Elf is (arguably) one of the most beloved Christmas films of all time by families all over the world. In the spirit of welcoming this years holiday season, I decided to watch the movie for this weeks video story reflection post.

It is no secret that the film industry portrays New York City as a magical wonderland where all dreams come true; however, Elf challenges this notion by highlighting some of the cities worst qualities… filthy streets, angry taxi drivers, and most significantly the cold-heartedness and lack of christmas spirit due to selfishness. Manhattan is undoubtedly one of the most wealthy places in the world. Life here incredibly sought after- yet, most films taking place in New York glorify this truth. On the other hand, Elf goes against all stereotypes about the concrete jungle and demonstrates some of the most realistic aspects of everyday life here. To go into further depth, Buddy, the protagonist, has a disposition comparable to that of a child, while all other characters see him as someone who should be acting more mature. Buddy is scorned or judged anytime he expresses excitement towards the holidays, which shows that societies definition of an “adult” lacks any form of Christmas spirit. It is honorable that Elf sheds light here since the majority of films about New York look over the materialism of the city.

While watching the film, I noticed that the most valued editing strategy from the ‘Rule of Six’ was the storyline. I found it difficult to find shots that didn’t effectively contribute to the story. Because Elf is a movie made to include a childlike audience, it seemed important that every shot drew attention to keep everyone engaged. I’d argue that the emotion strategy was second priority. All characters had very exaggerated personalities and all shots did a wonderful job maintaining this.

All in all, I’m impressed with the movies originality when it came to portraying the city. It was honest, comical and beautiful.