A one-shot film is just such a production, either filmed in a single take or shot and edited to look like it was. There have been a number of recent movies, such as Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman and Sam Mendes’ 1917, which garnered widespread attention for looking like a single-shot film (actually 16 and 6 takes respectively), but this technique goes all the way back to 1948 and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope. Hitchcock’s movie was filmed in a series of 10-minute takes - the length of a roll of film - and edited to appear as one long shot by cleverly merging the segments together through a series of moving dolly shots and ‘ghost’ edits.
Several filmmakers have taken on the challenge of creating a true one-shot film. While digital technology released them from the time limitation of a one-thousand-foot film reel, it didn’t change the fact that capturing near perfect shots and acceptable sound with actors delivering lines on the move, followed by a crew, for the length of an entire feature film is a very big ask.
Several filmmakers have taken on the challenge of creating a true one-shot film. While digital technology released them from the time limitation of a one-thousand-foot film reel, it didn’t change the fact that capturing near perfect shots and acceptable sound with actors delivering lines on the move, followed by a crew, for the length of an entire feature film is a very big ask.
Alexander Sokurov’s 'Russian Ark' (2002)
It wasn’t until the release of Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark in 2002 that anyone actually pulled it off. In a single 96 minute Steadicam shot, the viewer is drawn through 33 rooms in St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace. Months of rehearsal for the 2,000 performers and crew involved in the film finally paid off when they got the take they needed on their fourth and final attempt.
In 2014, Sebastian Schipper went further still, reaching a new record of 140 minutes for a single-shot, single-take film with Victoria, a movie that followed the course of a bank robbery after a night of drug-fueled clubbing. Schipper’s budget allowed for just three one-take attempts, with the final effort being selected as the film.
However they’re created, one-shot films create a singular cinematic experience: a deeper immersion and a greater involvement of the viewer in events that unfold in real time, and an admiration for the filmmakers who push the limits of their craft, and the nerves of their cast and crew, for our enjoyment.
In 2014, Sebastian Schipper went further still, reaching a new record of 140 minutes for a single-shot, single-take film with Victoria, a movie that followed the course of a bank robbery after a night of drug-fueled clubbing. Schipper’s budget allowed for just three one-take attempts, with the final effort being selected as the film.
However they’re created, one-shot films create a singular cinematic experience: a deeper immersion and a greater involvement of the viewer in events that unfold in real time, and an admiration for the filmmakers who push the limits of their craft, and the nerves of their cast and crew, for our enjoyment.
George MacKay in '1917' (2020)
An original poster for Hitchcock's 'Rope' (1948)
Credits
Universal Pictures