There is an undeniable art in knowing how and when to deploy a long take, and it takes even more skill to execute one effectively. It’s a technique that’s been used by countless directors and cinematographers to build suspense, grab the audience’s attention, maximise the impact of high energy scenes or preserve the intensity of methodical slow-burners. Renowned for being a means to flex some directorial muscle and demonstrate cinematic prowess, long takes have given us some of the most memorable scenes in cinema; from languid, haunting takes by Tarkovsky, to the stylish and buoyant sequences employed by Scorsese.

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