Sequence Shot Element

In this seminar we looked at the final two elements we need to include in our films which were a long take/sequence shot and a Point of View sequence.

Sequence Shot
A sequence shot, or long take, is single uncut shot that extends for a whole scene or sequence. It is normally used to allow the audience to get a whole sense of a setting or situation by allowing them to take in everything that is happening within the scene with no breaks in it. It is conventionally done using a steadicam or dolly but can also be a static shot and there are three different ways the sequence shot can be done:

1. Where the camera is static and the subject or subjects move around in the scene and this is normally used to allow the audience time to absorb what they are seeing in the frame. e.g Michael Haneke's Hidden.
2. Where the camera moves around a static subject(s) normally to show the scene the subject is surrounded by or to create drama through an almost point of view style sequence. e.g Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.
3. Where both the subject and the camera move and this tends to be a tracking shot of one or two subjects through a scene. e.g Martin Scorsesse's Goodfellas

Issues that can arise when attempting a sequence shot are mainly:

• Choice between static or moving
• Focus
• Exposure

These issues can normally be controlled when shooting internally or in a studio due to the ability to control light intensity and space to move in when filming. However problems occur, especially with exposure, when shooting externally as you may shoot facing the sun and then move to the shade, the clouds may block out some sunlight whilst shooting or you even may go from an external setting to an internal one within the shot. To get around these problems, the crew will normally consist of a camera operator, a focus puller and someone to change the exposure and this crew will have to work when the scene is being filmed to adjust the variables to make the shot as professional as possible.

We looked at some examples of these different types of sequence shots in the seminar and how well they had been executed as well as why the directors had used them in the way they had done.
The first film we looked at was What Time Is It Over There? (2001) by Ming-liang Tsai which uses an internal, static sequence shot looking through a few doorways in a house.

The shot is about 3 minutes and 20 seconds long and uses around 3 focus pulls which draws the focus into the 3 joining rooms. The use of the long take here is so the audience can observe and absorb what setting this is filmed in as well as focus what the character is doing in all the different rooms.

The second film we watched was La Haine (1995) by Mathieu Kassovitz which includes a internal steadicam sequence shot that circles around two main subjects to give off a interchanging, mobile third person POV stile shot.

This shot is only about 1 minute 30 seconds long and contains a large number of focus pulls which change from the characters faces to action happening in the background of the scene. The reason it does this is to give a contrast of the reactions and emotions of the two characters to what is happening around them as well as serving as a point of view shot of the two characters as they rotate their heads around to take in what is happening in the room.

The final film we looked at was Elephant (2003) by Gus Van Sant and this film uses a steadicam tracking sequence shot which follows the main character around a school.

This shot is about 5 minutes 20 seconds long and uses a variety of techniques throughout such as focus pulling and exposure adjusting. This is because the sequence consists of varied distances between the camera and the main subject, as well as focus on other characters around the main one plus the shot takes is from an external environment to and internal one and in again twice which all in one shot can be very demanding to execute professionally. There are a few hiccups in this shot especially with the transition from inside to outside in terms of overexposure, but the shot is used to give the audience a view of the setting of the film as well as setting up a later shot that mimics this one.

All three types of sequence shot are effective in their respective ways but practically the easiest to accomplish would be the first style, where the camera remains static and the subject moves within the scene, and the hardest would be the final style where both camera and subject are moving. When we get to Grindleford on Thursday, we will assess what we want to film and then experiment with what style of sequence shot would be best suited for it.