Check out this camerawork

[KRSESQ]

This video is by the artist Feist. It's entitled "1234." It's a somewhat silly pop song with questionable choreography and the backup dancers look like the background cast from Logan's Run. But for all of me it looks like it was all done in one take. Especially observe the camera choreography and see if you can figure out where they might have slipped a cut.

Kevin

[az]

Wow!

I'd say one shot, an automated, programmed camera arm and lots and lots of practice and tries.

[Brian Ellis]

Many of Fred Astaire's dance sequences were single continuous camera shots - and longer than 3 min 20 s!

[KRSESQ]

Indeed. But how many backup dancers did Astaire have that had to stay in sync?

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

The motion controlled crane cam is moderately impressive, but if you want to see real choreography on a grand scale go to a video store and rent any of the Busby Berkeley directed musicals from the 1930's.

Berkeley was a soldier in WW1 and applied the precision military drill techniques he learned to the very elaborate mass choreography in his later Broadway productions and musical films; 42nd Street, Footlight Parade and Gold Diggers of 1933 make this effort look like a kindergarten dance class.

His best stuff isn't online but I did find these;

Carmen Miranda number....

The action in the clip below picks up at about 3:30 and includes a sequence filmed in reverse and some rather psychedelic edits;

Polka Dot Polka....

[KRSESQ]

Granted, Busby Berkeley was a master of his art, but aside from several establishing shots it's hardly one continuous take.

Consider Lonesome Polecat from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

If it's a long take you want consider the Hitchcock film "Rope" where individual shots ran as long as 10 min 6 sec.

[KRSESQ]

Ah. Forgot about Rope. Been a long time since I've see that one.

Kevin

[KRSESQ]

The point of all this being: you rarely if ever see this kind of camera art or experimentation or effort in mainstream (or even good independent) movies anymore. The most interesting experimental filmmaking being done these days is in music videos. Especially videos by small independent alternative rock artists.

Kevin

[Wulfman]

a bit more recent - children of men had some quite long shots as well, if I recall correctly. granted, there were hardly 100eds of dancers involved, but hey - the camera technology they used still lead to impressive results...

SPOILER: http://www.videosift.com/video/Child...-scene-spoiler

HOW-TO: http://www.videosift.com/video/How-T...hildren-Of-Men

mfg
wulfman

[schmosef]

I was going to mention Children of Men as well.

Two more that come to mind are Mr. Saturday Night and The Bonfire of the Vanities.

[Wulfman]

there was also one movie with nicolas cage, I think, where he enters a boxing arena or something. quite amazing shot as well, if I recall correctly...

mfg
wulfman