The One-Shot technique

Interest in the one-shot technique was sparked when viewing the film 1917 (1917, 2019)
directed by Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins. The filming style is
captivating; seemingly appearing to have no cuts, constant character progression and
providing the viewer with a completely immersive experience. Ever since this film was
released, a yearning began to learn more about this style of filming and why some film
makers choose to adopt this technique over the standard way of creating a film.
This study aims to develop a full understanding of the One-shot technique. It will analyse
this technique through an in-depth study of a variety of films that have utilised the one-shot
and the key practitioners involved. The study will also examine the challenges that occur
throughout the process, as well as the reasoning behind choosing this style of filming.

Generally, when creating a film, varying angles and style of shots are utilised, this is often
created by using multiple camera angles. It is common practice for the shots to then be
edited and stitched together to produce the final look. This allows the filmmaker to control
the pace and emotional connection that the viewer will hopefully gain from a scene.
Alternatively, a shot that is continuous, taken on a single camera, without cuts, is a very
effective way of filming. This type of shot is known by many terms such as, !One-shot, one
take film, single take film, long take, Oner,” and is featured in several well-known films. It
was first developed in 1948, in the film Rope (Rope, 1948) which was directed by Alfred
Hitchcock. Often several scenes are shot without any interruptions or cuts but can include a
change of location, action, and framing which are some of the techniques used to achieve
the long take. A good example of this is in the film Birdman (Birdman, 2014) where the
character is tracked moving around the theatre and the camera follows their movements
closely.

To achieve success in a one-shot film, there are many techniques that

are employed which are different to the traditional way of filming.
The way the scene is cut and blended together must be in a natural
breaking point; where it is not obvious to the viewer where the scene
has been cut. For example, cutting when passing a solid object in the
foreground which masks the view of the characters for a split second.
It is essential that this action is not abrupt as the viewer will easily
(Universal Pictures All-Access, 2020)
detect where it has been executed. This technique differs from the
norm where cuts are often obvious and are purposely utilised to
change the scene.
(Spectre, 2015)

Closely following on from the previous technique, are ‘ghost cuts’

which make a single shot by joining different shots in post-production.
This is the use of distinct movements allowing two sequences to be cut
and joined. This might include changing from a much lighter or darker
location, a character brushing closely to the camera or the usage of
shots that are erratic to confuse the viewer and disguise any cuts.
Examples of this technique are found in Hitchcock"s 1948 film
!Rope” and in !Spectre” (Spectre, 2015) directed by Sam Mendes in
2015.
(Rope, 1948)

There are several reasons why the one-shot technique is sometimes used by professionals.
One of these is explained well by Philip Etemesi who wrote for (ScreenRant, 2021),
!The aim is to make the viewer feel as though they are part of the
proceedings and also to make events feel like they are happening in real-time.”
According to Wavemakers, (Wavefilmakers, 2020) the technique offers, “a greater
immersion and a greater involvement of the viewer in what he sees and in the actions of the
filmed characters.” Therefore, it is clear that a one-shot technique is chosen because it
engulfs the viewer; it creates in the viewer the feeling of immersion and that they are
participating in the process. It is as if they are there, living and breathing the moment. A
good example of this is at the start of the film 1917, as the viewer is seemingly walking
along with the two characters, through the camp and into the trench. The viewer is fully
immersed in the conversation and journey of the two soldiers as they walk along.

Another more recent example of a long take delivering a tense, immersive, experience is the
2022 Philip Barantini"s low budget film !Boiling Point” (Boiling point, 2022). It is filmed in a
single take and is located in the hectic and pressurised environment of a busy working
restaurant kitchen. Mark Kermode, a film critic writing in the Guardian, states that !the
narrative is enhanced and enriched by uninterrupted digital photography” and !it"s utterly
immersive, conjuring the raw experience of an inexorably accelerating panic attack.”

