8 Incredible Movie Scenes Shot In A Single Take

6. Hunger -€“ The Fifteen Minute Conversation

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Though the scene from Oldboy was short and massively complicated, this scene is basically the opposite. It's incredibly long -€“ clocking in at over fifteen minutes €“- and contains nothing more than two characters sitting at a table talking.

The characters in question are hunger striker Bobby Sands (played by Michael Fassbender) and Father Dom (played by Liam Cunningham), discussing the purpose and inevitable outcome of Sand's strike. The camera lingers on the two for an incredible amount of time, not moving at all, merely framing the actors.

So...how on earth do you perfect a fifteen minute take? Supposedly Liam Cunningham moved into Michael Fassbender's apartment in order to rehearse and perfect the exchange. In fact, it's believed that the two actors rehearsed the scene between twelve and fifteen times per day over the course of several weeks just so they could get it right.

What this ultimately amounted to was a stark, emotional conversation, and it's made all the more captivating by the fact it takes place in a single take.

Contributor
Contributor

Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.