant utilizes each room of the school throughout the film while following each character, and showing where each one of them is at the end of the film when the violence takes place.
I think the intended feeling for the audience during the very slow shots is kind of hard to figure out in the beginning. I kind of felt confused as those long shots were making the movie very long, drug-out, and boring. However, after I saw the two boys walk into the school as John was walking out, it all clicked for me, and I figured out what was going to happen. I had no background of the film, so I had no idea what it was about, therefore when I saw those two walking in and warning John to stay out of the school, I figured it out and from that moment on, to me, those long shots built suspense. I think the feeling I walk away with after seeing those long shots is curious because I was trying to anticipate what would happen next as a long shot was occuring, I was wondering how the character was going to end up because they were following them so closely.
The slow motion emphasizes the long shots as we are following the characters and kind of makes the audience look closer at that particular character. Most of those slow motion moments expressed the feelings of that character and the characters around them, and later, the film came back to the characters in the background of a particular long shot or slow motion shot. It forces the viewer to notice other characters that Gus Van Sant wants us to follow.
I think the intended feeling for the audience upon viewing the long continuous shots of specific characters is a feeling of banality, that it is simply another day for normal people going through their normal lives. And in their normal lives the characters also depict how cruel and it can be for a teenager experiencing high school in America. I think these shots remind the audience of their own similar experiences in high school and that allows them to relate to the characters.
I think that in this film slow motion was used to emphasize points that film maker, Gus Van Zant wanted to make. I think this is evident in the fact that slow motion was used with the character John, it emphasized his kindness and humanity, and could explain why his life was spared.
In the movie Elephant, the viewer’s sense of time is thrown around as we move from character to character. Gus Van Sant basically follows the average day of these characters as they make there way through the school day. Some shots can go on for up to 20 minutes of movie time and just consist solely of watching a character walk through the halls of the high school. Time jumps around as we move from each character, and none of the shots are in chronological order. We get final shots at the beginning of the movie, and some beginning shots at the end. I think Van Sant does this so we don’t get the whole picture right away. He does this mainly because none of the characters understood the whole story either. We figure it out together, like we are the characters. Like Columbine, no one really understood what possessed the killers to kill there class mates. No one in the country really understood why anyone would go that far, but the movie Elephant I think sheds some light on the matter by showing us everyone’s perspective and why kids act the way they do.
When we’re following characters through the rooms of the school Gus Van Sant wants us to feel as if we are those characters and let us realize that this could be any high school and is probably a lot like the high school we went to. We as the audience are supposed to get each character’s experience first hand and really “get into” the characters themselves. The whole film goes from character to character and we really aren’t just general observers like we are in most movies. Gus Van Sant wanted the audience to feel as if they were the characters. He wanted us to experience being the jock, the geek, the skater boy, the valley girl and the misguided picked on ones. No movie I’ve really seen has followed characters as much and so surreally. Van Sant wanted us to really feel like we could be any one of the characters in the movie. He doesn’t make it seem like any of them are to blame, including the killers. The way Elephant was directed, we can sympathize with all the characters. We blame it on society in a way. High School’s cruel and for everyone, it’s a right of passage and some don’t make it, can’t take it and snap. After you view some of the shots you truly do feel connected to the characters.
Gus Van Sant uses slow motion in some of the shots to emphasize certain aspects of that character. I guess the best example is that of the three popular girls. When they see the Jock the say that he’s “so cute,” this is slowed down so we can see that this is really the only thing these girls care about. When a cute boy walks by, it’s as if the girls see him in slow motion. He’s so gorgeous to them that the world literally stands still when he passes by or even glances at them.
All and all this movie was interesting. I enjoyed it for its unique cinematography and us of time. Most of the shots in the movie are amazingly surreal and really lets you become one of the characters. It’s as if we really are transported back to high school.
This whole movie was based on time and space. From the start we were seeing different scenes getting to know the different characters. Sometimes seeing the same scene but from someone elses point of view. It would take us back and forth through time giving us a few more details as to whats going on and whats to come with each change.
When following the characters around for long periods of time, I think the intended feeling is to see what the school day is like for each of them and to help us understand a little better why they do what they do and also, the effect that peoples' actions have on them. After watching some of these shots it makes you think about whats going on inside these characters heads and whats gonna be happening next.
I think the parts of the movie where Gus uses slow motion marks a turning point that could change the outcome of the movie. For instance when we see John leaving the school and playing with the dog, it gives him a chance to not only save himself but other people that may try to reenter the school not knowing whats about to happen.
