Tracking shot

In a film,a tracking shot is a continuous shot in which the camera tracks a subject (often an actor but filmmakers have been quite creative) without any cut. Films are generally made in short takes and then later these short takes are stitched together in the editing process making it look like a one big sequence. But even after a good edited movie, it still misses to capture the raw flow of motion with the flow of time; many things change between two cuts, even if you keep the camera at the same position, the subject's posture, his mood, time of day, and other small things that give a broken experience - a theater lover will definitely understand it! . Tracking shots are meant to provide an uninterrupted experience by keeping entire focus on the subject, but doing so in a film setting it is very hard. The complexity mainly comes in combining the flow of camera with the flow of subject . But filmmakers have taken this as a challenge and have made significant achievements. Below is my list of top tracking shots -

1. Atonement Dir Joe Wright. (5 min 30 seconds)
Almost everyone, who had no knowledge of what a tracking shot is, noticed something special about this long sequence at the seafront as British flee from Dunkirk Beach during World war 2. For 5 mins, 30 seconds camera follows James McAvoy as he makes his way through the chaos where defeated soldiers are waiting for ships to take them home. The trajectory of camera and the detailed set design makes it a treat to watch every time. Unfortunately, i couldn't find a decent video.

2. Week-end. Dir Jean Luc Godard (10 minutes)
Week-end is one of the most experimental movies of Godard and as if the content of sequence was not enough, Godard goes one step ahead to make a tracking shot out of it. With the constant honking noise in background and with Godard's reference to French bourgeois, the scene becomes more and more profound as it unfolds.



3. Children of Men. Dir of Alfonso Curan (4 minutes 8 seconds)
Yes! it is a tracking shot. Believe it! Dir Alfonso Curan breaks all bounds by tracking an action sequence involving a moving car. One has to watch its making to fully comprehend the challenges and scale involved. The camera is hoisted on top of the vehicle with its hood removed. Check it out -



4. Goodfellas. Dir Martin Scorsese. 3 minutes 3 seconds.
Martin Scorsese's ingenuity has no limits and this scene from Goodfellas proves it. The smooth movement of camera as it comes down the stairs, as it covers the alleys of nightclub, through the kitchen and finally into the main dining hall, it is simply a masterpiece shot.



5. A touch of evil. Dir Orson Wells (3 min 30 seconds)
Considered to be the father of all tracking shots, this opening shot was a fresh inspiration to many film makers around the world. The camera's movements is choreographed with precision and elegance.




There have been few other noteworthy tracking shots. Akira Kurosawa has one in Rashomon when he tries to follow the hunter. Quentin Tarantino used it in Kill Bill, vol I, and Johnny To's opening sequence in Breaking news are few which are a delight to watch. But the one that is truly above all tracking shots is the movie The Russian Ark(Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov) which was filmed entirely in one single shot that is 96 minutes long!