An alternative reason for utilising the one-shot technique by directors and

cinematographers, is that it brings with it the ‘wow’ factor. An excellent example of this is in
the film !Spectre” (2015) which incorporated the biggest opening scene of a Bond film ever.
Sam Mendes and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, utilised the one-shot technique to
ensure a fully immersive experience for the viewer. Mendes said he wanted to wow viewers
from the very start with the atmosphere, texture, and colour of Mexico City. They created a
continuous opening scene, with the viewer being absorbed into the chaotic, crowded street.
As the geography of the scene is unveiled, the viewer is then pulled into the carnival itself,
as if the viewer is a participant, bombarded by the frenetic energy of the scene. By utilising
the one-shot technique, it guarantees the opening scene to be a powerful, non-stop
experience for the viewer. Fundamentally, any film from the 007 (007) franchise is destined
to create an impact and the creators of !Spectre” continued to impress with this
outstanding one-shot opening scene.

Using the one-shot technique to #wow$"the viewer can also be used in a single scene in
which maximum impact is sought. An example of this type of usage is the car journey scene
in Children of Men (Children of Men, 2006) directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In this scene it starts
with a slow pace, consisting of passengers interacting in a car, which then abruptly changes
to a fast pace with the introduction of a rolling, burning car blocking the road and a wave of
angry attackers surrounding the vehicle. The action inside and outside the car is visually
overwhelming. By utilising the one-shot technique for this scene, the director ensures that
the viewer is fully immersed in the unfolding drama and horror of the action. The viewer is
subjected to a powerful internal viewing of the incident by the camera being placed and
moved internally in a continuous shot. This scene also reveals another reason for the use of
the one-shot technique, in that it allows the actors to completely transform into their
characters, allowing the emotional connection to be felt. Without the continual stop/start of
a normal multi angle, multi cut film the actors are fully immersed in their roles as there is
nothing to interrupt the flow of their acting. This heightens the involvement of the viewer as
they are drawn into the emotion created by the actors.

Although the one-shot technique has many attributes, it does have several drawbacks which
need to be considered and may explain why it has limited usage. As Brian Welk (Brian Welk,
2019) states on (Thewrap, 2019), when considering the one-shot technique, !it"s often so
complex and so ambitious that only a handful of directors have ever
dared make their movie to appear as though it was filmed in one (Technodolly15, 2022)
continuous, unbroken shot.”
Firstly, this technique requires an enlarged range of camera equipment
e.g., high tech audio recording, cranes, and Steadicams. This equipment
also requires a large crew to operate it. Therefore, usually a large
budget is required to shoot a one-shot, a good example of this is !1917”
which had around a £95 million budget. However, there are one-shot
films that can be made on a much lower budget, for example, “Boiling
Point” (2022).
(Steadicam, 2019)
Secondly, lighting a one-shot involves many problems, for example when shooting outside,
attention must be made to the weather conditions, as continuity between scenes must be
achieved. This can prove problematic in locations where the weather can quickly change. On
the other hand, interior lighting also poses its own set of difficulties. Lighting rigs can be
hard to work around with the camera continually rotating around the characters. Solutions
may involve dimmable lights, natural light from windows and hiding lights behind objects to
achieve a seemingly normal lit interior.

Another factor to consider is blocking. The movement of the actors, camera and audio
crews need to be planned and acknowledged by all on set; if not, this can cause issues if
they do not work in harmony. Finally, there is a lot of pressure on the actors who need to be
at ease with filming this way. There can be a lot of stress and strain in the working
environment. The actors need to be completely prepared and have patience during the
whole process. It is clear that filming a one-shot can pose many challenges for filmmakers.

To fully understand and appreciate the development of the one-shot technique it is

important to explore a few films and key practitioners that played an essential role in
evolving it over time.

As briefly mentioned previously, the film !Rope” directed by Alfred Hitchcock and
cinematographers Joseph A. Valentine and William V. Skall, was the first to attempt the
ambitious one-shot format in a full-length film. Brian Welk writing for Welk, (Welk, 2019)
describes it as a !radical experiment with a big budget and A-list stars.” Similarly, Kieran
Fisher writing in 2019 for filmschoolrejects.com (Fisher, 2019) said, !the film will go down in
history as innovative for the way it challenged recording and editing techniques.”
When Hitchcock was creating !Rope” in 1948, there was one major issue, film rolls at that
time only lasted 10 minutes. This meant cuts were inevitable, however, Hitchcock and the
two cinematographers used dolly shots to mask the cuts e.g., they focused on objects that
had no characteristics then began the next take zooming out from the same point. The
whole film comprised of ten shots, which is a huge feat considering the constraints of the
technology available at the time.

