Saturday, May 31, 2014

Long Takes

In movies a Long Take is an unbroken shot lasting a minute or more which follows the characters as they move through a scene.  This is an entertaining video from Vimeo on Steven Spielberg's use of the technique.
The Spielberg Oner - One Scene, One Shot from Tony Zhou on Vimeo.

And this is one of the most famous long takes in movie history - the opening scene of the 1958 film Touch Of Evil directed by Orson Welles.  The movie had a terrific cast including Charlton Heston as the Mexican drug prosecutor, Janet Leigh as his American wife, Marlene Dietrich and Welles, playing the corrupt sheriff on the American side of the border town.  The movie was not successful when released but is now considered masterful and it is. 

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