7 Most Amazing One-Take Video Clips

Posted by Alex in Advertising, Car & Vehicle, Music, Neatorama Only, Video Clips on September 28, 2009 at 1:44 am


What is it about one-take video clips that capture our imaginations? Perhaps it's because we've become so cynical about video editings that the pure, raw form of a single, uninterrupted shot truly stands out.

Well, whatever the reason, one-take video clips sure take the Interweb by storm. Here is Neatorama's list of the 7 Most Amazing One-Take Video Clips:

1. I Gotta Feeling Lip Dub


[YouTube Clip]

Let's start with one that's making the rounds on the Internet: a lip dub by the students of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). In this video clip, co-directed by Luc-Olivier Cloutier and Marie-Eve Hebert, 172 communications students lib-synched the song I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas. The whole thing was shot in a little more than 2 hours.

In an interview with Canada AM, Cloutier gave a little background:

Cloutier says it was difficult to coordinate 172 students in one take. "The problem was we didn't know before how many people should be there for the dub so we cannot plan," he said.

Cloutier said the video was eventually shot in two takes. Despite some minor glitches, the pair is proud of the final product. "We decided to keep this take because (of) the vibe," said Cloutier.

2. Flagpole Sitta Lip Dub


[Vimeo Clip]

If you like that, here's a clip done after work one day by the people of Connected Ventures (they're the bunch of geniuses behind College Humor, Busted Tees and Vimeo). Looks like a fun place to work! Oh, the song is Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger.

3. Nyle's Let The Beat Build


[Vimeo Clip]

A lot of these one-take videos are music videos - and for good reason: one-take videos are hard to shoot, so those synchronized with music has got to be made by people with mad skillz.

This music video Let The Beat Build by rapper Nyle, directed by Chadd Harbold and produced by Last Pictures and 194 Recordings, even did one better: they recorded the audio simultaneously with the film. Mind = blown.

4. Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger


[YouTube Clip]

Austin Hall of Frecklestudios probably has the most watched hands ever. Since its debut two years ago, his YouTube clip Daft Hands has been watched over 33 million times!

In that video, Hall played Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger entirely with his two hands. Maybe it's easier for you to watch the clip above than for me to explain in words how he did t. (Previously on Neatorama here)

Since then, the song has spawned countless imitations, including Daft Bodies and the Daft Parodies (Erhm, the last one is kind of rude. You've been warned).

5. Forrest Gump in One Minute, in One Take


[CollegeHumor Video Clip]

Let's take a break from music video clips. Last February, Joe Burgess, Rocco Sulkin and Will Tribble from the University Of York Filmmaking Society got friends to act out Forrest Gump in one minute, filming the whole thing in one take. (Previously on Neatorama here.)

From an interview with NewTeeVee Station:

The one-take angle would make you assume that there was a lot of rehearsal and coordination involved, but that wasn’t the case — according to Tribble, most of it was ab-libbed. “I didn’t know until the last minute that I was going to be in [Gump],” Tribble said, “but then they said, ‘OK, you’re Lieutenant Dan’ and there I was.”

Since then, the trio have sweded other films including Kill Bill, Star Wars, and their latest, 28 Days Later.

6. Here It Goes Again by OK Go


[CollegeHumor Video]

What's even better than a one-take music video? How about a one-take music video with treadmills! Here's the astounding clip Here It Goes Again from Ok Go, directed by Trish Sie of BigBadTrish.

7. Cog


[YouTube Video]

Last on the list is the grand-daddy of all one-take videos. Titled Cog, the two-minute long Rube Goldbergian commercial for Honda Accord was produced by the London office of Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency and directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet of Partizan back in 2003. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this may just be the best commercial of all time.

To the horrors of Honda engineers, Bardou-Jacquet took apart the seventh-generation Honda Accord, of which there were only 5 hand-assembled models in the world (at that time), and made an astonishing commercial out of its parts.

