Sequence shot - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

With the Cinema, a sequence shot is a sequence (or possibly an important piece of sequence) filmed into only one plan, and restored such as it is in final film, i.e. without Montage or interruption from point of view (without Plan of cut, Fondu, shutter nor Field-reverse shot). The sequence shot has a unit on the narrative level (it is a sequence) and on the technical plan (it is a plan), from where its name.

Duration

A sequence shot can last of a few tens of seconds to several minutes, the technical limit with the cinema (before the digital age) being that of the duration of a reel of film (approximately 12 minutes). Today, the various numerical supports offer however much more possibilities since certain cameras can turn up to two hours without stop. The concept of “long life” is however very subjective.

Control

The sequence shot is often difficult to control, in particular in the event of movements of Caméra and Acteur S, because it is necessary to study the field camera (moment when the actors enter and leave the field, the accessories like the micro and projector S not having to be seen…). From where need for repeating it front, so that all the speakers (actors and technicians) agree.

Required effects

To give dynamism to a scene
To follow the action or to discover a place like the hero (identification)
To penetrate in a universe
To present the adjacent simultaneity of scene
To show the action in real-time

Realizers followers of the sequence shot

Famous or remarkable sequence shots with the cinema

In the Dawn (1927, Murnau), when the husband advances with the meeting of the woman of the night. It is one of the very first sequence shots of the cinema.
In the Lovers of the Capricorn ( Under Capricorn , 1949) and especially the Cord ( The Rope , 1948), of Alfred Hitchcock, the film - one should say the Théâtre filmed - is held almost without interruption with however a faking to pass from a reel to the other.
In Soy Cuba (1964, Mikhaïl Kalatozov), which tells the revolution castrist with Cuba in the Années 1960, of the sequence shots is filmed in a great preoccupation with an esthetics, in particular the scene of the group of Jazz on the building, which the free camera to go to drown low in the agitated water of a swimming pool.
In Requiem for a massacre ( Idi I smotri , 1984, Elem Klimov), where one follows the mishaps of a young partisan in the Belorusse countryside devastated by the massacres Nazis, one finds long sequence shots, in particular in the scene where the village is burned with its inhabitants, or a particularly visual sequence shot on the crossing of a marsh by the young partisan.
In Othello ( The Tragedy off Othello: The Moor off Venice , 1952, Orson Welles), a sequence shot turned on a Beach with simply a Jeep like any accessory (to carry the camera).
At the beginning of Paths of glory ( Paths off glory , 1957, Stanley Kubrick) a Dolly back watch an officer (Kirk Douglas) who advances in the Tranchée and passes his soldiers in review before the attack.
the beginning of the Thirst for the evil ( Touch off Evil , 1958, Orson Welles), with in particular its movement of crane (the camera passes above the border post of Tijuana to follow the way of the car), stopped suddenly by the explosion of a bomb.
the murder of David Locke (interpreted by Jack Nicholson) in Profession: to defer ( Professione: to defer , 1974, Michelangelo Antonioni): one sees David Locke lengthened on his bed, alive; the camera turns to the fitted latticework on window, crosses this one to follow a driving school in a court, a noise of detonation is heard, and one follows the car to circumvent the house and to turn over in the part by the door where one redécouvre Locke on the same bed, from now on dead.
the beginning of The Player (1992, Robert Altman) is a wink and a direct reference to the Thirst for the evil .
In the film With any test (1992), John Woo uses a long sequence shot (several minutes) at the time of the shooting in the hospital. One follows the character thus interprets by Chow Yun-Conceited person throughout the scene which is held on several stages (the camera the following when it takes the ascencor).
end of Principio there fine (1993, Arturo Ripstein): a rise of staircase in a hotel used by prostitutes with like melts musical the Waltz of null the of the Tambours of Bronx.
In 71 Fragments of a chronology of the chance ( 71 Splits up einer Chronologie of Zufalls , 1994, Michael Haneke) films during several minutes, in fixed plan, one of the protagonists returning balls of table tennis dispatched by a robot of drive; this unbearably long scene proposes the conflict relation of the character with the machines (one within the competences of film).
Boogie Nights (1997) contains many sequence shots and in one of them the camera plunges even under water to accompany a character at the time of a festive reception.
Snake Eyes (1998, Brian De Palma) starts with “a false” sequence shot, turned in several times and connected by digital processing.
Timecode (2000, Mike Figgis) is composed of four sequence shots covering each one totality of the film (approximately 90 minutes), because the four sequence shots appear simultaneously with the screen thanks to the screen divided into four of the same parts cuts.
Panic Room (2002) David Fincher contains sequence shots with improbable movements of camera (for example passing through the handle of a cup).
the film the Russian Arch ( Russkij kovcheg , 2002, Alexandre Sokourov) consists of single a 96 minute old sequence shot. To carry out this feat of ingenuity, the realizer used video material which offers a longer capacity of recording.
Gangs off New York (2002, Martin Scorsese) contains a sequence shot with the 71e minute which illustrates the unloading of the Irish immigrants, then their inscription in the American rows for the American Civil War, then their loading in a ship of the army which empties coffins of the former soldiers.
Elephant (2003, Gus Van Sant film having received the gold palm almost exclusively has Cannes in 2003 fact of Plan-séquence.
Old Boy ( 2003 ) of Park Chan-Wook comprises a scene of combat in sequence shot, where the anti-hero fights with naked hands, only against 20 attackers.
Breaking News (2004, Johnnie To) opens on a very fluid sequence shot of more than six minutes.
the War of the worlds (2005, Steven Spielberg) offers an astonishing sequence shot around an escape in the car,
History off Violence of David Cronenberg starts on a sequence shot of a motel.

Lord off War (2006, Andrew Niccol) opens on a recalling sequence shot, in Vue subjective, manufacture, the transport and the end of the lifetime of a ball of Kalachnikov.

the Sons of man ( Children off men , 2006, Alfonso Cuaron) is filled of sequence shots in an environment of chaos, in a London in prey with terrorism.

Eleven (2006, Etienne Perrin) is a 9 minutes short-measuring entirely carried out in sequence shot, the treating whole of the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

In the kid (2007), Olivier Dahan uses the sequence shot on several occasions, in particular when the spectator discovers the New-Yorkais apartment of Piaf (interpreted by Marion Cotillard) or when this one learn death from his/her lover.

Videos clip

The sequence shot was also used much in the universe of the video clip. The interest (and the challenge) are then to be able to turn the entirety of the clip in only one plan. Let us quote for example the clips produced by Michel Gondry, in particular for Kylie Minogue ( Like Into my World ), Lucas ( Lucas With the Lid Off ) or Cibo Matto ( Sugar Water ).

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