The use of time and space allowed the audience to feel more of the experience like they were there int he hallway looking on.The use of time and space makes the audience consider what will happen and when depending on how the character is moving and where.Following the characters through hallways allowed the audience time to ponder what may or may not happen and build up an expectation of whats next. The use of slow motion emphasized the different points of view of the same thing, it helos the audience to not be biased and consider more than one opinion or feeling. elephants are my favorite animals Elephant is my least favorite movie.
A huge part of the movie is the technique of "Time and Space", it adds to the dramatic and extensive feel of the movie. I believe that the intended feeling was to be completely in the scene; to see from the character's point of view rather that seeing his reactions, which enables us to have our own reactions, not influenced by the character's. The technique of allowing the viewer to see every moment of the character's scene created suspense and allowed no room for confusion, because nothing was left out, it was just a complete stream of plot. I felt very anxious during the long scenes, wondering what this was leading up too and why I was forced to watch every minute of someone walking. I began to appreciate the long shots once I understood the movie more.
The moments in slow motion create emphasis and they represent a moment where two stories or characters coincide. Foreinstance, when Nathan is meeting his girlfriend, you are introduced to the three girls, where you later experience their story, which meets Nathan's at that point.
Overall, I think that this movie was expertly created, and the use of "Time and Space" was brilliantly mastered. Although, it was not at all my favorite movie, nor would I watch it again for the main reason that it left me feeling depressed.
Following the characters through different rooms of the school gave the audience a look into the lives of those students and their perspective on things. When the camera was on them it wasn't shooting their faces, but the back of their heads. I think the purpose of this was so that the audience can see exactly what the characters themselves see and what goes on on a day to day basis for them. I believe the director was trying to show the different groups, or stereotypes, of a society or school. It started off with the normal kid (yellow shirt), just dealing with everyday problems, like his dad for instance. Then it moves to the artistic kid who loves photography and takes pictures of everything. The director then continues to move from those students to the jock, the outcast, the three preppy girls, then the "unaccepted" ones (who shot everyone). These are all people one would usually see in their own school. Van Sant was trying to show the audience why the two boys thought they were unaccepted through viewing a moment in the lives of the other students. None of these students were like the two boys, in their views toward the same sex, which shows why the boys thought they had to go on a rampage and shoot everyone, just to be accepted. They thought everyone saw them as outcasts so they wanted to end the lives of anyone who stood in the way of how they felt. Some of the shots left me feeling like it was typical day for the students, the three girls for instance wanting to go to the mall, or the jock having a pretty girlfriend who everyone is jealous of. It all seemed like something any normal person would see at their own school, until the shot when the two shooters walked into the school. They too seem like normal boys until they order the gun and you start to see them go through with their plan. You leave those scenes kind of knowing whats going to happen next and it hurts to watch it all unfold as they enter the school. I think the slow motion scenes are a transition to the next scene with a different character, or a pivotal moment in the film. It is like a signal when something is about to happen, for instance there was a slow motion scene when Alex was playing with the dog and the two shooters walked by him. That moment was slow motion and it was when two more characters were introduced that changed the course of the film. Those moments leave the audience anticipating what will happen next. Since the film is such a slow film the audience is always wondering, from scene to scnene, if in the next shot something will happen.
I found the film to be very challenging which are always the best types of films. The movie showed such a dark and heavy side of violence which I think none of us really correlate when we think of a setting such as high school. Every angle that he used and every long shot that was developed invoked an emotion that I do not think he could have achieved without shooting the film in this manner.
Gus Van Sant used the elements "Time and Space" to his advantage in the film Elephant that could not have been conveyed to the audience in theatre. When beginning the film, I did not understand what the point of following these kids walking down the hallways was. I could not figure out what it was all leading up to till each story began to overlap.
The way Gus Van Sant used the element of "Space" in the film elephant was by the many different shots and angles displayed throughout the hallways scenes. When the camera angle was behind the students it made me feel as if Gus Van Sant was trying to show more into the future (what each student could become by decisions made.) Then when the camera would go from a far away view to a close up shot I felt as if he was trying to show the audience each of the students outlook on high school.
The way gus Van Sant used the element "Time" was by giving the auidence an inside look on each individual and then tying all of the pieces together. For example when the chaos began the audience already knew where each student would be and the paths they were going to take, whether we wanted them to or not. Another seen that the element "Time" tied into was when we first began to know Alex we saw him from John's point of view and later on we see why he is the person he is from his own point of view, which alters some of the audiences perceptions of him. "Time" was also used in slow motion I felt to show power sometimes and to empasize the scene.
This movie ended very abruptly with no real solution but I guess with a movie like this you can't really have an answer. There is no reason a shooting should happen and innocent people should die. It was at times confusing, but by the end Gus Van Sant used the elements of "Time and Space" to help the audience understand the film.
