The art of the long continuous shot has always been rooted in exhaustive pre-production planning, precision timing, disciplined talent, and more than just a little bit of luck. To shoot a video in one continuous take means getting the ball rolling (sometimes literally) and then following the action, hitting one’s marks along the way, until the climactic end. Filmmakers and videographers have been pushing the boundaries of the continuous shot, aiming for longer duration and challenging themselves, and their talent, to nail these long shots in single takes.

When thinking about long continuous shots, most of us start with Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic Rope. Rope (1948) is often casually referred to as the best example of a feature length movie shot in a single continuous take. The reality is, of course, that the film was shot in 10 segments, ranging in length from 4:37 to 10:06. (The maximum shot length at the time was approximately ten minutes due to the limit of the film magazine.) But even though Rope is not actually a single continuous shot, the length of the shots, the beauty of the transitional edits, and the resulting real time narrative is still astonishing 63 years after it was made.

Hitchcock may have been a pioneer of the marathon continuous shot, but he has been joined by others since. Robert Altman’s The Player (1992) features the famous opening sequence, a continuous shot with a duration of 7:47. Orson Welles’ 1958 Touch of Evil opens with a 3:20 continuous shot. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is famous for it’s long shots, as is Martin Scorsese’s The Godfather.

Much more extreme are examples like Timecode (2000) and Russian Ark (2002), both feature length films shot in a continuous take. Timecode, in fact, consists of not one, but four continuous shots displayed simultaneously with each shot occupying a quadrant of the screen and relying on the audio to direct the audience’s focus and to drive the storyline.  Russian Ark, is a 99 minute feature film shot in one continuous take; it follows the narrator (in first-person POV, no less) as he wanders from room to room in a palace (actually The Hermitage Museum) in St. Petersburg encountering figures from 300 years of Russian history.  Pretty heady stuff and a masterful technical achievement.

And, of course, one of the most extreme examples of the continuous take is Andy Warhol’s Empire. Made in 1964 with cinematographer Jonas Mekas, Empire consists of over 6 ½ hours of film shot at 24 frames per second and designed to be projected at 16 frames per second so that when viewed the film lasts for over eight hours. This would be mind (and rear-end) numbing in and of itself, but add the fact that the film is simply an unblinking still-mounted camera shot of the Empire State Building as it transitions from sunset to full darkness on the night of July 25^th, 1964, and you have a piece of cinema that is all but unwatchable.

But you don’t have to go to that extreme the next time you set up a long duration shot. YouTube and Vimeo are both replete with examples of continuous shot videos (at least in part made famous by our favorite contemporary example, the band OK Go and their continuous-shot music videos). While perhaps doing something of an end-around on the editing side, these unbroken shooting sessions are great exercises in pre-production work, from storyboarding to set-design and from directing to complex camera work. After checking out the examples we’ve described here, give the long continuous shot a try and let us know how it turns out.

3D Skateboard Videos with a Twist – Unbeleafable

So there are all sorts of Extreme Sports videos out there, from skydiving and cliff jumping to surfing, underwater diving, motor sports and, yes, skateboarding. And most of these videos do the same thing: attach a grab-n-go camera to some mount for a POV shot of the athlete or dolly alongside for a close following shot – throw in some edgy music, scratchy effects, tight short edits, and there you have it. Another Extreme Sports video. So how do you make something different – make something stand out from the crowd?

Well the folks at Girl Skateboards company  partnering with Levi’s Film Workshops decided to give it a go.

With Unbeleafable, director Ty Evans came up with a different idea of going to the polar opposite of what the usual in-your-face skateboarding video illustrates: extreme closeups, POV, and speed combined with the usual empty swimming pools, graffiti, steel and industrial cement environment, and takes  anew spin – and in 3D.