It took 606 takes to shoot Cog and when it was completed, the video clip was shown to the bigwigs at Honda who remarked that it was a very nice computer generated imagery. When they were told everything was real, they were floored - and if you see it, you would be, too.

More about Cog at Wikipedia


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COMMENT

46 comments to "7 Most Amazing One-Take Video Clips"

  1. Lyndon
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:01 am

    While most of these are pretty good. The third one is just amazing. Lip synching is fairly easy!!

    But to record audio while shooting a video in one take. All I can say is WOW!!!

    I know it doesn't qualify, since I don't think he did it one take. But I think the kid who does his lip dubs at the Apple store, should get an honorary mention.

    Boom Boom Pow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5anVB-PqtuE

  2. Jase
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:07 am

    Nyle is vicious. That was freaking ridiculous.

  3. haribo
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:09 am

    Cog was not filmed in one take, and involves computer imagery.

  4. JimRL
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:20 am

    2. Flagpole Sitta Lip Dub - Yay PEEPSHOW!

    4. Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - I think this ones much better (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYD_-A_X5E)

  5. Miocly
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:41 am

    Honda does NOT involve computer imagery. And it was taken in more than one takes yes, but the final product of what you're seeing is in one take. They pressed "record", filmed the whole thing, then pressed "stop", so it's in one take, rather than with lots of editing.

  6. SenorMysterioso
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:48 am

    The OK Go video is always fun to watch. My favorite part is where it looks like they are skating forward.

    Let the Beat Build is great I dont think I ever realized that the audio was recorded live.

    As for cog it does have some cgi but mostly to highlight things and remove wires and it was shot in two parts that were edited together. Still damn impressive as it should be for how much it cost to produce.

  7. Jar
    September 28th, 2009 at 3:50 am

    These aren't one-take videos but I'm really partial to Michel Gondry's one-shot music videos.

    Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T71HikKux_E

    Lucas with the Lid Off:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5HOsnq_2j4

  8. JackNimbl
    September 28th, 2009 at 4:17 am

    There are some great vids here! This is my vote for best one-take video, a classic from 1976:

    The film director/driver makes it across pre-dawn Paris, from Porte Dauphine to the Sacré Cœur, in under 8 minutes, all one take = Insane.

    C'était un Rendez-Vous:

    http://www.vimeo.com/2840720

  9. stinkyplum
    September 28th, 2009 at 5:33 am

    I'd enjoy the Honda ad more if it was an original idea and not ripping off "Der Lauf der Dinge".

    My favourite music video apparantly shot in one take is Cibo Matto's Sugar Water:
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1j5eh_cibo-matto-sugar-water-pv_musi c

  10. alan smithee
    September 28th, 2009 at 7:06 am

    This is my vote for best ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnSIp76CvUI&feature=player_embedded Robert? Carlyle is great. Love it when he tells the piper to shut it.

    Here's an interview with the director: http://www.shots.net/article_detail.asp?atype=1&id=9071

  11. Thadd
    September 28th, 2009 at 7:51 am

    Two of my favorites:

    David Ford's looping music video of his song "Go To Hell":
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVky7hwuebU

    The history of Johnnie Walker whiskey (6 minutes):
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBle2l-MhWs

  12. angstrom
    September 28th, 2009 at 7:52 am

    Yes, 'Cog' is awful ad-agency plagiarism. They took two takes and it does use CG.

    Please don't give ad-agency thieves credit that they don't deserve. Would you like to see the rip-off of the OK GO video also? Make your own mind up if this ad agency is 'creative' or not.
    http://www.berocca.co.uk/ad/latest-tv-ad.htm

  13. lozlick
    September 28th, 2009 at 9:35 am

    This Kaiser Chiefs one gets my vote for best one-take video. Very well done and well coordinated.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBKCbnkloKo

  14. erwin
    September 28th, 2009 at 9:36 am

    how about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4KUq7G_qs
    The longest one-take music video ever!!!