Gus Van Sant uses many directing techniques throughout the movie Elephant. His use of the elements time and space bring a whole new interpretation into the movie. To me, the long shots throughout the movie bring a sense of intensity into the situation. During the movie when the camera would follow one character in particular the audience got a chance to see the story for different views and a more understanding of the plot. These long shots really helped bring the story together by showing the same scene in the eyes of different characters. We also get to see more of the school and other students which I feel is important for the ending of the movie. Gus Van Sant also uses slow motion in the movie to identify certain important points that would all come together at the end of the movie. This movie shows an excellent example of how time and space can really make a movie.
Gus Van Sant uses unusual techniques manipulating time and space in the movie Elephant. The long shots of the students walking throughout the school first off creates a very real, very complete view of the scene where most of the film takes place. This puts the audience right into the action. I think that one the main focus of the film is to create a sense of reality so that the audience can connect with the characters. The point of the film is for the audience to get an understanding of what kids are like and maybe get an insight why these things happen. The long drawn out scenes shows a very realistic view of an everyday situation for a high school student. We spend real time with the characters as they walk and interact with others. We also get see several situations from different points of view with replay and slow motion. This helps us see where each person is coming from and why they are doing what they are doing.
In the movie Elephant, time and space is illustrated and exemplified through the different types of camera positioning and lengths of character and repetition from multiple angles for each different student. Time seems to drag in places, signifying that student’s feeling of isolation or lack of sense of social fear. Space in Elephant is the true centerpiece of the movie, where each individual is portrayed almost solitarily in a school that should be packed. Likewise, lightly lit corridors and ominous cloud sequences create both a feeling of depression and empty vastness. The distance between the camera and the killers near the end further the cold, remorseless feelings as well as create an almost dreamlike/distant observer/ghostlike feel. And because the killer’s actions in the process are not explicitly seen, the mind’s eye is able to print a darker picture than what could’ve been possible from an independent film production. And while the camera lingers on each character for long periods, we become both detached or bored from their role while still forming an understanding bond. In addition, from each viewpoint we draw more input on how each student regards each other and fills in possible motives for the shootings. The slow motion sequence brought out Jon’s sympathy or regard of kindness, elevating him above the other pupils in terms of human decency. He and Michelle were the most easily identifiable characters that we the viewers were able to comfort in. These moments leave the viewer with a plethora of different emotions as to why Eric and Alex turned their pain outwards while someone like Michelle could force it inward and exhibit her (more notable) scene of silence.
I feel that Elephant was a unique movie in reference to “Time and Space.” Many of the shots and scene changes allowed the audience to anticipate more of the story to come. Van Sant created a familiar mood basing the movie in a high school. When watching the kids go about their daily lives, I felt familiarity. I enjoyed how he showed many different situations for the characters and all of their different personality types and how they, like us students here, all interact with each other at one point or another. Once the scenes began to change around going from one persons life story to another I began to feel as though I knew what the character was thinking when the last scene of the shootings happened. I believe the slow motion shots were a good way to focus on in depth moments. Each of the slow motion shots showed a lot of characters views on the moments happening. I believe this was a good movie choice to teach the audience about “Time and Space.”
I thought the long shots were very much a required part of the movie "Elephant". After all, it wasn't a very long movie, clocking in around an hour and 15 minutes, and it dealt with many different characters. The main idea of the film was a school shooting and in order for that event to evoke a proper emotion for the viewers, there had to be some sort of connection with the characters. An hour and 15 minutes isn't a long time to establish a connection to a school full of students not to mention include the shooting itself.
The long shots on the selected characters, gave the viewer an insight into that character and what his/her life might be like, while at the same time taking the viewer through the town/high school on a regular day. I think the film played off the "cliques" that get established at any high school and the long shots often would reveal these to the viewer whether it was the jocks on the football field or the break dancers on the roof. For me, not far removed from high school, there was instant familiarity to the groups of people at the high school and thus I felt a connection to the school and students there. That made the shooting event evoke more emotion and hit closer to home to me. I don't think the film would have worked if it was more traditionally focused on less characters with more dialogue. The sense of sight was better suited for this type of movie.
Finally, I think the slow motion scenes were used to glue the movie together. Because the scenes of the movie aren't necesarily in chronological order, the slow motion tactic was used to show what is going on in the background of the scene. Thus, a scene from earlier in the movie is seen again, from a different perspective, in the background and the viewer is able to understand the current event and the one in the background took place at the same time.
