As a complete newcomer with zero background and no industry clout, Eva knew she had to grab people by the throat from the very first second.
The opening of a film is crucial—it sets the artistic tone for everything that follows.
So, Eva made a bold decision: she would open with a long take. In fact, the entire film would be one continuous long take.
Five minutes. One shot. No cuts.
Only a long take has the power to stun an audience right out of the gate.
But long takes are grueling. They consume massive amounts of time and resources and require a director with a genius-level mind for logistics.
It demands masterful blocking, precise calculations, and perfect control. The cinematography, art direction, lighting, actors, dolly tracks, cranes—everything has to move in a complex, synchronized dance.
If one tiny thing goes wrong, the whole take is ruined. You have to start over.
That's why directors who pull off legendary long takes are worshipped as gods.
Despite the difficulty, directors everywhere are obsessed with them. Why? Because long takes offer something no other technique can match: absolute immersion. Realism.
Eva wasn't doing this recklessly. She actually had experience with this.
In her previous life, she ended her final film with a thirteen-minute long take. Critics and audiences hailed it as a masterpiece.
She had the talent; she just hadn't discovered it until it was too late last time.
To save money, she decided to have the actors rehearse extensively before the cameras rolled.
A five-minute long take with a complex setup usually takes three months to shoot. A simpler one takes a month.
Since this was a musical, the choreography added another layer of complexity.
Eva chose a song and dance number from the Broadway musical Spring Awakening as her blueprint. The dance team just needed to adapt it.
Saoirse, the lead actress Eva had chosen, handled the choreography. She was incredibly talented.
It reminded Eva of Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago. Zeta-Jones had done her own dancing, too. In the acting world, a true triple threat—singing, dancing, acting—is a rare genius.
Since Eva didn't rent a commercial set, they rehearsed on a quiet, maple-lined street in front of the college.
Eva and her troupe practiced there from dawn till dusk every day.
The plot of City of Angels was simple. It opened with Saoirse's character.
She walks down the stairs of her home, steps out the door, and enters the Dublin sunlight. She weaves through winding streets, with people passing in front of and behind the camera.
Then, she starts to dance and sing, as if praising the beautiful metropolis.
Gradually, other dancers join in, singing and dancing as they move in all directions.
During this, the camera glides from Saoirse to other characters, shifting focus seamlessly.
Finally, the group of teenagers dances and sings their way into the school.
They navigate twisting hallways, climb stairs, and weave through classrooms.
The school bell rings. The film ends.
Eva wanted to capture the vitality and youth of Dublin, fitting the "City of Angels" theme.
In just five minutes, the actors had to traverse streets, stairs, and classrooms. The scenery changed constantly, and the number of dancers and extras was complex.
Managing this chaos required a directorial hand that bordered on the supernatural.
Naturally, the actors had their doubts.
"We're acting students, we know how hard this is," one whispered to Saoirse. "Do you really think a rookie like Eva can pull off a one-take? A five-minute one-take?"
Saoirse shrugged. "I can't promise anything. But we took the job, so we do the work. Don't overthink it."
"I just feel like she's dreaming. There are so many actors, extras, location changes... it's going to be a nightmare."
Just then, Eva called Saoirse over. She was demonstrating a specific movement. "Saoirse, that was good. Your emotion is great, but you missed your mark."
Eva pointed to a spot in the distance. "You need to circle that pillar and pause behind it. Do a transitional move there, because the camera is going to pan over to Jack."
Saoirse nodded. "Got it. Transition, then hand off to Jack."
Eva turned to Jack. "Jack, when the camera hits you, you're dribbling the basketball while dancing. The focus is all on you. Watch your expression—you're losing energy."
Over the past few days, Saoirse had begun to understand Eva.
First, she was intensely focused.
Second, she wasn't a tyrant. She was approachable. Even when people grumbled, she didn't get angry; she just reasoned with them.
And she was professional. For a rookie, she was incredibly organized. She paced everything perfectly.
Saoirse held her in high regard.
After two weeks of rehearsals, the five-minute sequence was solid.
Eva then brought in the production crew she had hired. Now it looked like a real set: lighting technicians, makeup artists, art directors, cameramen, dolly grips.
Merging the technical crew with the rehearsed actors was another long, grinding process.
This was where the difficulty of a long take truly showed. Without strict directorial control, it fell apart instantly.
It took another three weeks for Eva to get every element—human and mechanical—working in harmony.
Outsiders might find it hard to believe that Eva spent five weeks on a five-minute film.
But if they knew it was a one-take, they'd be shocked she finished it in only five weeks.
When the camera crew brought the footage back to the studio for post-production, the VFX artists were skeptical.
"Five weeks? Done already?" Alan, a VFX artist, smirked. "You guys must have totally scammed that little girl."
The cinematographer set down his gear heavily and gave Alan a strange smile. "If you think that, you're in for a shock, Alan."
Alan frowned. "What do you mean? Are you telling me that rookie actually pulled off a five-minute long take?"
A five-minute long take...
Lighting, art direction, camera movement, actors, even the background extra on a bicycle—everything had to be perfect.
If one random extra walked the wrong way, cut. Start over.
And this girl had hired so many actors... in such a complicated location...
Could an eighteen-year-old rookie handle the spatial design and camera angles for all of that?
No. Absolutely impossible.
Alan figured the film was probably a mess—maybe 50% complete at best.
He opened the raw footage file to take a look. Eva was coming in tomorrow to supervise the edit, so he wanted to screen it first.
It opened with a standard over-the-shoulder shot.
The lead, Saoirse, walked down the stairs. Blonde hair, piercing green eyes.
She opened the door to the streets of Dublin.
Bright, serene, stretching out lazily. A street touched by angels.
The camera followed Saoirse as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians wove around her—some against the flow, some with it.
Then, she started to move. Even without the finalized audio, you could feel the rhythm as she began to dance and sing.
So far, nothing special.
But around the two-minute mark, Alan realized something was wrong.
The camera was still following Saoirse. It was a flawless continuous shot. No cuts.
Then, as the chorus hit, backup dancers flooded in. The camera slid away from Saoirse to a boy dribbling a basketball.
A moment later, a 180-degree whip pan. Using tracks and a stabilizer, the camera swung to another girl.
Dozens of boys and girls appeared, some passing by, some joining the march.
Alan started to feel short of breath.
By minute three, his scalp was tingling.
The number of dancers increased. The space became more complex, narrower. Yet the camera movement became smoother.
Dancers burst out of classrooms. Actors crisscrossed the frame. The camera glided and weaved through the tight spaces.
And still—no cuts.
By minute four, Alan's brain had short-circuited.
He stopped analyzing. He just stared in disbelief at the screen.
Could she really have pulled off a high-quality five-minute long take?
He watched with a mix of skepticism and awe.
Minute five arrived. The camera froze on Saoirse's face for the final second.
Cut to black.
Alan realized he hadn't taken a breath.
There was only one thought in his mind.
Holy shit.
Where did this monster come from?
She actually did it... a perfect five-minute one-take!