One-shot film

A one-shot film (also one-take film, single-take film, continuous shot feature film) is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression it was.

Use and theory

In a 2019 article, discussing the award-winning film 1917 (2019), Eric Grode of The New York Times wrote that very long takes were becoming popular in more mainstream films "as a sobering reminder of temporality, a virtuosic calling card, a self-issued challenge or all of the above", also citing the Academy Award-winner from several years prior, Birdman (2014).

History

Grode notes that before such films as 1917 and Birdman, the idea of experimenting with long uninterrupted takes had a history of over 80 years, with Alfred Hitchcock being a pioneer. Aside from early experiments like Young and Innocent and Notorious, the most famous early example of a film that extensively uses long takes is the 1948 Rope, which was shot in mainly seven-to-ten–minute continuous takes (the physical limit of film stock at the time) that appear as four long takes of around 15 to 20 minutes each, close to the maximum length allowed by the cinema projectors of the time. Reportedly, James Stewart, star of Rope, did not like the long takes and apparently muttered on set that the cameras were more important than the actors. Hitchcock intended to shoot the film as if it were a play, and timed five of the ten segments to allow for hidden edits behind furniture; elaborate camera and actor choreography was used. He wrote Rope this way because he felt "if time passed between cuts, the suspense of whether the body was still in the trunk would be lost".

Grode also examines the 1958 film Touch of Evil as an example, though only its three-minute opening sequence is shot in real time. However, the use of a real-time ticking bomb through the single shot is seen as a standard.

Although animated films are not included in a list of one-shot films, The Wolf House (2018) is a deconstructed example of (stop-motion) animated film that presented in a form of single, unbroken shot sequence.

Notable examples

Actual "one shot"

Year Title Length Director Nationality Ref.
1982 Macbeth 57 min. (longest shot) Béla Tarr Hungary
1998 Big Monday 74 min. Michael Rehfield United States
2000 Timecode 97 min. Mike Figgis United States
2002 Russian Ark 96 min. Alexander Sokurov Russia
2003 Sábado [es] 65 min. Matías Bize Chile
2007 PVC-1 85 min. Spiros Stathoulopoulos Colombia
2008 Still Orangutans' 81 min. Gustavo Spolidero Brazil
2013 Rati Chakravyuh 102 min. Ashish Avikunthak India
2013 Fish & Cat 134 min. Shahram Mokri Iran
2013 El triste olor de la carne 87 min. Cristóbal Arteaga Spain
2013 Ana Arabia 85 min. Amos Gitai Israel
2013 Somebody Marry Me 98 min. John Asher United States
2013 Daikuko 98 min. Mitani Koki Japan
2014 Agadam 123 min. Mohamad Issack India
2015 Victoria 140 min. Sebastian Schipper Germany
2015 Anino sa likod ng buwan 120 min. Jun Lana Philippines
2015 Daksha 142 min. S. Narayan India
2016 Paint Drying 607 min. Charlie Shackleton United Kingdom
2016 Eight 81 min. Peter Blackburn Australia
2016 Immortality 145 min. Mehdi Fard Ghaderi Iran
2016 King Dave 99 min. Podz Canada
2017 Fourplay 77 min. Dean Ronalds United States
2017 The Wedding Party 119 min. Thane Economou United States
2017 One Shot-Fear Without Cut 140 min. Haroon Rashid India
2017 One Cut of the Dead 37 min. (longest shot) Shin'ichirō Ueda Japan
2017 Watch The Sunset 83 min. Tristan Barr & Michael Gosden Australia
2017 Lost in London 103 min. Woody Harrelson United Kingdom
2018 Heegondhu Dina 103 min Vikram Yoganand India
2018 The Silent Pasture of Sparrows 20 min. Qmars Mootab United States
2018 Utøya: July 22 90 min. Erik Poppe Norway
2018 Blind Spot 98 min. Tuva Novotny Norway
2018 Jaalo 101 min Araaj Keshav Giri Nepal
2018 Tatort: Die Musik stirbt zuletzt [de] 88 min. Dani Levy Switzerland
2018 A Boy. A Girl. A Dream: Love on Election Night 89 min. Qasim Basir United States
2019 El Amor No Puede Esperar (Love Can't Wait) 76 min. Juan Carlos Carrasco Mexico
2019 Last Call 77 min. Gavin Michael Booth Canada
2020 Limbo [de] 89 min. Tim Dünschede Germany
2020 Let's Scare Julie 83 min. Jud Cremata United States
2021 Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam 85 min. Don Palathara India
2021 Rendez-Vous 105 min. Pablo Olmos Arrayales Mexico
2021 Roaring 20's 85 min. Elisabeth Vogler France
2021 Boiling Point 94 min. Philip Barantini United Kingdom
2021 Causalidad 115 min. Who (Marcelo Politano) Argentina
2022 Iravin Nizhal 98 min R. Parthiban India
2022 Medusa Deluxe 100 min. Thomas Hardiman United Kingdom
2022 Yuddha Kaandam 90 min Bose Venkat India
2023 Tales from the Neighborhood Café 41 min. Al Hallak United States
  1. ^ One five minute shot and the film's opening credits precede the film's 57 minute main shot.

Edited to appear as "one shot"

Year Title Length Director Nationality Notes Ref.
1964 Empire 485 min. Andy Warhol United States
2002 Irreversible 92 min. Gaspar Noe France An experimental film combines with one-shot and reverse order.
2010 The Silent House 86 min. Gustavo Hernández Uruguay
2011 Silent House 87 min. Chris Kentis, Laura Lau United States
2014 Birdman 119 minutes Alejandro González Iñárritu United States
2019 1917 118 min. Sam Mendes United Kingdom
2020 Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes 70 min. Junta Yamaguchi Japan
2021 One Shot 97 min. James Nunn United Kingdom
2023 Shttl 114 min. Ady Walter Ukraine

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-09-25 08:05 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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