Long take

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A long take is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished through the use of a dolly or Steadicam. Some films, like Rope, Russian Ark, Before Sunset, Elephant, and Irréversible are composed entirely of long takes, while others like Goodfellas, Boogie Nights, Touch of Evil, The Player are well-known for a specific long take or two within otherwise more conventionally edited films.

The term "long take" is used because it avoids the ambiguous meanings of "long shot", which can refer to the framing of a shot, and "long cut", which can refer to either a whole version of a film or the general editing pacing of the film. However, these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably with "long take".

Films & TV with Noted Long Takes

''11 Minutes Ago - Shot in eight 11 minute takes
Bande à part (the famous quirky dance shot)
Before Sunset
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Boogie Nights - From the outside to the inside of the disco, approximately 3 minutes.
Breaking News - opening shot is approx 7 mins long
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Joss Whedon's productions of "Buffy," "Angel," and "Firefly" often included long takes, often discussed in DVD director commentaries
Chelsea Girls
City of Hope
Clerks - The conversation between Dante Hicks and Caitlin Bree at the RST Video is over five minutes long and done on the first night of filming.
Code Unknown
Cul-de-Sac
Damnation
Elephant
Empire
Funny Games
Gerry
''Gertrud
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Goodfellas
Hard Boiled
A History of Violence - The first scene is a long shot.
Husbands and Wives
I Am Cuba
Irréversible
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Kadosh
La Captive
Last Days
The Life of Oharu
Magnolia
The Mirror
Oldboy
Platform
The Player - The opening shot is roughly 7 minutes long with numerous characters talking about famous "long shots" in film history.
Primer
(The Passenger)
Rear Window
Rope - Consists of only 10 shots, the edits between half of which are hidden, sometimes making two shots look continuous to the untrained eye.
Russian Ark - Consists of one single shot, with the use of digital cameras.
Satantango
Serenity - The shot near the beginning of the movie introducing the audience to the main characters over the main titles lasts roughly four and a half minutes
Sleep
Snake Eyes - The shot at the beginning is seemingly 15 minutes long, though it contains edits hidden in its numerous whip pans.
Songs from the Second Floor
- The opening shot is 76 seconds of the Battle of Coruscant, and is over 2 1/2 minutes if one includes the film's opening crawl.
Sunrise
Taste of Cherry
Tenebrae
The Third Man
Through the Olive Trees
Timecode
Touch of Evil
''Ulysses' Gaze
Under Capricorn
War of the Worlds - The car shot during the family's escape is 2 1/2 minutes long, in which the camera travels in and out and around the vehicle (assisted by visual effects).
Wavelength
Week End
The West Wing
The X-Files, episode "Triangle" - Filmed in four takes, of eleven minutes each
Yi-Yi

Directors Known for Long(er) Takes

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