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Gus Van Sant
FilmmakerKnown for:
Good Will Hunting (1997), Elephant (2003)
Education:
Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, 1975)
Gus Van Sant has moved between mainstream Hollywood productions and formally experimental independent films, developing two distinct bodies of work that share an interest in youth, alienation, and the Pacific Northwest. Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and My Own Private Idaho (1991) established him as a major independent filmmaker; his Death Trilogy - Gerry (2002), Elephant (2003), Last Days (2005) - drew on the work of Béla Tarr and Chantal Akerman. He won Best Director at Cannes for Elephant.
Gus Van Sant's Gear List(1)
ARRI
Connection note
Van Sant used Arriflex cameras for "Elephant" (2003) and his Death Trilogy, shooting in long Steadicam takes. His use of Arriflex equipment is documented in production interviews.
Product description
The Arriflex 35 BL (Blimped Lightweight), introduced in 1972, was the first self-blimped 35mm motion picture camera quiet enough for sync-sound shooting without an external housing. Its mirror-reflex viewfinder and rugged construction made it a standard tool in European and independent filmmaking from the 1970s onward.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
