Since the days of “X-Files” and “True Detective,” long takes have framed small screen stories. Very Good TV Podcast investigates why they work — and when they don’t.
Daredevil’s long take hallway fight scene really made me appreciate that type of shot. The scene just hits different when it’s choreographed to be done in a single take. It’s what made me love the John Wick movies.
Also, once you realize it’s supposed to be a single shot scene, it becomes really evident when they use hidden cuts to make it feel like a single shot. The most obvious is when someone or something temporarily blocks the camera.
Yeah, those action scenes work because they don’t let up or give the audience a chance to breathe. It brings you into the scene. When a shot cuts it creates a small amount of immersive distance, just like when a scene changes it creates a large amount of distance. They’re also just technically impressive when it comes to the choreography.
People hyped up “the hallway scene” in Daredevil, but it’s very short. There was another one in S02 that was way cooler IMHO