Elephant (2003) in Real Time

In this project, I have decided to synchronize four different perspectives of the moments before the tragic event in Gus Van Sant's Elephant (2003). Comparing the shots side-by-side reveals noticeable continuity errors, but more importantly, demonstrates Gus Van Sant's precision and attention to detail. While the perspectives of John, Eli, and Michelle match each other for the most part, the perspective of the shooters does not whatsoever. The only way for the criminals' perspective to make sense would be if time inside the school stops at some point between the shooters' arrival and their entrance into the library. There could be a thematic justification for this. The shooters meander around in a purgatorial time that can not possibly exist before they begin shooting the students. With the exception of the aforementioned time freeze, this video presents the perspectives uncut, rather than altered to match. I decided to use the dialog "Hey, Eli!" as the point of synchronization for the perspectives of Eli, John, and Michelle. I decided to use the slow-mo shot of the dog jumping in the air as the point of time freeze inside the library. Black screens represent the estimated time of the temporal ellipses between cuts. In 2007, a YouTuber uploaded a video of the same concept. They chose to omit the scenes to make the timeline work, but failed to take the points of temporal ellipses and the slow-mo dog jump into account. Edited by Jane Brown Subscribe for more! ❤️ Patreon: www.patreon.com/styleissubstance 🧡 Twitter:   / substanceis   💛 Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Jay96 💚 E-mail: [email protected] 💙 Partner: @Elaine_Fuentes 💜 Podcast: @genderweird_podcast Filmography: ► Elephant. 2003. Dir. Gus Van Sant. Season 3, Episode 3