One-shot film

A one-shot film (also known as a one-take film, single-take film, or continuous shot feature film) is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression it was.

History

Grode notes that before such films as 1917 and Birdman, the idea of experimenting with long uninterrupted takes had a history of over 80 years, with Alfred Hitchcock being a pioneer. Aside from early experiments like Young and Innocent and Notorious, the most famous early example of a film that extensively uses long takes is the 1948 Rope, which was shot in mainly seven-to-ten–minute continuous takes (the physical limit of film stock at the time) that appear as four long takes of around 15 to 20 minutes each, close to the maximum length allowed by the cinema projectors of the time. Reportedly, James Stewart, star of Rope, did not like the long takes and apparently muttered on set that the cameras were more important than the actors. Hitchcock intended to shoot the film as if it were a play, and timed five of the ten segments to allow for hidden edits behind furniture; elaborate camera and actor choreography was used. He wrote Rope this way because he felt "if time passed between cuts, the suspense of whether the body was still in the trunk would be lost".

Grode also examines the 1958 film Touch of Evil as an example, though only its three-minute opening sequence is shot in real time. However, the use of a real time ticking bomb through the single shot is seen as a standard.

The Wolf House (2018) is a deconstructed example of (stop-motion) animation that presented in a form of single, unbroken shot sequence.

In a 2019 article, discussing the award-winning film 1917 (2019), Eric Grode of The New York Times wrote that very long takes were becoming popular in more mainstream films "as a sobering reminder of temporality, a virtuosic calling card, a self-issued challenge or all of the above", also citing the Academy Award-winner from several years prior, Birdman (2014).

Notable examples

Actual "one shot"

Year Title Length Director Nationality Ref.
1982 Macbeth 57 min. (longest shot) Béla Tarr Hungary
1990 C'est Vrai (One Hour) 60 min. Robert Frank France
1998 Big Monday 74 min. Michael Rehfield United States
2000 Timecode 97 min. Mike Figgis United States
2002 Russian Ark 96 min. Alexander Sokurov Russia
2003 Sábado [es] 65 min. Matías Bize Chile
2007 Alternation 11 min Mehdi Fard Ghaderi Iran
2007 PVC-1 85 min. Spiros Stathoulopoulos Colombia
2008 Still Orangutans 81 min. Gustavo Spolidero Brazil
2011 Reversing Circles 21 min. Mehdi Fard Ghaderi Iran
short cut [ja] 112 min. single shot in one take. Koki Mitani Japan
2013 Rati Chakravyuh 102 min. Ashish Avikunthak India
Fish & Cat 134 min. Shahram Mokri Iran
El triste olor de la carne 87 min. Cristóbal Arteaga Spain
Ana Arabia 85 min. Amos Gitai Israel
Somebody Marry Me 98 min. John Asher United States
Airport 2013 [ja] 98 min. single shot in one take. Koki Mitani Japan
2014 Agadam 123 min. Mohamad Issack India
2015 Victoria 140 min. Sebastian Schipper Germany
Anino sa Likod ng Buwan 120 min. Jun Robles Lana Philippines
The Story Of A Rainy Night 24 min Mehdi Fard Ghaderi Iran
Daksha 142 min. S. Narayan India
2016 Paint Drying 607 min. Charlie Shackleton United Kingdom
Eight 81 min. Peter Blackburn Australia
Immortality 145 min. Mehdi Fard Ghaderi Iran
King Dave 99 min. Podz Canada
2017 Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops 74 min. Daigo Matsui Japan
Fourplay 77 min. Dean Ronalds United States
The Wedding Party 119 min. Thane Economou United States
One Shot-Fear Without Cut 140 min. Haroon Rashid India
Watch The Sunset 83 min. Tristan Barr & Michael Gosden Australia
One Cut of the Dead 37 min. one-take sequence Shin'ichiro Ueda Japan
Lost in London 103 min. Woody Harrelson United Kingdom
2018 Heegondhu Dina 106.11 min Vikram Yoganand India
The Silent Pasture of Sparrows 20 min. Qmars Mootab United States
Utøya: July 22 90 min. Erik Poppe Norway
Blind Spot 98 min. Tuva Novotny Norway
Jaalo 101 min Araaj Keshav Giri Nepal
Tatort: Die Musik stirbt zuletzt [de] 88 min. Dani Levy Switzerland
A Boy. A Girl. A Dream: Love on Election Night 89 min. Qasim Basir United States
2019 Last Call 77 min. Gavin Michael Booth Canada
Shonibar Bikel 83 min Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Bangladesh
2020 Limbo [de] 89 min. Tim Dünschede Germany
City Lights 102 min. Malte Wirtz Germany
Let's Scare Julie 83 min. Jud Cremata United States
2021 Boiling Point 94 min. Philip Barantini United Kingdom
Causalidad 115 min. Who (Marcelo Politano) Argentina
Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam 85 min. Don Palathara India
Rendez-Vous 105 min. Pablo Olmos Arrayales Mexico
Roaring 20's 85 min. Elisabeth Vogler France
2022 Iravin Nizhal 98 min R. Parthiban India
Yuddha Kaandam 90 min Anantharajan India
The Punishment 86 min Matías Bize Chile
2023 Tales from the Neighborhood Café 41 min. Al Hallak United States
The Night Inside 23 min Antonio Cuesta Spain
Failure! 87 min. Alex Kahuam Mexico - United States
2024 MadS 88 min. David Moreau France
Assemblage 92 min. Sofiene Mamdi France
An Order From the Sky 72 min. Karthi Radhakrishnan India
2025 Oi,Dazai [ja] 101 min. single shot in one take. Koki Mitani Japan
Gunman 80 min. Cristian Tapia Marchiori Argentina
The Deadline 91 min. Tong Hui China
One Shot with Ed Sheeran 60 min. Philip Barantini United Kingdom
  1. ↑ One five-minute shot and the film's opening credits precede the film's 57 minute main shot.

