'4/20/99' - Columbine-inspired Short Film (Part 1 of 2)

A short film loosely based on the Columbine High School Shooting of 1999. Part 1 of 2.

RATED '15' for: Frequent strong language and strong suggested violence.

Check out our other film 'Animus here: http://youtu.be/evwxm-1Ghgg?hd=1

UPDATE (Nov 2009): Due to comments about the nature of the film, I want to clarify in this info box more about what kind of film we intended to make. Rather than say it is loosely based on the Columbine massacre, it is probably more accurate to say that it is an ALTERNATE view of the Columbine massacre, imagining that the killers were a boy and girl couple instead of two male friends, and how the events might have unfolded if it revolved around that kind of relationship instead.

TRIVIA (Part 1):

- The audio of a canteen atmosphere at the beginning is taken from a personal home video featuring Columbine killer Eric Harris with friends in Columbine High School. So, the canteen noise is from the actual canteen in Columbine High School.
- The page of sketches David is adding to is a copy of Eric Harris' actual drawings.
- In the 'home video' scenes in the attic, there are 3 notices on the wall. The one on the left ('Mission Briefing') shows a list of events that they plan to carry out, which is close to the events of the Columbine Shooting. The one in the middle ('Combat Zone') show real photos of Columbine High School and a real map of its layout. The one on the right is a copy of Eric Harris' actual plans for the attack.
- The idea of the killers practising with their guns in the woods is taken from a video known as 'Rampart Range' in which Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold fire off some of the guns they would later use in the Columbine Shooting with some friends in the woods.
- The 'home video' sequences are based on a series of tapes currently unavailable to the public known as the 'Basement Tapes', in which Eric and Dylan ranted about what they were going to do and why. Transcripts of the tapes are available, and much of the dialogue in the last 'home video' scene is taken directly from these transcripts.
- David's list matches the number of victims from the Columbine shooting: 12 students and 1 teacher. Among the list are the names 'Eric Hunter' and 'Dylan Kingsgate' (Eric H and Dylan K) referring to the Columbine shooters themselves.
- The significance of the emphasis on the killers eating breakfast the morning of the shooting is a reference to the fact that, for them, it was 'just another day'. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold infamously went bowling the morning of the shooting. It is also a nod to Gus Van Sant's film 'Elephant' - an obvious big inspiration for this film - in which he also emphasised mundane events to build tension.
- The significance of David crossing a name off the list refers to an event just before the shooting when Eric came across an old friend, Brooks Brown, and said to him: "Brooks, I like you now. Get out of here. Go home." There was originally going to be a scene highlighting this where David encounters John Carfield, but it was never filmed.

Visit the film's IMDB page here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1617258/

NOTE: When submitted to festivals the film was renamed 'Never', but it's the same film.

© 2009 Scissors 61 Productions

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[Ali3nS0ci3ty]

thumbs up if this is a rip off of elaphant

[Windurin]

@Ali3nS0ci3ty

If you read the description, one of the Trivia points clearly acknowledges 'Elephant' as "an obvious big inspiration for this film". In fact, if you watch Part 2 of the film, Gus Van Sant even has a SPECIAL THANKS in the end credits.

I think 'rip-off' is pushing it and I'd prefer to call it a homage - something which I think Gus Van Sant himself would agree with, considering that his own film 'Elephant' was a homage/'rip-off' of Alan Clarke's film of the same name.

[stonersrule100]

Is the bitch supposed to be eric?

[Windurin]

@stonersrule100

They're not specifically based on either of them because it's a fictional 'What if?' scenario, i.e. 'What if the Columbine killers were a male and female couple instead of two male friends?' But if we were to compare them, I'd say that the boy, David, is closer to Eric who was apparently the main mastermind behind it, and the girl, Amanda, represents Dylan, who - it has been suggested - might have been more reluctant to go through with it.

[pyroINK]

is this what they rlly did before?



[Windurin]

@pyroINK

Well, they did record home videos explaining what they had planned known as the 'Basement Tapes'. These tapes are not available to the public but transcripts of them are and most of the dialogue in this film was taken directly from those transcripts.

As for the rest of it, we don't really know, but the point was to highlight that they MIGHT have done something as mundane as having their breakfast before they went on to commit the horrible massacre.

[RoblesIsaiah]

this is worse than elephant

[PureChillCru]

@theunknown1997 yea but the acting was horrible in that. If you really wanna see a good movie about columbine. watch Zero Day. best movie ever! its on netflix.

[theunknown1997]

If anyone wants to see a film that is based on actual facts of Columbine, watch "Zero Hour". That is basically the truth of what happened.

[thecrazyfirekid]

it was on 4/20 hahahahaha

[ohheystephanie]

3:39 A printout of Eric's actual plans.

But yeah this is just awful.

[keriiallen57]

@stonersrule100 loll wow

[RIPCompanionCube]

@DcLomas96 Good for you, mate.

[RIPCompanionCube]

@YouWontdotTV Eric had Luvox in his bloodstream