10 TV Scenes Shot For Real
1. The 17-Minute Single Take Scene - The Haunting Of Hill House
Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House is one of the greatest pieces of horror media to emerge over the last few years, and though it's a TV series awash in artistry from top to bottom, its centerpiece is undeniably the series' sixth episode, "Two Storms."
The entire episode was shot in just five long takes, the most mind-blowing of which lasted a stonking 17 minutes, moving between time periods and switching out casts as it goes along.
To pull this off, Flanagan and co. had to employ a number of clever tricks, from designing the Hill House set around the set-piece itself, installing a secret elevator for the cameraman to move effortlessly between floors, extensively using doubles for actors, and even transitioning out pieces of the set as necessary.
Plus, the hundreds of lighting cues were so precise that were an actor even slightly off their mark, the entire take would be ruined, and according to Flanagan himself, the camera dolly broke shortly after they finally captured a successful take. Astonishing stuff.