(By the way, in case you didn’t know, YouTube now has 3D watchable access with an option to turn off the 3D, or watch it in a variety of viewing methods through a pull-down menu including Red/Cyan, Green/ Magenta, Blue/Yellow glasses, Interleaved, Side-by-side, or no glasses 3D option.  Look for the red 3D icon towards the bottom right of the viewer toolbar to adjust your needs, or turn off the 3D visual altogether.)

Evans and his crew took the stage into the woods – granted, a “staged” woods scene, complete with falling leaves and organic-looking platforms for the skaters to climb, jump and leap from. All with a soft surreal look, gentle focus, and slo-moving dolly shots.

Ty Evans and his staff scoured local woods and brought a huge assortment of tree stumps, branches and limbs, along with literally tons of leaves into a soundstage to set their woodsy scene. According to the Unbeleafable site, “Unbeleafable is the first skate film shot using the Phantom 65-Z3D, a lightweight, high-speed camera capable of shooting 320 frames per second in stereoscopic 3D. Released in April 2011, the Phantom 65-Z3D is the world’s only single camera Super 35mm 3D camera system. The film also features sequences shot with two RED M-X cameras on an Element Technica Quasar 3D beam splitter rig.”

Not your usual helmet-mounted rig, that’s for sure!

The video is mesmerizing to me, and to a lot of others, but, ironically, as I was researching this story I saw it mentioned on a lot of skaters’ blogs and sites that the skaters weren’t as enthralled. I guess that hard-core, edgy, cement-n-steel look is more appealing to this crowd, but to a video producer, I enjoyed it tremendously. I thought it was a bit too long, but the idea was so fresh and visual entertaining that I enjoyed it immensely.

Here’s a link to some interviews with the director and producers about why and how they made this very different, very visual video: Already Been Done and Complex Art + Design.

As a video producer, what I really like about the video is the behind-the-scenes (BTS)  setup of the stage, props and shoot.  As much as an organic, raw and natural environment as it appears to be, everything from the stacked wood piles to the ramps to “fly” a skater up a tree were well-thought out using the usual smooth-surfaced props skaters use to perform their stunts.

I’m curious what YOU think of it – keep the 14-year-old teenager angst out of it, please, and just analyze the video as a video producer and let us me know your opinion.  Personally, it made me want to go jump in a big pile of Autumn leaves!

Every once in a while a well-produced video comes our way that we want to share with our readers. The Super List is one such project – it’s a great video and all the more fascinating because it is the producer’s first feature.

Will Gallego attended a Videomaker workshop a few years ago, and has been an avid reader of Videomaker, and recently sent us this video for a look-see. You HAVE to check it out, it’s pretty amazing:

THE SUPER LIST from Will Gallego on Vimeo

About the Producer
Gallego began shooting at 9-years-old on Super 8 film, but went on to make a career in other ventures after college. He returned to his movie creating passion six years ago when he had a brand new subject to follow: a baby girl.

He moved on to be the event videographer for a couple of theater companies, and eventually created his own company, Gamma Ray Productions with Raymond Vargas to produce “the Super List”, as a way to ‘prove’ the up-and-coming Gamma Ray Productions could deliver a quality movie, gain some valuable film experience and give everyone involved a chance to showcase their talent, which he hopes to enter into a short film contest someday.

About the Cast and Crew
It took eight months to complete, and was done in everyone’s spare time – no one was paid, including the actors but a few had some materials or travel expenses covered. 36 people in all worked on different parts of the production.

Writer Adam Winston and his partner and 3rd producer Frank Gallego (Will’s brother) were looking for a CGI story to pitch to Dreamworks. They knew of Will Gallego’s wedding video and music video work, and asked him to assist. Gallego writes, “I envisioned this as a live-action movie the instant I read the short screenplay.  From a practical standpoint, this was not a monumental task as far as logistics, cost and location. Once Dreamworks passed on the story, I let them know if they wanted to collaborate on a project, this story was just right.”

Based on Winston’s script concept, Frank Gallego hired a Hollywood artist to deliver the well-done and professional looking comic-book and ‘super list’.

