Passionate about technology, media and chocolate eclairs, I've worked in web and print for over twenty years and now run a digital media consultancy in Scotland.
Check out these cool videos, completely void of cuts, fades and wipes, just one take from beginning to end, in order of popularity…
This was the first video I ever saw of this band from LA. One thing I particularly like is the paint-stained suits, clear evidence that they had many takes before getting it right.
172 students from the Univeristy of Quebec lipsync their way through one of the greatest tunes of the 21st century. A great tune and a bunch of happy-go-lucky teenagers doing what they do best, having fun.
Not strictly a one-shot video, because it is made up of stills shot over two days and combined to make a video, but the finished product is a continuous stream of motion and quite simply clever planning and execution, just as challenging as the one-shots.
OK, something’s wrong here, it’s taken me three years to get one riff perfect, and this guy plays 100 in one take, pah.
This famous one-take advert for this car is not only a compelling two minute movie, but it’s an incredible scientific experiment. Honda used genuine components to make a contraption that would flow seemlessly from beginning to end in a sequence where so much should have gone wrong and probably did many times before getting the one-shot. If they were using electronic camera tracking, they could have easily stitched several together without us noticing, but did they, or did they just do as many takes as they needed to get it right? We may never know.
This low-budget, factory-staffed viral video just shows what can be done in house with a surplus of stock and a happy team. Great advertising. Very clever.
Even adults can have fun lipsyncing to pop songs, but of course they don’t have the same stamina, so the staff from Hubspot HQ hide their dubious dance moves with some office chairs. Hope they remember to get the boss’s chair back in the right place for when he gets back!
