The standard for an unedited, steadicam shot has always been Goodfellas -- the scene where Henry Hill and his wife-to-be Karen walk through the back of the Copacabana on the way to their table at the front of the club. Without the ability to edit the shot, it took director Martin Scorsese eight takes to get what he wanted.
Add 32 takes and you know what commercial director Jamie Rafn had to do to capture the long and winding shot that will be the new one-shot standard -- at least for whiskey drinkers. Rafn filmed "The Man Who Walked Around the World," a commercial that tells the story of Johnny Walker and the evolution of a whiskey powerhouse [via Eat Me Daily].
Any movie that begins with "Hey piper. Shut it," had me at "Shut it." The camera slides back to track actor Robert Carlyle
(Bond Villain who can't feel pain, cheeky anti-hero from The Full
Monty), who delivers a crackling speech on the origins of Johnny
Walker, all while ... walking. The progression from farmer to grocer to
distiller to blender to exporter is played out over a minimalist set in
the Scottish Highlands.
Hopefully the skillfully done advert
can help bump up bottom lines for the distiller. Johnny Walker's
parent company, Diageo, recently announced
that it will shutter the Johnny Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock,
Scotland, where Johnny Walker has been situated for 200 years,
resulting in a net loss of 400 jobs.
Whether it's to toast the
plant that will close or merely an afternoon cap, pour yourself a few
fingers of whiskey. Because this short film, like any food movie worth
its salt, is best viewed with something to drink.