Will Gallego’s role was as one of three producers, and also as Director of Photography and 2nd Unit Director. They shot in the autumn, to take advantage of the east coast’s amazing Fall colors, and shot in several locations from Eastern Pennsylvania to New Jersey. the soundtrack was composed by Will Gallego’s brother, William Gallego, and the two main actors, Derek and Ryan, are neighbors of Gallego, and Sarah is the director’s daughter. Each had some stage experience, but this was their first time on a movie set.

About the Gear
Gallego’s gear list for the shoot include:
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II.
Canon Lenses: 50mm 1.4, 24-70L 2.8 and 70-200L 2.8.
Soundtrack: Original music score by composer William Gallego was created with Apple Logic.
Audio/Sound Effects: Zoom H4n.
Entire Audio was mixed with Nuendo software.
Anders Johansson/Sound Editor took care of all the Foley and sound effects.
Cranes/Dollies: Losmandy Porta-Jib, Glidetrack
I rent whenever possible, such as the jib and some lighting equipment(flags, extra c-stands, follow focus, matte box. )
Editing: Final Cut Pro 7.  Trained in Apple One to One. Final Cut Pro 7, Motion and Photoshop Extended.
Other:  Marshall LCD70XP – 7 inch monitor, Zacuto follow focus kit, Petroff Matte Box with ND filters(a must for out door shooting if you want to open up the iris. [and he adds, "And of course, a lot of Videomaker reading and attending their 2 day workshop in Newark, NJ around 4 years ago. " How nice to be credited with helping him find his muse!]

Words from the Producer
“I owe theater director, Ted Concepcion and Jesse Gallego a lot of credit for giving me the first video job opportunity.

“Videomaker has been a great resource for me as a filmmaker.  I studied film theory in Rutgers University, but other than being a NYC film studio production assistant during my college years, I did not have much other film experience or any contacts to work with in NJ for 10 years as I chose a different career path. Luckily, I came across Videomaker magazine and subscribed. VM is a source of inspiration, especially, Mathew York’s Viewfinder section each month.

“There is an important message in this movie [that] Ray Vargas/Gamma Ray Productions values, and is forging forward with, mainly about the choices and decisions that kids/young people make at this point in their lives.  Ray feels in an anti-bullying campaign, the decision our main protagonist makes, which we don’t know for sure, is critical.  Just Be Me Organization is interested in this movie as a vehicle for discussion in anti-bullying campaign.  Kudos to Ray.

“If I could give any advice to new filmmakers, go and shoot something, but know what you are getting in to, know the end game. Everyone has to commit to the project no matter how small a role.  A movie is a complete production package: story, sounds, score, and cinematography.  If anyone tells you otherwise, tell them to write a book. Filming is like a muscle the more you exercise it the stronger you get.  No matter your role is in the movie, give it 110%.  Value your crew’s time and efforts by rewarding them with a finished project they can showcase.  This is their reel as much as the rest of the producers.  Don’t wait.  Set deadlines, deliver and move forward on your path.  Your crew will respect you for it and will be read to go make another one.  I am grateful I have a dependable crew that gives it 110%.

“In closing, I love one of your moderators’ feedback on your forum for the film.  He gave excellent constructive feedback, but on top of that, he says: “now go make another one…”  That is the true spirit of Videomaker: great advice and encouragement.  Thank you Videomaker.”

You’re welcome, Will, keep up the good work, and keep us informed.

Besides our well-known monthly magazine and website, Videomaker has many resources for learning for different types of needs from our face-to-face workshops like the one Will attended, to our training DVDs, books, eDocs and webinars. Our mission to to teach and encourage video producers to make their dreams come true – kudos to Will and his gang for keeping their focus strong and their dream alive, good luck to all of our readers who strive to make a project as entertaining and compelling as “The Super List.”