Edited to appear as "one shot"

Year Title Length Director Nationality Notes Ref.
2010 The Silent House 86 min. Gustavo Hernández Uruguay
2011 Silent House 87 min. Chris Kentis, Laura Lau United States An American remake of the 2010 Uruguayan film The Silent House.
2014 Birdman 119 min. Alejandro González Iñárritu United States
2019 The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open 105 min. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn Canada Edited to appear as two shots, actually 12 hidden cuts. Shot on 16mm film, used "Real-Time Transitioning" camera techniques to account for film size limits.
1917 118 min. Sam Mendes United Kingdom Actually edited to appear as two shots, with the camera cutting to black as the protagonist gets knocked out half-way.
2020 Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes 70 min. Junta Yamaguchi Japan
2021 One Shot 97 min. James Nunn United Kingdom
2022 Soft and Quiet 92 min. Beth de Araujo United States
Medusa Deluxe 100 min. Thomas Hardiman United Kingdom
2023 Shttl 114 min. Ady Walter Ukraine
2024 One More Shot 102 min. James Nunn United Kingdom

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Best one shot (one-take) movies". FEENTA. 2016-09-25. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  2. ↑ Bordwell, David (2008). Poetics of Cinema. New York: Routledge. pp. 32–36. ISBN 9780415977791.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Grode, Eric (December 25, 2019). "1917 Isn't the First (Supposedly) One-Shot Film. Here's a Timeline". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ "'1917' and 12 Other 'One-Shot' Movies, From 'Timecode' to 'Birdman' (Photos)". TheWrap. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  5. ↑ "Ten Rules for Animating The Wolf House". walkerart.org. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  6. ↑ Jutton, Lee (2020-05-13). "THE WOLF HOUSE: A Delightfully Disturbing Fairy Tale". Film Inquiry. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  7. ↑ Kenny, Glenn (2020-05-14). "'The Wolf House' Review: A Different Kind of Quarantine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  8. ↑ "Bela Tarr: Macbeth (1982)". Can't Stop the Movies. 2010-08-03. Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  9. ↑ "C'est Vrai/One Hour". MOMA.
  10. ↑ Smith, Clay (1999-03-19). "Reflections". The Austin Chronicle. Austin. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  11. ↑ Williams, Richard (2000-08-11). "Once upon a Time Code". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  12. ↑ Ward, Caleb (2014-04-22). "Behind the Scenes of the 96 Minute Shot, The Russian Ark". The Beat. PremiumBeat. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
  13. ↑ "Sábado (2003)". cinechile.
  14. ↑ Alternation ( تناوب ) by Mehdi Fard Ghaderi - Iran Drama Short Film | Viddsee. Retrieved 2024-05-07 – via www.viddsee.com.
  15. ↑ Beale, Lewis (2008-07-15). "A movie shot in real time recalls Colombian nightmare". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  16. ↑ Lowe, Justin (2008-11-12). "Still Orangutans". The Hollywood Reporter. AP. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  17. ↑ "The Documentary And Experimental Film Center". defcapp.ir (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  18. ↑ "Mitani Koki "short cut"" (in Japanese). Wowow. 2011. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  19. ↑ Sorabjee, Deepika (2014-07-06). "Circling Time". ArtSlant. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
  20. ↑ Simon, Alissa (2013-09-17). "Venice Film Review: 'Fish & Cat'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  21. ↑ Dalton, Stephen (2013-07-10). "The Sad Smell of Flesh (El Triste Olor de la Carne): Karlovy Vary Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  22. ↑ Lyttelton, Oliver (2013-09-09). "Venice Review: Amos Gitai's Shot-In-One-Take 'Ana Arabia'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  23. ↑ "Malibu local completes film". The Malibu Times. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  24. ↑ "Mitani Koki to film another single-cut drama starring Takeuchi Yuko". Tokyo Hive. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  25. ↑ Jeshi, K. (2014-01-02). "A record start". The Hindu. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  26. ↑ Kohn, Eric (2015-02-16). "Adopt Films Picks Up One-Shot Heist Thriller 'Victoria'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
