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Single shots can be the best method some of the time, but please, aspiring directors, please stop using it where it makes no sense.

ItWasMeantToBe19

ItWasMeantToBe19

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
20,440
So James Rolfe, who is huge into movies of course, decided to make this AVGN episode that is "single-shot."

It's just really bad.


I'm just scratching my head at what single shot is supposed to add here...? Are you supposed to feel more like you're there because there aren't cuts? Are you supposed to feel the review is more intense? What is the goal here?

Meanwhile, while the goal is completely unclear, the results are horrible. James' line-reads and timing aren't very good because each take needs to be 13 minutes long. There's this horrible split screen shot to show James and vaguely show the game for two minutes. It's just really hard to see the game in the video because there's no direct feed at any point... It's just a really bad video.

I understand wanting to experiment and I understand that failed experiments are really hard to throw away as a YouTuber or small director because of limited funds, but please, single shot is often a really bad idea you shouldn't use. Only do single shot experiments if you think you can deal with all the issues that come with single shot and if single shot adds A LOT to your video or movie. I completely understand James wanting to experiment, but let's learn from this all together.
 
Valiant

Valiant

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,310
Come in expecting it to be film and its about a youtube personality. I jumped around the video... it seems fine.

Probably should work on framing tho maybe? Like do direct feed instead of showing your hands twice.
 

Deleted member 984

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Oct 25, 2017
5,203
How else would aspiring directors learn? You need to make mistakes to learn from them.

But since Birdman there have been far too many.
 
PMS341

PMS341

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt-account
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,634
It's a bit creative, even if it isn't executed particularly well. Still better than 90% of the "Hey guys" videos out there.

Speaking of this, I saw a music video the other day that was single-shot which was pretty interesting:
 
Divvy

Divvy

Teyvat Traveler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,919
A long-shot refers to a shot that frames the entire character with their background. It's not the same thing as a single-shot or one-shot

But I agree, it's overused these days and are rarely necessary.
 
ElephantShell

ElephantShell

10,000,000
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,918
He's made so many episodes of this show, I don't blame him for trying something different, even if it doesn't really work. He probably saw it as a fun challenge rather than an art piece.
 
balgajo

balgajo

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,251
To be honest after getting it I can't use hookshot anymore.

Sorry op, I can't resist a dumb joke.
 
jett

jett

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,659
I'll give props to the nerd for trying something ambitious, even if this doesn't work at all for a video game review.
 

Deleted member 2779

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Oct 25, 2017
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I thought this was gonna be about shot framing and was all excited what insights this thread was gonna have lol.
 

Deleted member 984

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
5,203
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
Well, I think all the camera panning moments being cut out and replaced with cuts would have made it better, but a major advantage that the game had is that because it doesn't have real people and thus can do as many takes as needed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Nah it just needed less camera movement and placed more emphasis on character movement like in old film one shots as it got a bit rolley. It thematically fit being one long journey and helped emphasise this aspect.
 
CallmeDave

CallmeDave

Member
Oct 27, 2017
641
I have my doubts that James even really contributes much to AVGN or really anything related to Cinemassacre since he partnered with or sold the rights to that Screenwave company. That Gilbert Gottfried episode is the single worst AVGN with that last one, Jurassic Park game, possibly being the second worst. You can tell everything is just a green screen. I have my doubts that the old nerd room even exists anymore and James himself never plays these games and really doesn't care and his acting and charisma shows. His movie reviews with those dudes are nothing more than off the cuff and never prepared. It really bums me out as his older stuff is genuinely good and had a lot of heart, despite the low production and childish jokes. I discovered a ton of horror movies from watching his Monster Madness and really looked forward to it every October. I really hope he can move from this stuff and make small indie movies again.
 
Middleman

Middleman

Banned
Jun 14, 2019
928
Sorry but what's the issue here?

I much prefer this to all of those youtubers who fill their videos with that "hypercut every couple of seconds" bullshit.
 
Anton Sugar

Anton Sugar

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,946
Wow, that was pretty fucking awful. I made it halfway through.

What's the point of a long take if you don't know your lines or it detracts from the subject you're covering?
 
HStallion

HStallion

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
62,262
A lot of one shot takes seem to be done just to try and look cool. I think the best one shot takes are those that you don't even notice till well after they started or after they've already ended.
 
WhiteRabbitEXE

WhiteRabbitEXE

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,609
Arizona
Some of the most effective oners are the ones you don't notice. Casual filmgoers probably don't associate Spielberg with the oner, but he actually has numerous throughout his filmography and they're often surprisingly invisible. Jaws has a really good one with the ferry scene. His oners are often both about efficiency and shifting dynamics illustrated by blocking changes and playing with framing, where each oner is effectively a collection of distinct shots within a single take, which gives them a real sense of utility without simply showing off.

If you're going to do a real flashy, extended oner that draws attention to itself, it better have a real storytelling purpose, like the famous Goodfellas scene. A lot of filmmakers want to do it because it can be difficult and flashy, with no thought beyond that.

Every Frame a Painting had a great episode on oners, specifically Spielberg's, that touches on both example.

 

Deleted member 984

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Oct 25, 2017
5,203
WhiteRabbitEXE said:
Some of the most effective oners are the ones you don't notice. Casual filmgoers probably don't associate Spielberg with the oner, but he actually has numerous throughout his filmography and they're often surprisingly invisible. Jaws has a really good one with the ferry scene. His oners are often both about efficiency and shifting dynamics illustrated by blocking changes and playing with framing, where each oner is effectively a collection of distinct shots within a single take, which gives them a real sense of utility without simply showing off.

If you're going to do a real flashy, extended oner that draws attention to itself, it better have a real storytelling purpose, like the famous Goodfellas scene. A lot of filmmakers want to do it because it can be difficult and flashy, with no thought beyond that.

Every Frame a Painting had a great episode on oners, specifically Spielberg's, that touches on both example.

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Why Welles disliked the opening for Touch of Evil. Everyone noticed it and praised it.
 
Vern

Vern

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,097
Quick cuts are trash. It's one of the reasons why The MCU is generally hard as hell to watch. Joker was great in that it was edited in a much more reasonable manner with longer takes.

As for the OP... I'm not gonna watch some random YouTuber sorry.
 
HammerOfThor

HammerOfThor

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,860
I give props to anyone who tries something new. I enjoyed the latest AVGN. But I did find it annoying that it was super clear he was reading from a prompt.
 
CesareNorrez

CesareNorrez

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,522
I'd rather people experiment and fail. I'm pretty okay with not enjoying a piece of art. I'm more than okay with a failure if there is genuine passion behind it.

Quick takes, long takes, do what you think is going to work.I've have no desire to take a tool away from an artist.
 
AlphaMale

AlphaMale

Member
Dec 21, 2017
424
I love movies like "Children of Men" that do the single shot so well. The first 10 minutes of "Skyfall" was also a single shot and done really well. Too bad the rest of the movie was crap...
 
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