  15. Cluck
    September 28th, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Russian Ark (2002) was film in one continuous shot and it's 96 mins long.

    Tag line: 2000 Actors. 300 years of Russian History. 33 Rooms at the Hermitage Museum. 3 Live Orchestras. 1 Single Continuous Shot.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318034/

  16. Alex
    September 28th, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Calling cog an ad-agency plagiarism is like calling Rembrandt a fraud for being the first to come up with the concept of the portrait.

    They did 606 takes, actually. What you saw was all on one take (with two cameras). CGI was used to enhance the water spritz and remove some dangling wires. The actual Rube Goldbergian contraptions were all real. You guys are just haters.

  17. fsdoubleflip
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:11 am

    wouldn't the more appropriate term for these videos be continuous shot? I mean when I saw the one take, I was under the impression that they did the scene (or whatever) once and went with it. Just wondering.

    Here's some other continuous shot videos that I happened to have to watch for my art class. Both of them were directed by Spike Jonze

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPT7q825gwI

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqgN0T6f1kg

  18. angstrom
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:19 am

    Alex, I don't think that comparison is valid.

    sure, Der Lauf Der Dinge and Cog are both kinetic art presented on film - but one is a commercial product which capitalised on the original ideas of the former. It's my own opinion that the original work is still better, and is also more closely related to the post topic.

    It's mere ad hominem to dismiss us as 'haters' if we say that than the original is superior to the derivative commercial work. The point is not whether the second is 'any good', but does the original really deserve less merit than the copy?

    Do we raise Jamiroquai on high and not mention Stevie Wonder?

    Seems odd to me.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/artists-claim-honda-copied-the ir-film-in-tv-cog-advert-539158.html

  19. newerakb
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:26 am

    while not a 'video clip', it must be mentioned that the movie Children of Men has a 7.5 minute single-shot war scene with dialog, explosions, the works.

  20. Blake
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:35 am

    I can't believe no one has posted the Johnnie Walker commercial yet.

    The Man Who Walked Around the World (2009)
    Starring Robert Carlyle.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnSIp76C

  21. Jamie
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    David Ford's video for "Go To Hell" is made even cooler by the fact that he plays all the loops used in building the song in the video himself- a one-take audio & video masterpiece.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVky7hwuebU

  22. Michael2673
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am

    i prefer the original university lipdub:

    http://universitylipdub.com

  23. Take That
    September 28th, 2009 at 11:58 am

    @ newerakb

    The Children of Men take was actually not one take and did involve editing and CGI...

    Just letting you know. Still awed by it though.

    :P

  24. Tom Taborda
    September 28th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

    Chico César: "Mama África"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9GyFmQxUOg

  25. Steven
    September 28th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    The new Wallpaper music video was all one shot. 8 1/2 minutes long, slowed and sped up! So good.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSIgPGGe1O8

  26. Wes
    September 28th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    It's funny how often people will argue a point without first looking it up. Yes, Cog was two takes, edited together/ It also involved CGI for various purposes, including changing the speed of some of the action, recentering the shot and editing together the aforementioned takes.

    Oh, and ...

    "And it was taken in more than one takes yes, but the final product of what you’re seeing is in one take."

    ... makes no sense. It was either shot in one take or it wasn't. If there was even one edit, it wasn't one take.

  27. Manticore
    September 28th, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    I still like the Chiodos version of Flagpole Sitta better. >:|

    Craig Owens > Harvey Danger

    stupid Chiodos. >.<
    kick him out my ass....*wanders off mumbling*

  28. Cliff De Ford
    September 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    That's nothing...

    Watch this Michel Gondry video...

    "Lucas with the lid off" by Lucas

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5HOsnq_2j4

  29. Geekazoid
    September 28th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

    My personal favorite:

    The sushi conveyor belt! Has become an uber cliche, but its original form was awesome.

