Despite what our own Chris Bell might think, Derek Cianfrance‘s “The Place Beyond The Pines” is one of the best movies of the year, and it opens in a pretty spectacular fashion. Nodding to the Dardennes, we follow Ryan Gosling‘s motorcycle riding stuntman from behind as he suits up and walks through a crowded carnival to get to the circular steel cage where he’ll perform his death defying stunt. And it’s all done in one long take. It’s a lengthy sequence, with lots of extras and it likely required some serious precision coordination, but it seems to be a technique Cianfrance digs as he’s been putting it to use in the advertising world.
This March he dropped a pretty clever, baseball oriented spot for Dick’s Sporting Goods just as spring training was getting underway, and with the NFL preseason around the corner, he’s done it again with football. This new spot for Dick’s is another solid, single take that lasts a minute long, showing the offensive team getting ready for their next play. The camera dips and weaves from the field to the bench and back, nicely capturing the tension and excitement that comes with each snap of the football. Simple concept, executed with considerable flair.
Give it a watch below. “The Place Beyond The Pines” hits DVD and Blu-ray on August 6th. [Adweek]