Gus Van Sant

Gus Van Sant created his 9th film, Gerry, in 2002. It was caused audiences to split, from those striking the film down, claiming it was tedious and boring, while others called it an art piece. I can see both sides. I was tempted to skip past the lengthy scenes while watching, however, the further I got into the film, the more I realized its significance. Gerry is very long, but there’s reasons for it. Gus Van Sant used the landscape as more than the setting; it signified the character’s inner turmoil as well as cast the audience into the situation. (fix to use real thesis) Gus Vant Sant clearly favored long shots in this film. It was not restricted to just capturing the beautiful landscapes. He shoots most of scenes with the characters in a similar fashion. He rejects the typical technique used by majority American cinema for dialogue. In most dialogue sequences, the scene cuts to where the first speaker stood. There are many cuts in a scene, to get a feeling of the entire setting, because a camera usually can show no more than 180 degrees in a shot. This takes the camera out of the situation and blurs the line between audience and spectator (Silverman, 200).Vant Sant’s lack of shot/counter shot merely prevents the audience from delving into the characters’ point of…

The environment one lives in, whether it is the setting or the people around us, is influential and can change one's life for the good or the bad. Specifically, Gus Van Sant, the director of the movie, Good Will Hunting urges surrounding yourself with well educated, advanced people in contrast to low life people who hold you back because doing so will enable you to express yourself, step out of your comfort zone and voice emotions that allow you to have a fulfilling life. Firstly, by…

techniques such as camera shots, angles and movements, lighting, cinematography, special affects and sound are all great ways to capture the audience’s attention. Without these unique techniques it will be like watching a movie through a camera phone. . Many books are turned into movies, even though some people argue that the movie is never as good as the book. Then there are people that enjoy watching the movie more for the simple reason that they do not enjoy reading. Gus Vant Sant is an…

This paper will be comparing the theme of how directors Gus Van Sant and Russell Mulcahy use father figures as a tool for character development. This strategy is present in both good will hunting and swimming upstream. Both main characters in these films suffer from different types of abuse from their fathers and find different ways of coping with the damage done by the abusive childhoods that they had suffered from growing up in dysfunctional homes with horrible fathers. The following…

who are not ready to be pushed and to try of changing their dramatic life. By using melodramatic elements the filmmaker tries to show to the audience that even of having a dramatic life, with some help and love everything can be overcome. The aggressive and problematic character of main movie character has roots since his abusive childhood. With this melodramatic elements, like the bad behavior of the main character, the filmmaker is showing that how important is the way we treat children and…

Imagine a world where there is complete trust in everyone and everything, where there is no reason for doubt. The world would be perfect, a utopia. Unfortunately there is distrust in the everyday lives of people everywhere. This idea is specifically shown in the movie Finding Forrester. The movie follows a teenage boy named Jamal and his quest for trust. The viewer sees Jamal’s distrust in a window apartment, develope into the confiding relationship of a new friendship with William Forrester. As…

Dr. Seuss once said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Many people seem to know this quote, or have at least heard of it. Most of them even agree wholeheartedly with it. Why is it then, that we still feel the need to fit in? When watching Finding Forrester, the theme of struggling to fit in and the reality of how hard it can be when you stand out, become the most apparent to me. In the beginning of Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace does his best to fit in with his group of friends…

Transformation paves the way for all people, and Jamal and Forrester are able to do this in a way that will benefit their lives forever. In Finding Forrester a young man by the name of Jamal, a 16 year old from the Bronx turns out to be an extremely gifted writer and basketball player. He decides to hide his talent in writing from others until a dare comes up where he goes into a mysterious man's house to take something when in reality this became one of the most important moments of his life.…

return. Jamal wants to teach Forrester how to love again; to truly accept the new world and what is to come of it. Not only does Jamal realize that bad things can happen to the best of people, but he also knows that one can only grow from it; he sees that William has been hurt, and wants to teach him his new found way of life. In the moment of scattered memories being shared between them, William learns to accept himself. Later, Jamal gets accused of plagiarizing one of William’s previous work,…

Dreams are something everyone has, they can be easy to find, or they can be one of the hardest things one can endure. In the movie “Finding Forrester” we look into Jamal Wallace's life, and his dreams of not only becoming an incredible writer and basketball star, but also being accepted by his peers. Despite living in a bad neighborhood and going to a run down school, Jamal is offered to go to a high end private high school, but to keep a social status with his friends, he takes on a dare to…