  27. ↑ "Shadow Behind the Moon". Five Flavours Film Festival. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  28. ↑ "Story of a Rainy Night wins San Pedro Filmfest". en.irna.ir. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  29. ↑ "Duniya Vijay's 'Daksha' with S.Narayan". Sify Movies. 2014-04-07. Archived from the original on 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  30. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse (2016-01-26). "BBFC rates Paint Drying film 'U', after sitting through all 607 minutes". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  31. ↑ Barry, Kristina (2014-03-28). "One shot wonders – how feature film Eight was made". The Creative Issue. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  32. ↑ "Rome Film Fest; Immortality, shot in a single take". Variety. 2016-10-03.
  33. ↑ Kelly, Brendan (2016-07-11). "Podz's King Dave: One-shot film premières at Fantasia". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
  34. ↑ "One-shot 74 minutes feature with a drive, Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops Director Daigo Matsui, 'Filming the anger caused by stage play cancellation.'". 30th Tokyo International Film Festival. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  35. ↑ Scheck, Frank (2018-04-01). "'Fourplay': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  36. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (2017-05-16). "'The Wedding Party' Trailer Reveals Romantic Comedy Shot Entirely in One Take". Collider. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  37. ↑ Shukla, Richa (2017-01-02). "Haroon Rashid's film in Guinness World Records". The Times of India. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  38. ↑ Cunningham, James (2017-03-01). "Australia's first single-take feature film, 'Watch the Sunset', with it's cinematographer Damien Lipp". Australian Cinematographer Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  39. ↑ Sahani, Alaka (2019-01-16). "A Cut Above the Rest". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  40. ↑ McGovern, Joe (2016-12-06). "Woody Harrelson will make history with world's first-ever 'live cinema' movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  41. ↑ "'Heegondhu Dina' review: This ambitious Kannada film deserves a watch for sheer audacity". 31 March 2018.
  42. ↑ Buder, Emily (2018-01-24). "How a Sundance Film Pulled Off a 90-Minute Single Take". No Film School. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  43. ↑ Connolly, Kate (2018-02-19). "Utøya massacre re-enactment stuns Berlin audiences". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
  44. ↑ Lodge, Guy (2018-10-03). "Film Review: 'Blind Spot'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  45. ↑ "Nepali Movie – Jaalo (Guinness world record holder one-shot film) – Nepal & Nepali". 24 September 2018. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  46. ↑ Brachmann, Jan (2018-08-05). "Luzern hören und sterben". Faz.net. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  47. ↑ comparison between the Swiss and Standard German versions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRcsqnJeQZw
  48. ↑ Buder, Emily (2018-01-24). "How a Sundance Film Pulled Off a 90-Minute Single Take". No Film School. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  49. ↑ Debruge, Peter (2020-09-18). "'Last Call' Review: A Split-Screen Stunt Obscures the Statement at the Center of This Suicidal Plea for Help". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  50. ↑ "Farooki's 'Shonibar Bikel' selected for Sydney Film Festival 2019". Dhaka Tribune. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-05-21. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  51. ↑ Ortmann, Joana (2020-02-20). "Das ist das One-Shot-Experiment von fünf HFF-Absolventen". Bayerischer Rundfunk. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  52. ↑ "Lichter der Stadt". Kino-Zeit.de. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  53. ↑ "Lichter der Stadt". Spielfilm.de. 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  54. ↑ "How Jud Cremata pulled off a one-shot thriller with 'Let's Scare Julie'". Screen International. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  55. ↑ "Let's Scare Julie". Film Seekers. 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  56. ↑ "Boiling Point". 55th Karlovy Vary IFF. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