Shooting Like the Pros for the Creative Filmmaker using the Sony-Z7U- By Stephen Joseph

The first film I ever shot was with a Canon Hi 8mm camcorder. It was the summer of 1997 and the inspiration to do a short film hit me after a film student friend of mine directed her first film on Super 8. I spent over $3000 to produce my own short, going in with blind enthusiasm rather than general knowledge.

To make a long story short, my efforts to shoot my first short soured. I didn’t have a clue about directing not to mention video camcorders. I shot the short, nonetheless, using actors and my low-end camera. It took three weekends to complete, but I finished it. Post production became the next headache. I knew zero about nonlinear editing and could not afford to have a pro edit it for me. Therefore, the project sat in my closet for weeks until a friend, who performed in the project, wanted to see it. Reluctant at first, I finally made a VHS copy (remember those) and sent it to him. He loved it. His unexpected approval encouraged me to show it to others. And you know what…? They all loved it.

Over the last decade, I began to realize something—something the filmmakers of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity came to realize long before I did. As the digital video and HD age exploded onto the scene, I realized that independent filmmaking involved creativity and art over technology and expense. Real storytelling stems from “how” you use your camera and not simply from which camera you use.

First, let me point out there are several video camcorders on the market for the beginner and pro filmmakers. The top five camcorders listed on the market today are:
a) Canon XH A1S
b) Sony HDR-FX1
c) Sony HVR-Z7U
d) JVC GY-HM100U
e) Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2

Selecting the perfect camcorder depends on different situations. For example, what are you going to be shooting? What is your budget? What locations are you going to use? Does your shoot require hiring a crew? Do you want George Clooney in your project?

Films consist of 11 basic shots. Before you begin shooting, you always have to know your camera setup and movements. Some of the basic shot types are:
1- Establishing shot
2- Master shot
3- Full shot
4- ¾ shot (not used as much anymore)
5- Medium shot, which covers the:
a) Two shot
b) Over-the-shoulder shot
c) Telephone conversation
d) Reverse shot
e) Walking two shot
f) Standing two shot

6- Close Up Shot
7- Tracking shot
8- Cutaway shot
9- Pan shot
10- Tilt shot
11- Pull In/Pull Out shot

When you learn filmmaking, there is no way around learning the basic shots. Directing is a visual art. Directing a film—whether with film stock or video—comes down to creating a series of circumstances. The filmmakers of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity created accounts that allowed them to shoot with only one camera and keep a sensible budget. You can do the same.

First, if you are an aspiring filmmaker and want to direct an independent film, a documentary, or even a How-to video, you have a host of modern technology at your disposal.

I am going to confer on one: The Sony HVR-Z7U. It is the most expensive camcorder out of the top five. The Sony HVR-Z7U comes with a hefty price tag of $4,990.00. With tax, that is over five grand. It is well worth the cost. When you are looking for a camcorder on a budget, you will quickly encounter the difference between cost and features.

The Sony HVR-Z7U has its pros and cons the way most camcorders do. This is why I suggest you know what you want to shoot before you decide on what you are going to shoot. For example, let’s say you are shooting a scene that needs you to track a subject from the sidewalk and into a building. Most camcorders have problems with adjusting to the change of exposure. Higher-end camcorders like the Sony HVR-Z7U solves this problem with manual exposure control levels for a smooth transition.

There are other key features of the HVR-Z7U that budding and proven filmmakers may find useful. The most relevant and convenient of them all are interchangeable lenses. The Sony HVR camcorder comes with natural touch lens operation. You can remove the lens hood with the touch of a button. How cool is that? The big benefit here is that you can change lenses conveniently and faster between shots. Further, the camcorder’s zoom is smooth than those camcorders without interchangeable lenses. Simply put, better close-up shots.

Another useful feature—the Sony HVR camcorder comes with three ND filters. The filters handle sunlight reflection without you having to worry about overexposure or shutting the iris.

The Sony HVR microphone is another sweet package. There are two XLR inputs for audio. The built-in microphone is also easily detachable for quick storage. You can also attach an external mic, such as a shotgun mic, for better audio when shooting subjects.