Another issue for Hitchcock at the time was the size of cameras; they were heavy and bulky,
which created portability issues when considering a one-shot. Despite this difficulty they
managed to push the boundaries of filming to achieve a satisfactory one-shot film.
Hitchcock undertook this hugely ambitious project because he wanted to push the
technological boundaries of the time in film making; he wanted to challenge what was
thought to be impossible. !Rope” was based on a play by Patrick Hamilton, which was about
the covering up of a murder and was full of suspense. Hitchcock felt that by filming in real
time, he would best be able to recreate the feeling of full immersion, in the tension and
empathy of emotions in the viewer. It is safe to say that Hitchcock, Joseph A. Valentine and
William V. Skall were the first key practitioners in the development of the one-shot
technique. In creating !Rope” Kieran Fisher states they !paved the way for films
incorporating longer, uninterrupted takes going afterward.”

Another key practitioner of the one-shot technique, whose work has already been
mentioned, is Sam Mendes. !Spectre” and !1917” are two of his films that need highlighting
from his career, both of which are important in the development of the one-shot technique
over time. Due to technological advances in equipment since the making of !Rope” the
process of creating the one-shot for !Spectre” was comparatively easy. The availability of
Steadicams (from 1975) programmable cranes and stabileye have allowed the possibilities
for a wide range of angles and movements that could not have been as easily created in
1948.

One key practitioner that has used the one-shot technique recently is cinematographer
Roger Deakins. Some say that Deakins is possibly the most talented cinematographer of the
present day, and he has worked closely alongside Mendes, the Coen brothers and Denis
Villenhue among others. He is famous for working on a huge number of films such as Skyfall
(Skyfall, 2012) and Blade Runner 2049 (Blade Runner 2049, 2017).
In 2019, Deakins worked with director Sam Mendes on the film !1917.” Deakins strived to
make this film entirely a single take style of film. In fact, the film comprises of countless
tracking shots that are stitched together giving the illusion of a one-shot film.
Even with modern technology, he still encountered numerous problems that
needed to be overcome, although these were not as great as Hitchcock had
encountered. One main issue was the weight of the cameras; the required
constant movement of the camera throughout the film, on several different rigs,
would not have been possible without the development of the ARRI Alexa Mini LF (ARRI Alexa LF, 2019)
(ARRI Alexa Mini LF, 2019), a lightweight camera. In an interview with ARRI (ARRI,
2020), Deakins states, !this sort of film probably couldn’t$have been made a couple of years
ago” without utilising such a lightweight camera. (1917 burning church, 2020)
Other technology that Deakins employed was the use of lighting
combined with VFX to create effects. Examples of this are, the burning
church and the main character jumping from a height into a river, this
technology was not available in Hitchcock"s era. Clearly, the use of
developing technology over time has enabled the creation of
increasingly ambitious long take films.

When examining the role of the one-shot technique in the wider film
industry, it is evident that it has evolved from 1948 and developed
through the years. This is mainly as technology has improved to support (1917 church lighting, 2020)
its development and usage. This development of technology has brought change to how
films are made e.g., VFX has altered some visual aspects of film such as backdrops,
explosions, and dangerous action. This change has been incorporated into the development
of one-shot films as a way of blending reality to computer generated visuals. In an interview
for Universal Pictures All-Access (Universal Pictures All-Access, 2020), Deakins talks in detail
about the utilisation of CGI in the film !1917”, e.g., CGI was used alongside live action in the
plane crash scene. CGI was also used to mask the background of scenes, for example, the
dry docks in Glasgow where CGI was used to hide the built-up suburban landscape.

The film industry has seen huge technical advancement over time and consequently the
skills required for those creating a one-shot have changed. The crew must be specialised in
certain sectors; trained in handling and operating the ever-evolving equipment and be open
and adaptable to the fast technological change. Typically, the budget for a one-shot film
must be a significant amount to facilitate the large crew that is needed, and the complex set
designs that require being made to a high standard. Starting from !Rope” in 1948, it had a
budget of $1.5 million, which is equivalent to $17.9 million today. Another film that heavily
used the one-shot technique was !Birdman” (2014) and had a similar budget of $18 million.
Both films would be classed as Indie, as they are geared to a specific audience, but have a
more generous budget than a typical film in this category. !Spectre” (2015) utilised the one-
shot technique in the opening scene and had a budget of $245 million; much larger than the
other two examples however, Bond films are known for their extravagant budgets. Lastly,
!1917” (2019), a mainstream film, had a budget of $95 million which is an average budget
for this type of film.

