Long takes in Filmmaking

The long take, a shot of some duration, was not an aesthetic choice when it was first used. Filmmakers in the early days of cinema had no choice but to shoot their works in one continuous take, until the film ran out. 

Even as it became technically possible to have cuts in films, the finished product would often still look more like a stage drama, with a static camera stringing together a series of narrative sections. 

Hitchcock's Rope (1948), which, through editing, creates the impression of an entire film taking place during one take, and Mike Figgis's Timecode (2000), which shot digitally four ninety-minute takes concurrently. 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.