The Long Take

The long take " is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished through the use of a dolly or Steadicam. Long takes of a sequence filmed in one shot without any editing are rare in films" 1

The long take is something that really interests me as a film-maker, it's not something I've ever done before and I'm very keen to try it. Although it probably won't be anywhere near as impressive as some of the more well known examples of it.

One of the most famous uses of this is the opening scene of Touch of Evil by Orson Welles:

It's an amazing shot both technically and dramatically which ends with the explosion of the car.

Another great example is the corridor fight scene from OldBoy. Traditionally fight scenes involve a lot of different shots and quick editing. So it's really interesting to see it done in this way:

There's a great blog post with several more examples of the long take: Here

It's fascinating to see how different film-makers have used long shots. Alfred Hitchcock wanted to make his 1948 film Rope entirely in one continuous shot but due to the limits of how much film a camera could hold he was limited to 10 minutes at a time. The final film is made up of 11 shots that are cleverly edited together into one seamless take.

Snake Eyes is a great example of invisible cuts. The first 20 minutes of the film appears as one take, but there are 8 cuts clever hidden throughout. This is another aspect of long takes that I am keen to try.

Perhaps with a lot of practice with my steadycam and a dolly-track I could come up something half decent. We'll see.

Chase Sequences

I've had an idea for a film for a few years now that centres around a Parkour chase and in the last few days I have been getting back to it, developing the idea. This evening I watched a number of chase sequences on YouTube to give me some ideas for my film. Below are a few examples:

Inception Mombasa - Chase Scene

Rock n Rolla Chase sequence

Here's what I think makes up a good chase scene:

• The music
• A moving camera
• Quick editing
• A lull in the action followed by a sudden burst
• Flyovers
• Wide angle shots
• Elements of danger
• Clever sound design
• Documentary style shaky footage

What makes up a bad chase scene:

• Long shots of someone running in a straight line
• Film from one angle for too long.

I also found a short guide on filming chases: How to make a good chase scene

Information Overload: DoF Adapters

One of the limitations when shooting on video instead of on film stock is that Depth of Field can be more difficult to achieve. Also, when shooting on a cheaper camera instead of something you'd pay a few thousand a day to rent is the quality of the lens on it.

While searching for some other DIY film-making tutorials I found references to Depth of Field adapters. When I looked into it I found a couple of good definitions:

"DOF adapters are used on video cameras that have lenses that can’t produce the depth of field effect. The term 35mm adapter comes from the fact that most common designs use a focusing screen the size of a 35mm film frame (24×36 mm) and interface with lenses designed for 35mm cameras." 1

There was also a very lengthy explanation of the science behind it but it's hardly relevant. The main thing is that attaching a DoF adapter to even a cheap consumer handycam can produce some very interesting results:

This gives the video a nice 'film look' without the need for high end cameras or DSLRs. There are many, great examples and tutorials available online showing how to do this and I am definitely considering giving this a go.

I Do Love a Bit of DIY

Last semester I made a DIY Cam Slider. This is basically a mini dolly for making small tracking shots. I used it in my pairs project for Documentary which we did about Little John's Grave in Hathersage:

As you can see the tracking shots are rather jerky. This is due to the plate which the camera sits on not sliding smooth along the track. I hope to fix this by using skateboard wheels instead of clips.


While searching earlier for the full title of the Sony Z1 (it's Sony HVR-Z1E as it happens) I saw a link to follow focus devices for the Z1. I had a quick look and was disappointed to find out that they were over £300. This is clearly far too expensive so I searched to see if there was a cheaper way of doing it with DIY.

There is, for all of $1 you can make a cheap follow focus:

I think it may need some adapting for the Z1 but I will definitely be giving this a try some time this semester.

An Interesting Spot

I was sitting eating lunch in Proper Deli today after Drama. Matt, Harry and I were chatting about our upcoming Drama projects and discussing different ideas. I'd suggested perhaps doing a Film Noir or a period piece, perhaps something from the 20s. This would be more of a challenge to do because of the costumes and finding the right locations and may be perhaps something better done outside of the course as we would have more time to prepare. Regardless, as I was thinking about this I was looking out of the window we were sat next to and noticed that it could be an interesting backdrop to a detective or private eye sitting trying to crack the case.

Unfortunately the camera on my iPhone is a bit rubbish so the photos I took haven't come out all that well. Harry also looks rather bemused as I didn't tell him why I suddenly wanted to take a photo of him until after I had done so.





However, I like that now when I am struck with an idea or an image that I like I have a space that I can post it to and then come back to it a little later and elaborate on the idea that I had.

127 Hours

On Wednesday I went to see 127 Hours at The Showroom.



Written and Directed by Danny Boyle Director of Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later all of which I enjoyed thoroughly, my expectations were high. I was slightly skeptical that a film about a man stuck with his arm under a rock may be a bit boring though, however the use of flashbacks helped to keep this from happening.

The scene when Aron finally cuts off his arm is brilliantly done. The editing and the music/sound is used to great effect to increase the tension dramatically and despite being very gory the film somehow holds your gaze, you just can't look away.

Overall I enjoyed the film a lot, in part because of it being based on true events. Although I suspect it would be a lot less interesting the second time round.

Blogging on the iPad

I now have Blogspot set up on my iPad so I can quickly not down ideas or inspiration wherever I am. Or thats the plan at least.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

First Post

This is the first post of my blog for Creative Story Development and possibly for Drama too. This blog will contain my researches into film and my ideas, inspiration and other creative ideas that I have. I hope to expand my knowledge in various areas of film and develop several ideas that I can then potentially make into films.