In the movie Elephant I felt that the elements of time and space weren’t clear cut. There were multiple things happening at the same time and if you were watching and didn’t pay attention it would be as if you didn’t know when certain things happened. We were able to see the same scene from the view of another character even when the characters didn’t have anything to do with the other. Over all the movie just displayed the normal life of a high school the problems people have, relationships, people that stand out (who others make fun of unfortunately). There was no real need to develop the characters fully as we are introduced to new ones throughout the entire film because I feel that they are just meant to hit us as the regular everyday person. The long shots of the movies where we follow the characters for its as if we are walking with these characters seeing and experiencing what they are.
I feel that Elephant was a unique movie in reference to “Time and Space.” Many of the shots and scene changes allowed the audience to anticipate more of the story to come. Van Sant created a familiar mood basing the movie in a high school. When watching the kids go about their daily lives, I felt familiarity. I enjoyed how he showed many different situations for the characters and all of their different personality types and how they, like us students here, all interact with each other at one point or another. Once the scenes began to change around going from one persons life story to another I began to feel as though I knew what the character was thinking when the last scene of the shootings happened. I believe the slow motion shots were a good way to focus on in depth moments. Each of the slow motion shots showed a lot of characters views on the moments happening. I believe this was a good movie choice to teach the audience about “Time and Space.”
Gus Van Sant is innovative director who did a remarkable job creating this masterpiece called Elephant. Instead of telling the audience what to feel and think; he gave them the entire story and layout enabling them to be an independent thinker. As he said, he was trying to “get away from cinema’s idea of showing we’re he from and where he’s going to and you never see how he got there. When in our lives none of us go anywhere with out going on a journey. We showed their journey to include his real life in what we were watching. Since in our lives stuff happens along the way, we wanted the same for the movie.” Gus Van Sant showed us all the events each character experienced and allowed us to see the big picture. I don’t believe there was really one main character since they focused the same attention by telling each characters story.
I think the intended feeling was to place us in the situation to get the full effect of the story. He wanted us to see how each character plays an important part in the story. By placing us in the situation and following each character for a certain period of time we began to feel what they feel and sympathize for them during times of grief, frustration, during the columbine massacre.
The feeling I have after walking away was a mix of compassion and sense of understanding. We see the kid getting bullied during class. We see bulimic life of the girls. We see the portrayal of Diane Keaton’s personal high school experience with the shy girl in gym class. We see each character’s qualities and see the overall symbolism of high schools today. The blood from the columbine massacre wasn’t on the two boys hands but on their fellow students and teachers also. Each of them had a part in pushing those kids over the edge. Each kid faced trials but choosing not to talk about it and keep “bottling it up” creates so much pressure that they just explode. I’m not excusing the two boys actions but I believe it could’ve been easily prevented.
Slow motion is to draw emphasis on the scene or the specific shot.
Van Sant does a great job using space and time. We all have been in highschool and have walked the crowded hallways, but he focused on the main characters and they seemed to be somwhat isolated from the rest of the students. He also uses replay and slow motion shots. i feel that these are used in order to make a special connection with the character and the audience.
Well when a movie follows someone for many scenes it obviously wants you to see what that person is doing. Also when a movie or even tv shows have slow motion film, i always feel like someone or something is going to pop out and attack the character. Slow motion defenitely makes certain parts of the film stand out more.
Elephant is a very peculiar movie. It does not follow the same style as an ordinary entertainment movie, but actually the art movies in which each and every shot is like a note that when together builds-up a song. When watching the movie what called my attention the most was the similarity between the movie and an opera. I did realize that the music in the background and the music played by one of the characters helped me think that way; however the use of time and space also collaborated for the overall thought. Most operas are structured so that in the end something dramatic happen, that may or may not solve the conflict introduced throughout the story. In the movie Elephant the use of time followed the same structure of the operas. The beginning and the middle part were focused on the description of the characters and their lives, while the end was focused on something unexpected.
The use of the shots that go on for a long time helped in the descriptions of the characters, because it put the audience in a position where they could actually have a real life experience of what is like to be a high school student. In this movie the audience gets acquainted with the character through the time aspect, not through dialogues as usual. That means that as more time spent looking at the character, closer the audience feels to it.
I agree with what Diane Keaton said in the interview, that this movie is something to be appreciated, to be listened to. After watching the shots for a while I realized the importance of the silence and how open the movie was for thoughts. No one was saying what you should think or what the message is. I believe that due to the approach the audience can have with the characters for watching them continuously, no one walks away after watching the movie blaming one specific character or environment for the shooting event.
In regard to the use of slow motion, I believe that the audience pays closer attention when a shot is in slow motion. Viewers tend to look for details, as if something is hidden behind those moments. The slow motion effect emphasize the scene so that like in the case of Elephant the audience can connect the characters involved and the time, since the movie does not follow a chronological order at all times.
