Long take

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A 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.

The term "long take" is used because it avoids the ambiguous meanings of "long shot", which can refer to the framing of a shot, and "long cut", which can refer to either a whole version of a film or the general editing pacing of the film. However, these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably with "long take".

At least two theatrically-released feature films, Timecode and Russian Ark are filmed in one single take; others are composed entirely from a series of long takes, while many more may be well-known for one or two specific long takes within otherwise more conventionally edited films.

When filming Rope (1948), Alfred Hitchcock intended for the film to have the effect of one long continuous take, but the cameras available could hold no more than 1000 feet of 35 mm film. As a result, each take used up to a whole roll of film and lasts as much as 10 minutes. Many takes end with a zoom in to a featureless surface (such as the back of a character's jacket); with the following take beginning at the same point by zooming out. The complete film consists of only eight cuts.^{[citation needed]}

1 Sequence shot
2 Longest average shot length
3 Directors known for long takes
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Sequence shot

A sequence shot involves both a long take and sophisticated camera movement; it is sometimes called by the French term plan-séquence. The use of the sequence shot allows for realistic and dramatically significant background and middle ground activity. Actors range about the set transacting their business while the camera shifts focus from one plane of depth to another and back again. Significant off-frame action is often followed with a moving camera, characteristically through a series of pans within a single continuous shot.

[edit] Longest average shot length

The following films are notable for their exceptionally high ASL (average shot length), a statistical measurement which divides the total length of the film by the number of shots.

Note that ASL tabulation is a relatively recent concept, and most films are not yet documented. This list only represents the highest documented ASLs.

Title	Director	Year Released	ASL (secs)	Source
Russian Ark	Aleksandr Sokurov	2002	5940	^[1]
Werckmeister Harmonies	Bela Tarr	2000	223.7	^[2]
Satantango	Bela Tarr	1994	145.7	^[3]
Eternity and a Day	Theodoros Angelopoulos	1998	114.3	^[3]
A Calamitous Elopement	D.W. Griffith	1908	112.1	^[3]
Ulysses' Gaze	Theodoros Angelopoulos	1995	98.8	^[3]
Gertrud	Carl Theodor Dreyer	1964	82.4	^[3]
Landscape in the Mist	Theodoros Angelopoulos	1988	82.4	^[3]
Unknown Pleasures	Jia Zhangke	2002	77.7	^[3]
The Son	Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne	2002	70	^[3]
The Skywalk Is Gone	Tsai Ming-liang	1998	69.1	^[3]
The Sacrifice	Andrei Tarkovsky	1986	68.7	^[3]
Platform	Jia Zhangke	1998	67.7	^[3]
La condition canine	Jia Zhangke	2001	66.2	^[3]
Ordet	Carl Theodor Dreyer	1955	65.4	^[3]
In Public	Jia Zhangke	2001	61.7	^[3]
The Lady Without Camelias	Michelangelo Antonioni	1953	59.4	^[3]
Nostalghia	Andrei Tarkovsky	1983	58.2	^[3]
The World	Jia Zhangke	2004	57.0	^[3]
The Adventures of Dollie	D.W. Griffith	1908	54.2	^[3]
Down by Law	Jim Jarmusch	1986	~51	^[3]
Balked at the Altar	D.W. Griffith	1908	50.8	^[3]
My Sister's Good Fortune	Angela Schanelec	1995	50.4	^[3]
The Great Train Robbery	Edwin S. Porter	1903	49	^[3]
A Trip to the Moon	Georges Melies	1902	46	^[3]
The Black Hand	Biograph	1906	45.9	^[3]