  57. ↑ "Amazon Prime Video premieres Causalidad, a film made entirely in sequence shot". Market Research Telecast. 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  58. ↑ "Don Palathara's next is Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam". Cinema Express. 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  59. ↑ "Thriller Shot in One Take 'Rendez-Vous' Due on VOD Feb. 12 From Level 33". MediaPlayNews. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  60. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (April 21, 2021). "Tribeca-Bound, Paris-Set 'Roaring 20's'Acquired by Films Boutique (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  61. ↑ "A Single-Shot Film Of Phenomenal Power And Ambition". NDTV review. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  62. ↑ "India's First Single Shot Action Movie 'YUDDHA KAANDAM ' Will Be An Internationally Recognised And Awards Winning Movie Which Will Create A Lot Of Sensations". industryhit review. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  63. ↑ "Matías Bize: Los mil y un desafíos del rodaje de «El castigo»". 2022.
  64. ↑ Cranwell, Taylor (2023-06-20). "'Tales from the Neighborhood Cafe' Puts Alexandria's St. Elmo's Coffee Pub on the Movie Map". The Zebra. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  65. ↑ "La Noche Dentro - Film Distribution". LINE UP Film Agency. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  66. ↑ "Ted Raimi Thriller 'Failure!' Snapped Up for North American Distribution at Cannes Market by Red Water Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  67. ↑ Robinson, Tasha (October 18, 2024). "MadS' director says shooting a blood-gushing single-take horror movie is easy, kinda". Polygon. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  68. ↑ "Assemblage longest one shot feature film in the history of french cinema". Premiere.
  69. ↑ "WORLD'S FIRST SINGLE SHOT WITH SINGLE CHARACTER FEATURE FILM".
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  71. ↑ Vijn, Ard (February 27, 2026). "Rotterdam 2026 Review: GUNMAN Is One Shot That Hits". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  72. ↑ Golden III, Lee (March 31, 2025). "THE DEADLINE: Don't Miss The Trailer For Tong Hui's One-Shot Period Action Drama". FilmCombatSyndicate. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  73. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (2025-11-16). "One Shot With Ed Sheeran review – well-planned spontaneity from all-smiling singer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  74. ↑ Gingold, Michael (May 11, 2019). "A Walk Through The Silent House with Director Gustavo Hernández". Fangoria. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  75. ↑ Thompson, Bob (March 8, 2012). "Elizabeth Olsen on Silent House and why she'll never co-star with Mary-Kate and Ashley". National Post. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012.
  76. ↑ Li, Norm (October 2019). "Long Take: Norm Li, csc (Q&A)" (PDF). Canadian Cinematographer. 11(5): 23
  77. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (December 26, 2019). "Making of '1917': How Sam Mendes Filmed a "Ticking Clock Thriller"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  78. ↑ Balmont, James (3 December 2021). "Screen sensation: the single-shot thriller bringing time-travel into the Zoom era". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  79. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (November 5, 2021). "'One Shot' Review: Defending a High-Security U.S. Military Base in Gimmicky Single-Take Stunt". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  80. ↑ Erbland, Kate (20 October 2022). "'Soft & Quiet': Why the Year's Most Terrifying Film Was Shot Four Times in a Row". IndieWire. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  81. ↑ Lodge, Guy (7 August 2022). "'Medusa Deluxe' Review: One-Shot Hairdressing Murder Mystery Is an Elaborate, Backcombed Tease". Variety. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  82. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (2021-09-01). "'SHTTL': Single-Shot Shoah Feature With Saul Rubinek Wraps In Ukraine; Sets To Be Maintained As Open-Air Museum". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  83. ↑ Eoin (2024). "One More Shot (2024) Review". Retrieved 2024-08-28.