Short of the Week
The history of the one-take film, or “oner” as its become to be known, dates back to one of cinema’s true pioneers, Alfred Hitchcock. Aiming to shoot it as if we’re a play, his 1948 film Rope was shot as several long takes (as long as film stock allowed back then) and stitched together to seem like four continuous shots. Since then, several other high profile filmmakers have attempted similar feats with Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Sam Mendes putting together features that were edited to appear as a single take, while Mike Figgis’ Timecode actually presented four continuous 93-minute takes in one film.
The “oner” appeals to filmmakers because it intensifies both the tension and authenticity of the film, but it certainly comes with its challenges: one mistake and it’s start again. Achieving this cinematic marvel is surely one of the hardest tasks a filmmaker can attempt, even over a shorter duration it’s damn impressive. If it’s something you’re thinking of attempting we hope the following examples and tips help guide you through the process.
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The Importance of Performance
Your cast is essential in the success of your one-take short, they need to be focused, well-prepared and can’t miss a beat once the camera starts rolling. There’s a lot of pressure for an actor involved in a “oner”, but if they get it right, it can be an eye-catching display of their talents and put the focus of them, instead of the impressive craft.
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Thunder Road
by Jim Cummings
Probably the most famous entry in this list, Cummings’ 13-minute short uses one continuous shot to tell the story of an emotional police officer speaking at his mother’s funeral. Thunder Road’s cinematography is quite simple compared to others in this list, but it’s a great example of how well a single take can work when you have a killer central performance at its core.
READ THE FULL THUNDER ROAD REVIEW
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Motherf•cker
by Anonymous
The Takeaway Scenes was a seven-part anonymous performance project looking to put the focus on acting. Rules three and four of its manifesto – III. Scenes must be filmed in a single continuous take. No cuts. No cheating & IV. Camera submits to the performers. It should not inflict itself upon them – should be a good indicator of why Motherf*cker is included on this list. It’s a film where the premise wasn’t the most important element, the raw and intense energy making it a real testament to the strength of the writing and acting
READ THE FULL MOTHERF*CKER REVIEW
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Amplify the Tension
The continuous take is perfect when you’re looking to create a tense and immersive short, the authenticity created by shooting something in real-time means the audience truly feel part of the action and don’t dare look away for one second. Using the one-shot approach can help make viewers feel trapped in a situation alongside the performers and add a real sense of urgency to the drama.
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How to say I Love You at Night
by Andree Ljutica
Focused on a hook-up that goes wrong, Andree Ljutica’s How to Say I Love You at Night keeps its audience constantly on edge by dropping them in the middle of an uncomfortable and disturbing encounter. An unpredictable short with simmering tension, at 17-minutes in length it’s a film you can totally lose yourself in – just remember to breathe.
Andree Ljutica on shooting a one-take short: “There were three characters in this film: Paul, Benny and the Alexa Mini. We choreographed a dance where the shifting subjectivities, the moments of silence and the off screen action served to enhance a general sense of unease and eventually terror. What we didn’t show became as important as what we did. This is editing, yes, but in choosing to do this work in camera through the continuous flow of the uninterrupted image, we received an intimacy in exchange that I think was much more powerful.”
READ THE FULL HOW TO SAY I LOVE YOU AT NIGHT REVIEW
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Whiteout
by Lance Edmands
Filmed entirely within the confines of a car (except for one establishing shot before the titles) Lance Edmands Whiteout captures the unsettling situation a young couple are thrust into when they encounters a strange man standing in the middle of the road during snowstorm. Like How to Say I Love You at Night the single-take means the tension is palpable and with events unfolding in real-time you’re constantly on edge, never sure which way the narrative will twist next.
Lance Edmands on shooting a one-take short: “The one piece of advice I’d give on shooting a film in one shot is that the design should be an integral part of the story. With Whiteout, we wanted the camera to be trapped inside the car with our protagonists so that the viewer could feel the claustrophobia of the space and be aligned with the POV of the characters. The unbroken take goes a long way to generate tension. With every edit, there is a sense of relief. A little bit of air is let out of the balloon. But when you don’t cut, the anxiety can just build and build. The more you sit in a moment, the more you squirm and the more your eye wanders around the frame. You begin to wonder what might be just out of view, ready to jump out. The script was always written to be a single shot and I don’t think the story would have worked as well if it was told in any other way”.
READ THE FULL WHITEOUT REVIEW
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Use technology to your advantage
The constant advancements in filmmaking technology can help to make your one-take short even more impressive and eye-catching. Think about the tools you have at your disposal and how they can aid you in making your short as effective as possible. Whether it’s the latest camera equipment or a little post-production magic, a successful “oner” will always make the most of the resources available.
At The End Of The Cul-de-Sac
by Paul Trillo
Attempting a one-take short is a difficult enough task, but filming it on a drone feels like you’re adding another layer of complexity to the scenario. If someone could pull it off, it had to be director Paul Trillo, a filmmaker we’ve long admired for his innovative approach. In At The End Of The Cul-de-Sac Trillo explores public shaming as we witness an unstable man suffer a meltdown in the middle of a residential cul-de-sac, the drone feeling like the perfect way to capture the myriad of characters involved.