It is important to examine the Box Office figures, world-wide and domestic, to understand
how one-shot films perform alongside other style of films. Firstly, !Rope” was ranked #4 of
#341 films in 1948 according to (RYM, 1948), with Box Office earnings of $2.2 million ($26.2
million) demonstrating a good profit for a film with a specific audience. !Birdman” (2014)
was #73 in Box Office Mojo (Box Office Mojo, 2022) and had a worldwide Box Office figure
of $103.2 million which was a huge profit for an Indie film. !1917” (2019) ranked #23 in
worldwide Box Office and had profits of $384.9 million. It is evident, that films incorporating
the long take seem to hold their own well, alongside other films released in the same
period. Over time, this technique has continued to be chosen by the industry, and recent
films like !Spectre” and !1917” have been successful in propelling the one-shot style to
mainstream films and their audiences.

There are several issues and debates when considering a film that employs the one-shot
technique. Firstly, due to the hugely immersive nature of the one-shot style of filming, the
viewer gains a very one-sided viewpoint. The audience is often not given the opportunity to
see the bigger picture or view from another perspective. A good example of this can be
found in !1917”, where the viewer is absorbed into the journey of the British soldiers whilst
the German"s point of view is not represented. Indeed, throughout the film the Germans are
portrayed as completely evil, to the extent that in the hectic scene when Blake insists on
saving the German pilot, displaying his humanity, the German responds heartlessly by fatally
stabbing him.

Secondly, there are predominately male directors and cinematographers that have
produced one-shot films, which result in the films being primarily from a #male gaze". It
could be suggested the films very rarely portray women being anything other than weak or
sexualised objects. An example of this, is in the opening scene of !Spectre” where Bond is
seen to be walking through the street with a glamorous female clinging to his arm. Bond
then leaves her alone on the bed to continue his exploits. An example of women being
represented as weak and defenceless is in !1917” when the only woman to feature is hiding
in a basement, caring for a baby. Given the ongoing issue of gender equality and women"s
rights, this predominance of the male view in films that use the one-shot should
undoubtedly be challenged. Another issue to highlight is that the films using the one-shot
style of filming predominately use white actors. !1917” did include one Sikh soldier in an
attempt at inclusiveness however, this did not really address racial diversity.
When considering any issue or debate over the one-shot style, the historical context of the
films should be examined, as they are often an accurate representation of the culture and
beliefs of the time. The current debates over racial and gender equality have increased
audience awareness of these issues, however, they were not seen as important at the time.

In conclusion, this study on the one-shot technique has given me the perfect opportunity to
fully explore in depth this style of filming. By understanding thoroughly, the history and
development of the long take style and being aware of the difficulties that are involved, I
feel equipped to experiment with it myself. I always strive to push myself in my filming and
not settle for the easy option. I am excited to employ the knowledge and expertise I have
now in my own work and would ultimately aim to shoot an entire short film using the one-
shot technique.

There are however a few challenges I have been made aware of during my research that
need to be acknowledged. The main challenge would be to identify an actor, that would be
comfortable being involved in this out of the ordinary and often demanding style of filming.
Another challenge would be accessing all the technical filming equipment required to
undertake such a project. As a lone individual, without the resources at hand of a film
company, some aspects of this type of technique could prove tricky. Nevertheless, I do have
access to a gimbal that would allow me to smoothly track a character, as seen in most one-
shot films. I will need to carefully consider the location, as my research has shown this has a
great impact on the entire project. One aspect of this is the consideration of lighting my
one-shot and whether an inside or outside location will be better with the resources I have
to hand.
I am prepared for the reality that I might have to resort to using this technique only as my
opening #wow$"factor scene, as employed in !Spectre”. However, I see all these potential
limiting factors as a challenge and not a barrier preventing me from ultimately producing my
own one-shot film as my final piece.
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