Spielberg and Slocombe know how to craft the perfect “oner”.
Editor Vashi Nedomansky has shared numerous videos that explore the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark. His focus on Spielberg’s first Indiana Jones adventure is no surprise because it’s a rare near-perfect adventure film. As such, its been a continual source of inspiration for filmmakers, including influencing the train sequence in the first Mission: Impossible.
As a classic A-grade reboot of the adventure serials, Raiders is surprisingly restrained in comparison to its sequels, leaning more towards “old school” filmmaking techniques you’d expect to see in epics like David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia.
In the video below, Nedomansky dissects one of Spielberg’s “ones” or “oners”. The camerawork is old school because it’s barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Today, filmmakers, such as David Fincher and Michael Bay, like to showcase their intricate camera movements.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
Floorplan animatic for the blocking of the prime lens camera + dolly movement in this Spielberg 90-second continuous "ONER" shot.#cinematography #filmmaking pic.twitter.com/YwEV1hBvjO— Vashi Nedomansky, ACE (@vashikoo) August 21, 2019
The animatic in the bottom left corner of the screen shows how Spielberg and his DP Douglas Slocombe shot this sequence with a dolly. A comparison between the final sequence and the animatic shows how a good DP can make a complex shoot seem simple on-screen. Intricate blocking and synchronous movement between cast and crew created a seamless flow in this oner.
Look at the composition of each shot as the actors move throughout Indy’s house. This one is well-executed. The continuous oner not only moves with the actors but goes from wide shot to mid-shots, including a great mid-shot of Denholm Elliot as he explains the historic search for the Ark of the Covenant. Then it breaks away as Indy moves to the fireplace and the camera focuses on him talking.
The only time this oner is interrupted is with one edit–an insert shot of Indy’s gun to emphasize his line: “You know what a cautious fellow I am.”
Spielberg’s long-time editor, Michael Khan, and the second unit or insert crew were responsible for this insert shot. Together, this insert and the “one” demonstrate the importance of the physical and emotional geography in selling a scene.
A plethora of articles could be written on Spielberg’s oners. But as a comparison, watch his most well-known “oner” in Raiders–the epic dolly shot tracking French archaeologist, Belloq, walking across the Nazi’s dig site.