  30. hanah
    September 28th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    I love this one take music video that Robert Downey Jr. did of Elton John's song. There's so much history to this song, too! RDJ was in the depth of his rehab stuff at this point.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_u6l7EsQMc

    He has so much talent!!

  31. spiceboy
    September 28th, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    Another famous one-take is the music video for "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls which won a VMA for Best Dance Video in 1997.

    Although not TECHNICALLY a single shot, it's the two best takes spliced together. (The split occurs right after 2:40 in the video)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewBQBMt5d_w

  32. Ethan
    September 28th, 2009 at 10:46 pm

    I'm surprised no one mentioned any of these one take lip dubs done by college kids in Singapore. The first one especially is great.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHHojpdwnTs

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm6YKpzpsPA

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDaD4PcB2fk

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEZ7gJGTd3A

  33. Ali S.
    September 29th, 2009 at 12:40 am

    Loved the last few vids as I haven't seen them! :)

  34. Elizabeth
    September 29th, 2009 at 1:34 am

    In the book "Elements of Cinema" by Sharff, which I've spent far, far too much time studying, he establishes the name for this technique as "moving camera, single take." He refers to it as one of the things that makes up the grammar of film, or something that is unique to the film as an art form, and thus worthy of being studied.

    It's actually pretty fascinating if you're into film theory at all, I suggest you pick it up. But yes, it is a bit confusing to some people to hear "single take" because when you're calling out the slates on a set you say "take one" "take two" etc. But that's just the process of production, once a film is actually made and being watched, it would be hard to describe the action with any other term (even calling it a single shot wouldn't properly describe what's occurring). So it is still the best term, and the accepted term.

  35. heather
    September 29th, 2009 at 4:27 am

    These are all great! the BEP dub actually made that song palatable, and the car commercial is simply fantastic.

  36. Maarten
    September 29th, 2009 at 6:44 am

    We shot a musicvideo for Norman Kapoyos about two years ago. 1 shot, with acting, lipsync and dancing.

    http://vimeo.com/397869

  37. Bre
    September 29th, 2009 at 8:04 am

    You forgot this one--Johnnie Walker short film. Blows these others away.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnSIp76CvUI

  38. MisfitToys
    September 29th, 2009 at 10:10 am

    How about Nick Cave's Henry Lee featuring PJ Harvey. They barely knew eachother and shot this 3 minute video, falling in love in the process.

  39. Darkmage4
    September 29th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    What, no love for Tony Jaa?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-kDr8h7qY

  40. Angry Jake
    September 29th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    How has no one mentioned "Baby Baby Baby" yet?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQGhq0IlVok

  41. Anon12876
    September 30th, 2009 at 4:15 am

    I was told the only reason Honda shot that ad in two takes was that their studio wasn't big enough to build it all at once. So they filmed two halves and put them together. I think it's amazing and it's silly to say they ripped off Der Lauf Der Dinge. Both the ad and the film use essentially a Rube Goldberg machine so following your logic they both ripped of that idea.

  42. Nyle
    September 30th, 2009 at 9:53 pm

    Damn, is it really better than OKGo? That's my shit, anyway thanks!

  43. Chelsea
    September 30th, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    Another good one is Metric's video for "Gimme Sympathy". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqldwoDXHKg great Canadian band!

  44. Alex
    October 1st, 2009 at 3:22 am

    Nyle - you rock! Thanks for stopping by....

  45. DaveS
    October 2nd, 2009 at 10:36 am

    I don't see what's so amazing about the Nyle video. Musicians who play live always play a song in one take. And any theater student knows that lots of time and action can take place in a single complex scene. With enough rehearsal, professional performers can do anything.

    The lip sync videos that are done on the second take, with minimal rehearsal, by amateurs, THAT'S amazing.

  46. kai
    November 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 am

    TAKE A LOOK AT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9rENwZ9yGA
    onetake, no editing. have fun and please leave comment!


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