Overall, if you are going to shoot a documentary or artsy indie film the better higher-end camcorders can’t be beat and the Sony HVR-Z7U comes highly recommended. It is not the cheapest camcorder on the market, but, as far as near professional camcorders go, it’s the best choice.

I recently shot a short comedy film called Pull Over which told the story of a cop on duty pulling over drunk drivers. I filmed the project similar to Reno 9-1-1, using a one-point perspective from the camera mounted on a Steadicam inside a squad car. The production cost a little over $6,000.00. But the budget wasn’t what caught the attention of the viewers. I made a short movie from a creative angle with one camera and that left them speechless. Think El Mariachi.

So, if you’re like me—one out of over a million people aspiring to be creative with small revenue—don’t despair. Save, save, save and buy a quality camcorder like the Sony HVR-Z7U, and go out there and discover how to make a creative film with it. Always keep in mind, the reward comes from the results and not merely from the efforts.

Stephen Joseph is an independent filmmaker and writer.

As we’ve all noticed lately, the lines between the gear used in still and video shooting are becoming blurred, some still shooters are embracing video for the first time using DSLRs, and videographers are clicking away creating still images using that same camera they purchased for videography.

Now Canon, the makers of the first HDSLR that was embraced by many shooters on both side of the chasm, is sponsoring a still photo contest that video creators might find interesting. The winner of the contest gets to work with Academy Award winning director, Ron Howard, on a movie short inspired by that still image.

Canon just announced  the “Long Live Imagination” campaign with Ron Howard. People submit photos to www.youtube.com/imagination and winners will be selected to inspire a Hollywood short film directed by Ron Howard shot on a Canon DSLR  There will be eight photos selected form the collection of entries, and they will collectively be the inspiration for the movie short. The Short will be shot using Canon DSLR cameras and accessories, and there will be a Red Carpet premiere in New York where the winners will meet Ron Howard.

Entries for the contest will be accepted from May 22 to June 14th and there are eight movie themes to help you get your imagination and inspiration on: Setting, Time, Character, Mood, Relationship, Goal, Obstacle and the Unknown.

And if you want to be a better video shooter, learn from a still photographer. They have to capture a full story in just one frame – this contest allows you to practice both still and moving imaging skills.

Below is more information form Canon regarding the contest:

“I’m known as a narrative storyteller, so when Canon approached me to partner on the ‘Long Live Imagination’ campaign, I was moved by the opportunity to collaborate with the masses, tapping into consumers’ creativity and using their photos as building blocks to produce a film,” said Howard. “I hope the project stimulates people’s imaginations whether they are an amateur photographer, a world traveler or a proud parent, and I hope what we create is meaningful.”

A visually stunning television commercial that takes place within Ron Howard’s mind’s eye will begin airing May 22nd. The spot will promote the “Project Imagin8ion” contest and online community.

Throughout the promotion, Ron Howard, with the help of Canon experts with Project Imagin8ion and the community, will narrow down the submissions and select eight photos – one from each category. These eight winning photos will become the basis and inspiration for the short.

As part of the overall “Long Live Imagination” campaign, Canon will be curating the most inspiring photography out there, championing the imagination of the masses while demonstrating the infinite possibilities of Canon digital imaging. The customized Long Live Imagination brand channel on YouTube will serve as a meeting place and sharing community for Canon users and photography enthusiasts alike throughout 2011. The Imagination Gallery will be linked to other social media platforms including Flickr, Facebook and Twitter, so that users can easily share their photos, pose questions to the community and participate in real-time discussions. Though the gallery will launch as the home of Canon’s “Project Imagin8ion” initiative, the community page will live-on and continue to grow.

Chico California, the small town where Videomaker headquarters lie, (pop. 80-thousand) has some classic small-town festivities, including the Slice of Chico this past weekend – all you can eat watermelon – and a monthly “Movies in the Park” showing through the summer. Very quaint. The Movies are projected onto an extremely large sheet draped from the community baseball field’s backstop and attendees lay around on blankets and low beach chairs in the grassy outfield. The celestial show is amazing, the stars are in abundance – as are the mosquitoes – but no one minds as this is small-town living at its best.

