Behind-the-scenes secrets for fans of the long take

A long take is much more than a beautiful image: it's an invisible feat of skill.

I've compiled and analyzed over 100 iconic moments from cinema. Don't just watch the scene, discover its secrets of creation, its choreography, and its hidden intentions.

Here are 15 long takes that I love:

Still from the film The Bonfire of the Vanities. A sequence shot from the film.

The Bonfire of the Vanities

Still from the film La La Land. A sequence shot from the film.

La La Land

The illuminated sign displays 'Boogie Nights' in pink letters. A sequence shot from the film Boogie Nights.

Boogie Nights

A soldier runs across a field with smoke and vehicles in the background during a battle. A sequence shot from the film 1917.

1917

A man with long, dark hair, wearing a black jacket, in a dark room. A long shot from the film Oldboy.

Oldboy

A gold model of Thor, the character from Norse mythology, with the text 'LORD OF WAR' underneath. A sequence shot from the film Lord of War.

Lord of War

Two men in suits looking at a bottle of champagne in an urban setting. A long take from the film Rope.

The Rope

War scene in a destroyed city with soldiers and civilians, damaged buildings in the background. Long take from the film Atonement.

Atonement

Two men in suits standing in a public place or on a stage, with an audience in the background. A single shot from the film Snake Eyes.

Snake eyes

A dark room with furniture and a staircase visible on the left.

Panic Room

A person walking on a wooden bridge in a misty, forested setting. A sequence shot from the film "The Suspended Step of the Stork".

The stork's suspended step

Two people sit at a table in an elegant restaurant, holding glasses of wine, with a warm atmosphere and soft lighting in the background. A long take from Scorsese's film Goodfellas.

Goodfellas

A grid of nine black and white images capturing different urban scenes, including people, vehicles and buildings. Sequence shot.

Touch of Evil

A person walks along the edge of a rooftop atop a historic building in Paris, with famous monuments in the background. This is a sequence shot from the James Bond film Spectre.

Spectre

A man sits beside a road with a bus passing in the background, in an urban setting. A sequence shot from the film Children of Men.

Children of Men

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From breathtaking action scenes to the most captivating horror sequences, explore the best of the genre, across all styles and origins. Foreign cinema, French masterpieces, or films that defy categorization: there's a category for you.

Photo showing one of the sequence shots from the film The Son of Man
Action category
Photo showing series 19-2, which includes a long tracking shot in a school
category The Unclassifiables
A still from the film Saltburn, in which the final scene is a long tracking shot
Series category
Poster for the movie 'Extraction'. In this movie there is an outstanding long take
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