Research: The Sequence Shot

In preparation for production I have been researching sequence shots/long takes in films and how they are constructed, lit and choreographed. Sequence shots are a lauded, technically demanding and effective way of allowing an audience to become absorbed in the tension, flow and atmosphere of a scene, as well as sometimes being the most practical method of getting coverage efficiently during production.

Long takes are often used to create a seamless movement between and around large sets, creating an environment that feels living and breathing, and real for the audience - such as in the case of 'Paths of Glory' (Stanley Kubrick, 1957) and 'Atonement' (Joe Wright, 2007).

It can also be used to create suspense when combined with POV, such as in the opening shot of 'Touch of Evil' (Orson Welles, 1958) to build dramatic tension, and in the opening of 'Gravity' (Alfonso Cuaron, 2012) to align the audience with the protagonist's experiences. 

 In this video essay, Tony Zhou looks at the work of one particular director, Steven Spielberg, and his approach to shooting long takes which are largely imperceptible in his films.

Below I have listed the main points Tony raises:

• Spielberg uses long takes often but unlike other directors his goal is to remain invisible
• The optimum length he uses for long takes is between 1-2 minutes. This is described as long enough to cover an entire scene but short enough to maintain the pace of the overall film.
• Other directors have a dominant formal technique in their long takes; Wes Anderson often moves laterally to maintain his 'doll house' effect of the worlds he creates, Alfonso Cuaron uses a hand-held documentary style to follow the action whereas David Fincher removes all sense of personality from the shot and moves robotically between each element. However Spielberg does not have one dominant technique other than not drawing attention to his shots

Moonrise Kingdom - lateral long take

Children of Men - hand-held documentary style

Panic Room - robotic, computerised movement

• The drinking contest scene in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (Steven Spielberg, 1981) is a long take but with four different shots combined into one. A push-in to establish the scene, an insert of the glasses in the middle and two matching singles of each character. 'Simple, elegant and probably saved a lot of time on set.' It also works for the scene as there's a build of suspense.

Combining shots for efficiency and to maintain suspense

• The lift scene in 'Minority Report' (Steven Spielberg, 2002) is another good example of hiding a long take, with each movement of the camera being motivated, following the motion or the action and also strong blocking which switches the power between the characters immediately. The movement of the camera feels real rather than a 'cameraman hitting his marks'.

Using blocking to switch the power in the scene

• Long takes, when blocked well, can breathe life into a scene containing talking or exposition such as in the ferry scene from 'Jaws' (Spielberg, 1975). The camera stays completely static and all the movement is in the blocking of the actors and the moving background, keeping the pace even whilst just talking.

Creating dynamic blocking and background to maintain pace

• With the state of filmmaking at the moment, one branch of directors are cutting faster and faster whereas the other is drawing out their takes for maximum effect and technical feats.

Main tips for sequence shots:

1. Move actors around, don't have them standing and talking. Allows for more shot variety as well.
2. Follow the actors' movement and place the camera accordingly, avoid feeling of hitting marks.
3. Break the scene down into smaller compositions and angles - link different shots into a single moving master, thinking in terms of OTS, singles, wide etc.
4. Shoot a cutaway to give the ability to swap out a take or tighten the edit if desired.

In his book 'The Filmmaker's Eye' Gustavo Mercado also offers a number of tips for shooting sequence shots. 

• For a sequence shot, combine a number of different shots in a dynamic frame - from extreme close-up to extreme long. The movement of the camera is mainly motivated by characters although not always. Sequence shots can add realism, tension and dramatic emphasis to a scene because they are happening in real time.
• For a sequence shot, the field of view needs to be considered at every stage of the shot. The technical requirements of the shot can often override the desire for particular focal lengths. For example, it would be very difficult and impractical to shoot with a telephoto and a shallow DOF.
• If shooting at night, use practicals (visible light sources) or have a crew member travelling alongside with a lamp. Often it is extremely hard to light sequence shots throughout so decide the key moments to choreograph and light accordingly

When coming to plan our long take I will try to consider all these elements, particularly breaking down the shot into smaller compositions to keep the frame dynamic whilst the characters may be largely still.