Following on from last night’s commentary on War Films, I’d like to look at the misunderstood part of cinematography - the single shot take.

What I mean by this is an extended take of one scene which could last 1-2 minutes. Notable examples include:

Children Of Men - When the resistance (Clive Owen et al) are driving towards Bexhill, and are confronted with the rampaging youth mob. In this scene, the mob drop a burning car in their path, and a motorcyclist gives chase. The whole scene lasts around 2 minutes, without a single break in the shooting. Only later, upon much investigation, do you learn that the whole scene was filmed around the shell of a car. Only when you do see this scene do you realise the impact that a single-take scene can have.

War Of The Worlds - when Tom Cruise is fleeing the dock area, this scene is not only notable for the Superbowl shot of the bridge blowing up and destroying his local neighbourhood (a scene I will never forget), but the freeway escape where the camera skirts around the vehicle, and past other vehicles strewn around the road. Notable because it included other elements in the scene, such as the aforementioned car debris.

Bad Boys II - Gangster shootout - where Will Smith and Martin Lawrence encounter a bunch of drug dealers in a hideout, the camera pans round our heroes, and through the doors of the bad guys, adjusting the camera’s path through debris, fans, etc. This is virtual one-shot cinema at it’s almost finest. A constant revolution through doors, windows and scenery to reveal the actions of both good and bad guys in one take.

Such cinematography could be labelled as virtual cinema. And in the post-Matrix era, this could be true. However, long, linering shots of such quality could be traced back to Japanese cinema. These guys could make a facial expression interesting. For 5 minutes. Never mind any action. In these days of Michael Bay-esque fast cuts, heavily saturated cinema, we could be forgiven the works of Alfonso Del Cuaro and remember the longer cinematography as featured in Snake Eyes, where the opening scene lasts 15 minutes or so. But it is a clever deception. It is a series of four or five takes, overlaid with clever cuts, from bodies blocking to overplacement of shadow. But it’s what makes a shot interesting. Like photography, it’s what makes something worth keeping. Something visually interesting, or unique. Which is why Children Of Men, despite it’s dystopian themes, will always be a favourite film of mine.