Lately, it seems that clever little one-take videos have been popping up all over the net. Whether it’s a gang of twenty somethings lip-synching around the office, a band trying to create some buzz or a filmmaker showing off his mad skills, the one-take video genre is becoming something of a legitimate art form.The “one-take” is usually pretty ingenious and more often than not forces you to say, “how did they do that?” even though, without editing, there really aren’t any tricks of the trade involved. Now that’s what we call reality programming! Here are a few of our current favorites:
1) "Subterranean Homesick Blues" – one of the original one-take wonders featuring the too-cool-for-school Bob Dylan in 1965 lip-synching "Subterranean Homesick Blues," while staring blankly at the camera and tossing cue cards onto the street. Click to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PedxiosPF8U2.)
2) “C’etait un Rendez-Vous” – a heart-stopping ride at roughly 60 mph through the streets of Paris, complete with the sounds of screeching tires and revving engines. Made in 1976 by director Claude Lelouch, it’s a passenger’s eye-view of the City of Light moments just before dawn – simply breathtaking. Click to: http://www.vimeo.com/2840720 <http://www.vimeo.com/2840720>
3) “I Gotta Feeling” – a recent entry by 172 students at the University of Quebec who all turned up to lip-synch a loosely choreographed, fairly exuberant version of the Black Eyed Peas hit, “I Gotta Feeling,” playing off the now infamous flash mob version that debuted on Oprah’s season opener a few weeks back. Click to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXpQqU3-0q
4) “Let The Beat Build” – an amazing one-take that features live music, with a large cast of singers, violinists, drummers, pianists and other musicians while Nyle, a rapping NYU college student, rhymes his way through three-plus minutes of surprisingly positive lyrics about making it as an artist in spite of tough economic times. Listen to it a few times and you won’t be able to get it out of your head, nor will you want to. Click to: http://vimeo.com/4189528?sec=&hd=1
5) “Here It Goes Again” – Previously unknown, rockers OK Go made a name for themselves with their show-stopping video for “Here It Goes Again.” Simple, cheap and brilliantly funny, OK Go’s astonishingly well-choreographed dance routine, performed entirely on moving treadmills demands repeated viewings.
6) “Mediate” – Call it a loving tribute or a wee bit of petty thievery, in 1987 Aussie band INXS borrowed heavily from the Bob Dylan video playbook with the video for their song “Mediate.” Though there’s one intentional cross cut at the start of the video, once Hutchence starts singing and hurling cue cards, all is forgiven. Click to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFUEgFdP5zE
Honorable Mention: Hats off, and a bit more, goes to the electro-rock duo Make The Girl Dance whose slightly scandalous yet amusing video for their dance track “Baby, Baby, Baby” features beautiful French models strutting down the streets of Paris lip-synching the lyrics, clad only in high heels and strategically placed blackout bars. Granted, the song is a bit lightweight, but watching the reactions of pedestrians is half the fun. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x99ein_make-the-girl-dance-baby-baby-baby_music