The Elements of time and space used in the film, Elephant are extremey rare and complex. The flow of the plot is not in order by any means, and this presents a unique effect of the overall flow of the movie. I found the aspect of following one person and then going back to the same time to follow another character very intriguing and interesting. The long duration of the shots was intended to make that part of the plot seem like a long time in reality. Most of the time in films it seems as though the audience is simply watching the characters. In this film is seems as though the audience is right there beside them walking from room to room of the school. This element of the movie creates a more personal connection between the audience and the characters. After watching the long shots in the film, I felt as though the characters were going about everyday life instead of being in a movie that speeds up the plot. It was as if the unecessary parts of a character's day was implemented into the film, where as in another film, a part such as stopping to take a picture of someone would not be included. Also, the director decides to use the effect of slow motion throughout the movie. I noticed the slow motion in the movie prior to the start of the actual shootings. I think his intent was to slow down the day of school, and then as the shootings were happening he wanted it too seem as though they were happening rapidly. Overall my reaction to the movie was that I was extremely disturbed, but also I could not stop watching because of all the foreshadowing and suspense!
While watching Elephant I noticed that when there were long camera shots I was reminded of the soap operas I watch. I felt as though something bad was going to happen to the characters and we were all just waiting to see what it would be. There were points in time where I wondered just what was going on when all we saw where the profile of a character such as John or Alex. I am a big fan of the long shots in particular because I enjoy wondering just what will happen to the character and making up my own sceniroes and seeing if I am right or not. Overall, I was a fan of this movie and the way it was shot.
The way the movie was shot, I think, was done with the intention of keeping the audience as close to the experience/action as possible.
I think the director wanted the idea of HIGH SCHOOL and different clicks etc to fully resonate with the audience, hence the use of space & time.
The way it went from class to class sort of made you remember times in high school and relate more to the movie. That way at the end when the tragedy occurs you can feel empathy for the movie more easily.
The slow motion I think was used for this same reason, to provoke sympathy from the audience. It just further implemented the long sequences with, in my opinion, helping portray the tragedy.
I think that the extremely long shots were used to convey a sense of monotony, as the characters just kept walking, and walking, and walking...which is how high school is normally perceived; boring and monotonous, with bursts of something different (like when they see each other in the hall and start talking). I also think it's supposed to help with character construction, because the longer you watch the person in long shots, the more you can see how they walk and the way they regard those around them. In regards to the slow motion, I think it just allows for either a stop in time, where the character isn't thinking about anything else besides whatever happened at that exact moment, or to simply, again, convey a sense of monotony, as if time goes on forever.
(second attempt to post that i spoke to you before class about:))
In elephant there was a lot of manipulation of time and space. For example, when we are following a character all the way from the field outside of the school trough all the hallways we get to see him walking seamlessly from place to place. He is able to easily move from place to place and no set changes need to be made. Also it lets the viewer kind of look around and see the day-to-day activities of the high school and to me it kind of felt as if I were walking down the halls following someone just like it was any other day. Also when we first see the shooters john calls a dog over and time slows down, my best guess for this would be to give us time to recognize who the kids coming into frame were or to add some dramatic effect to there arrival. Right after that scene you see a jump back in time and we get to see them before they came to commit the shooting and what pushed them to do it. This happens more times in the movie when we are following various characters and seeing sometimes the same events from different perspectives. It gives us a chance to see what each character is doing and how different their lives are. The prolonged scenes let us see much deeper into each characters life. They also serve the purpose of linking seemingly unrelated events to one another in my opinion. Lastly, I think it helps build suspense by seeing the shooters so early and then going to different scenes, you never know when the shooting is actually going to happen.
Elephant has many long drawn out shots, because they want the audience to feel like they are actually at the school walking around with the different kids. The audience begins to become attached to these different characters. Certain parts of the film were slowed down so that it told the audience this was an important part of the movie. When John was playing with the dog the two boys walk in with the guns. It is an important part of the film that must be known to the audience. The movie also replays a lot of conversations over and over in order to tell how the characters lives connect with one another and to give the audience a sense of whether they are going forward or backward in time.
I think the intended feeling from taking us through different rooms of the school was to set the mood for the entire building. It helped us see everything that was going on in the building and not just between the main characters. It gave us everyone's point of view of the situation and showed how everyone was going about their everyday routine and how they were involved once they realized there was a shooting going on. After some of these shots the viewer feels like they are apart of the situation, not knowing what is going to come next. By adding slow motion scenes it forces the viewer to become very impatient and wants to know what is going to happen next.
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