We’re excited to host filmmakers Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers & Kathleen Hepburn, who join us for a discussion about long takes — shots that last for an extended period of time without cutting — and, in particular, their groundbreaking use of an 90-minute long take in their 2019 feature film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. Shot entirely on 16mm film, Hepburn and Tailfeathers collaborated with cinematographer Norm Li to overcome the format’s limitations to achieve this aesthetic feat.
In this episode, we discuss:
The production of The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, particularly in regards to the film’s central formal conceit of a single unbroken long take.
Celluloid-based cinematography and the implications it has for attempts at long takes. In particular: how does one film a single 90-minute take on a format that can only roll for 11 minutes at a time?
On-set sound recording in the context of long takes, and how those recordings can be used to create complimentary soundscapes.
Power dynamics, representation, and how those considerations can guide aesthetic decision-making.
The ‘aura’ surrounding long takes in filmmaking culture.
Additional resources:
A VIFF featurette with behind-the-scenes footage of the making of The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.
