2010General Discussion forum
Accuracy problems in a published list of longest Steadicam shots
16 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- A published list of longest Steadicam shots excluded shots for having hidden cuts while including multiple shots that also contained hidden cuts.
- The list excluded a shot for not being Steadicam while including multiple shots that were not actually Steadicam.
- Some shots on the list predate the invention of Steadicam itself.
- Russian Ark is claimed to be a continuous 99-minute single take achieved on the third attempt after two previous attempts were abandoned due to technical problems.
- The Wedding Planner contained a Steadicam shot lasting 3 minutes and 50 seconds on stairs and crossovers that required two operators on standby and took 12 takes from the first operator.
- The opening shot of The Bonfire of the Vanities runs approximately 4 minutes 50 seconds.
- Several films frequently cited as having long single-take camera shots actually contain hidden cuts, including Children of Men and Serenity.
Depends on
- The specific list being critiqued is not identified in full detail.
- Some claims about hidden cuts are disputed or based on incomplete viewing of source material.
- The discussion focuses on feature films but does not clarify whether other formats are being compared.
- Debate exists about whether Russian Ark truly has no cuts or contains hidden cuts.