INTRO: One-Take Short Films

An Introduction to One-Take Short Films

Having watched two short films which were both shot in one-take, I was able to begin to understand what features this style of filming had in order to be successful. The initial idea to me sounded really challenging and I didn't believe that you could get a decent film out of only using one-take filming. 

Filming in one-take means that everything has to be ready, on time and in sync with one another for it to work. The camera needs to be able to move around the scene with ease, capturing everything in the shot without too much rapid movement. Shot types and angles are still really important in setting a tone and mood so they can't be disregarded. Instead of cutting to a close-up, the camera will have to zoom or pan into a close up and so on for the other shot types. The movement is extremely important in one-take shots as it can very easily look unorganised and messy if the shot is moving around too much, then creating a hand-held effect which isn't always wanted (depending on the film). Mise en scene is a vital part of setting a mood and it's important that the shot doesn't miss anything that could add to the atmosphere. Of course once the shot has been edited and lighting and sound have been adjusted, the mood and atmosphere can be enhanced.

A film we watched in class was Conscience which followed a basic and relatively easy path. The camera is positioned in front of Danny as he walks forward, following him in a wide mid shot which enables the audience to see clearly what and who is in the shot within each interaction, but also who is in the background and allowing the audience to establish the distance. The slow pace of this film builds on the tension. Theres not a lot of movement from the camera but the characters within the shot can be quite emotional and active within the frame which compensates for the lack of camera movement. The music adds to the emotion that the characters are expressing as they show anger, frustration, panic and sadness. The shot then pans down slightly when Danny has reached the end of his journey, and in the shot is over the shoulder of someone with a black sack over their head. The fact that this new character has a bag over their head and is lower than the Danny, suggests that they are weaker than he is, therefore Danny is seen as the threat. When the shot cuts to a black screen at the end, you can still hear the Danny's panicked breathing which further increases the tension that the audience will be feeling as they are waiting to see whether he is going to pull the trigger, yet they have know control and are powerless as they can no longer see what's happening. This may have been done to put the audience in the position of the victim who also has no control over the situation and is in no position to know what Danny is going to do.

https://vimeo.com/64198676

A one-take short film that I watched myself was The Nest. This really impressed me due to the amount of movement that was achieved in just one-take. This film is set at a house party where some sort of Vampire sacrifice is occurring. Where the shaky and fast paced camera movement may have looked unprofessional in Conscience, in The Nest, it worked really well. The way in which the film is shot is entirely based on the location and genre of the film. Due to Conscience being dramatic, emotional and tense and having the genre being drama/crime, rapid camera movements would've made the film look amateur as it's unnecessary and having a stable and relatively stationary camera allows the audience to focus more on the characters and for a more sincere and serious tone to be captured. Whereas The Nest is set at a house party with lots of people, meaning that there will already be a lot of movement in the shot anyway, allowing for the camera to move about freely as it finds it way from room to room, swaying in and out of crowds of people. This works to create a sense of POV as if you as the viewer are at the party. The camera glides so easily around the set, establishing what is happening in each room, without focussing too much on one thing. The first establishing shot goes through the house, establishing what and who is in each room, with everyone in these rooms silent and still as if they've been paused. Once this has been done, the characters resume whatever they have been pictured to be doing. E.g. Dancing, playing poker etc. The hustle and bustle atmosphere, clouds our vision as the viewer as we don't know what to focus on as there is so much going on. The darkness experienced each time the camera leaves a room to go upstairs in uncomfortable as we have no control or suggestion as to what we will see next. This becomes tense and scary for the viewer. We then begin to hear a conversation going on between a group of people, however we don't know where it's coming from. As the camera moves throughout the house, we begin to realise that something isn't quite right and this isn't a 'normal' party. The timing and organisation of this piece is absolutely amazing and the way that the camera follows the action throughout the house is incredible. When the visuals aren't the focus (i.e when the shot is in a really dark room or when the camera is passing through walls, following the 'Ninja' through the house), the sound of the sword, stabbing and screaming compensate for it, still obtaining the action without it being physical. Although to create something as intricate and well done as that is unlikely with the time and resources we have, it has shown me what's possible with one-take shots and has really inspired me with what I want to achieve with the end product.