This weekend’s showing was “The Wizard of Oz” a classic at best and a marvelous movie that aspiring movie students study in Big City Film Schools  as the classic example of a great dramatic arc, a story-telling techniques from the days of olde that is still followed today.

For me, though, I wanted to see if I could spot one of my favorite movie mistakes that I discovered as a child while watching the annual showing on TV – a BIG event back in the 1960s.  I’ve never read about this movie mistake, so every time I see it, I wonder if I’m just imagining it. Watch and tell me if you see it, too. This is in the scene where Dorothy and company are in the dark scary woods and the creepy flying blue monkeys attack the company. (I’ll admit, as a child I usually ran screaming from the room when this scene came on, those monkeys scared me to death! But my father encouraged me to watch the movie for its cinematic value, ignore the scary scenes and appreciate the effects, and eventually a new appreciation of movie going was born.)

But I digress – the scene starts with a wide shot, establishing that the monkeys could, indeed fly, then it changes to a medium shot of mayhem as the monkeys terrorize our heroes. Two monkeys grab Dorothy and take off, and the next scene is an extremely wide scene of a group monkeys in the air, and you see Dorothy’s feet dangling as she screams in terror. Right behind her way up in the sky is another monkey carrying Toto, her little dog, yet the very next shot shows a medium shot of a monkey on the ground grabbing Toto from the forest and taking off into the air. An obvious error in continuity – at least that’s the way it looks to me – but I’ve never seen that account written up, so I always wonder – am I imagining it? As a child, I knew that was a mix up, and my appreciation – and critique – of movies was born.

I love movies, and I will go several times when they open – first to enjoy the movie for what it is, and then again to watch for cinema techniques – in fact, many of you, our movie enthusiastic readers, are probably like me, you can’t sit through a movie with a friend without commenting on something like, “nice crane shot,” or “ slow dolly technique, very smooth”.  Drives my friends nuts, actually.

I especially love buying a movie’s DVD if it comes with behind the scenes clips or director’s commentaries. And I love love love discovering movie mistakes. If you’re a fan of finding movie mistakes, check out this site: Moviemistakes.com

http://www.moviemistakes.com/best.php

It has a good comprehensive list of mistakes from the well spotted shots of mic booms dipping into a scene and camera ops’ reflections in chrome and glass, to the more-obscure less-obvious shots of which hand is an actor holding a prop or is the subject wearing sunglasses in one clip of a scene but not the next.

The site categorizes mistakes into eight different types:

Continuity – a mistake that continues between two or more shots, such as objects moving about without being touched or characters’ postures changing too drastically in a too short period of time.
Factual Error – a mistake that clashes with the real world by being historically, geographically, or physically incorrect, including false statements by supposed experts or spelling/grammatical errors. Related to Plot Holes.
Revealing – a mistake exposing the film-making process, such as poor visual effects or an obvious stunt performer. Related to Visible Crew/Equipment. Visible Crew/Equipment – camera crew, equipment, and objects used for filming becoming visible on-screen. Related to Revealing.
Plot Holes – a conflict in the internal logic of a film, such as a character doing something illogical and out of character simply to move the plot along. Related to Factual Error.
Audio Problem – a mistake related to the film’s audio component, speech, sound effects and so forth.

Deliberate “Mistakes” – a mistake that is done on purpose by the film’s creators for any one of a number of possible reasons.

Character Mistake – a significant error in dialogue or written words.
Other – mistakes that don’t fit into any of the other categories.

The site also points out Easter Eggs… fodder for another fun-time-discovery sometime!

Just some summertime fun. Check it out. And let me know if you see that Wizard of Oz continuity error I described, too. And let’s hear about YOUR favorite movie mistakes – Cm’on it’s summer!