Paul Trillo on shooting a one-take short: “Using a drone on At The End Of The Cul-De-Sac opened up a lot of possibilities for camera moves but created a lot of restraints in other ways so not everything I did applies. The one thing that does apply however is you cannot plan ahead and rehearse enough times. Do as much prepping, storyboarding, animatic animating, rehearsal rehearsing as possible. You learn from every attempt and will find organic ways to let the shot evolve. We spent a whole day blocking and rehearsing before the shoot and the day of the shoot was primarily rehearsing as well. One takes can be draining on an audience, especially these days after so many good ones have been achieved, so you have to find ways to justify it conceptually. Why is this scene a one take other than it looks cool? Is there an emotional or storytelling purpose for it? And if there is, then it has to work just as well as if you had an editor pace out the scene. There should be surprises along the way that keep the audience on edge. Something that remains hidden, lurking in the background and then it happens when you least expect it. This creates a feeling of a real passage in time. That you can’t simply go back and undo what’s just been done. A oner can be a high wire act of sorts. So the more of these surprises you can throw in there, the more exhilarating it will be and ultimately the more real it becomes. And what I’ve learned is that the best one takes are the ones where the audience forgets that they’re watching a one take”.
READ THE FULL AT THE END OF THE CUL-DE-SAC REVIEW
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Growth
by Sil van der Woerd
One of the cleverest films on this list, Growth manages to fit 18-years of family life into one seemingly continuous nine-minute shot. The truth is, as I’m sure the experts among you will have spotted, the director employs fancy camera rig technology to subsequently stitch together disparate shots into a seamless whole. Some might argue that because of this it’s not a true “oner”, but it’s undeniably a stunning short and the creativity, originality and use of technology meant we just had to include it on this list.
READ THE FULL GROWTH REVIEW
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Timing is Essential
With just one-take to get everything right, a director and his team need to be on-point when it comes to timing the on-screen action of your film. Whether it’s making sure actors are in the right position or timing the events that happen around them, if just one element is delayed you might need to start your short all over again.
Jumpers
by Anonymous
Another Takeaway Scenes short (see Motherf*cker above), Jumpers isn’t so much about the timing of the action within shot – there are only two actors, so no complicated choreography to organise – but is all about the timing of when it takes place. The story of a potential suicide attempt, shot on the roof of a tall building, Jumpers was filmed on the 4th of July and the very real firework celebrations, exploding all over the skyline, make for a stunning backdrop. There was only one chance for them to get this right and their timing is perfect.
READ THE FULL JUMPERS REVIEW
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Patision Avenue
by Thanasis Neofotistos
A single-take short which unravels in one of Athens’ busiest regions and involved 70 extras, although Thanasis Neofotistos’ Patision Avenue could have easily been included in the Amplify the Tension section, it’s the choreography of the piece that is most impressive. Featuring explosions, smoke and general civil unrest, attempting a shoot like this under more controlled situations would be difficult enough, but doing it all in one-shot is nothing short of extraordinary – no wonder the director described it as his “personal Everest”.
Thanasis Neofotistos on shooting a one-take short: “My team and I worked hard and rehearsed for 3 months! We could not close this main street of Athens, so we mixed some of our extras with the real pedestrians. We tried to be creative and think out of the box. One example is that in the main square of the film, they were many local kids playing at the time of the shootings, and it was not manageable to control them. So, we thought of the idea of the clowns with the balloons; we put them in strategical spots in the square, and they were giving balloons to the kids for free. At the same time, we were passing by between them, and none of them looked at the camera, which was our biggest threat! We only had one opportunity to shoot this film. One take and off!”
READ THE FULL PATISION AVENUE REVIEW
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Nail that Ending
Like with every film, the ending is going to be key, but it feels especially important with the “oner”. You’ve asked your audience to focus on this one shot for a long time, so where it settles at the end will play a vital role in the lasting impact of the short. Whether you decide to let the camera drift away, or pull it close to an actor’s face, give great consideration to the conclusion of your short and make sure it portrays the right message.
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Cólera
by Aritz Moreno
Simple but effective, Cólera follows a mob armed with pitchforks and rifles as they march down to a ramshackle hut looking to confront whoever dwells inside. As the group launch a vicious attack on the infected person inside, the one-shot approach gets ever more impressive, sticking close to the individual as they flee, before leaving him to orbit the man with the rifle as he takes aim. The film really lands its impact however as the triumphant group strut away, leaving the camera to settle on a sign which changes everything.
READ THE FULL COLERA REVIEW
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Diagonale (Diagonal)
by Anne Thorens
A short which immerses its audience in the midst of passionate moment between two young lovers, Thorens’ short uses the one-take approach to show how quickly a situation can change from fun to something much more troublesome. Like Cólera before it, it’s the finale of the shot here that really makes the impact, as the camera settles on the face of its female star, her expression captures the scenario with so much emotion its leaves its audience with plenty to think about.
Anne Thorens on shooting a one-take short: “From one look to another, the film could have been completely different. The intention and the play has to be perfect to end a single-take film, you can’t leave it to luck, it needs a lot of planning”.