A movie shot in a single take used to be a big trend that was always cool. It was fascinating to figure out how this could be done and what it meant for the story.
But now, audiences are so used to seeing this filmmaking style that it can feel cheap, gimmicky, and obvious. Moviegoers can figure out how the scenes fit together and the plot twists and big swings can be seen from a mile away. Unfortunately, single takes just aren’t that impressive anymore, except in very rare cases.
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The trend of single shot movies has been going on for a long time. According toThe New York Times, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 releaseRopehad several takes that lasted for ten minutes each. This was a huge deal at the time and people were interested in figuring out how this was possible.Hitchcock’sPsychostill holds upand this is the film that people know him for, butRopemade a splash as well. Orson Welles created an opening scene in 1958’sTouch of Evilthat was more than three minutes long, and there were many long takes inGoodfellaswhich came out in 1990. But now, audiences have seen single shot movies so many times that it feels anything but fascinating.
It’s worth noting that even when movie fans assume that a movie has been filmed in one take, it might not even be true. This was the case with the beloved war film1917.Directed by Sam Mendes and released in 2019, theaction movie has emotional scenesand seemed to be just one take. But, according toVox, the movie wasn’t actually shot in one take, it just seems like it. Mendes shared in his interview with the publication that he wanted the film to feel realistic. The director said, “I don’t really want people to think about the camera. If you’re aware of it for the first 10 minutes, then hopefully thereafter you forget about it, and you just watch the story.”
One of the most famoussingle take horror movies isSilent House. Elizabeth Olsen became famous after taking on the main character role of Sarah, a woman who goes back home to help clean it out with her uncle Peter (Eric Sheffer Stevens) and John, her dad (Adam Trese). The camera doesn’t cut for even a second, and this 2011 film can definitely be seen as anunderappreciated haunted house horror movieas it keeps the scares coming.
The movie, a remake ofLa Casa Muda(2010), was released in 2011 and its single take storytelling style felt fun and cool, not gimmicky. If the movie was released today, the opposite would likely be true, as audiences would be able to guess the bigplot twist at the movie’s conclusion.
While a single take movie isn’t going to impress many fans at this point, this technique can still be used well, and the FX comedyThe Bearproved this to be true with episode 7 of season 1 called “Review.” It’s great news that there will be aseason 2 ofThe Bearas the series is incredibly thoughtful, smart and well-crafted with real characters who make mistakes and struggle but, deep down, have a passion for cooking and want to work as a team.
“Review” sees Jeremy Allen White’s main character, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, his cousin Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and young, intelligent employee Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) having a terrible day in the kitchen. Too many orders are coming in, there isn’t enough beef, and everyone is stressed out to the max. The episode is done in one take in the restaurant kitchen and it’s definitely impressive.
Jeremy Allen White toldIndiewire.comthat single takes aren’t always the way to go but in this episode, it works: “oftentimes, I don’t know how much a single shot actually lends itself to the story… But I think in our case, it really lends itself to the story and where the characters are at because the tension is building so quickly we don’t give the audience a break from it. There’s no reprieve — it’s consistent.”
If anyupcoming horror moviesor films of other genres are going to employ the single take technique, they should take note of how wellThe Beardoes it, and use them to create an oppressive environment that feels terrifying. Otherwise, like jump scares or other elements of movies that are often debated, a single shot film might not be as exciting as it’s meant to be. It’s best to focus on other things like great characters and surprising plotlines that will make more of an impact.
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