One shot, one chance

Joseph Morel, director of our new brand film, Break the Cycle, reflects on the creation of the film and how important it was to get the impact just?right?

So far, the film has gained wide-spread positive reaction, with over 2?million views on Instagram alone. The narrative shines a spotlight on an experience that is clearly one many people working behind the scenes identifies?with.

So, the message is simple – it’s by working together that we can break the cycle of poor mental health behind the?scenes.

One more?take?

It’s 17:40?in the studio. With pack-down scheduled for 18:00, we only have time for one more take – our tenth attempt?at a 2?minute, 30-second continuous one-shot, the very heart of our film for the Film and TV?Charity.?

Overtime isn’t an option.?Not with the message behind this film. Not with what we believe in. Not with the generosity of the dozens of suppliers, cast, and crew – we have to get it?right.?

Originally, we had two days – one for blocking and rehearsals, one for filming. But as is so often the case in this industry, plans change. Now we have one day.?The pressure is immense, but it’s the good kind of pressure. The kind that sharpens?focus.?

For the past eight hours and forty minutes, we’ve slowly built the shot, layer by layer – starting with rough blocking, refining movement room to room, developing each moment with the actors. Balance is everything. The runner’s stress must build naturally, but without unfairly demonising any department or role. Every line must feel justified and?real.?

The film is being shown to the entire industry so if even one thing feels off – inauthentic, exaggerated or unbalanced – we risk a backlash that could drown out the entire purpose of our?film.?

Action!

Moments before the take, our 1st?AD, Azize, checks in. From my quiet corner behind Garden Studios’?LED screen, I give the thumbs?up.?

She calls camera and sound. The clapper snaps.?I take a breath and then…“Action”.

For the next two and a half minutes, I can do nothing but watch and hope. The camera weaves through the set, actors hit their marks, dialogue lands with precision and weight. Tension builds and builds – until we reach our climax and the coffee?spills.?

It’s the best spill we’ve had so far – poor Daniel Ings has already gone through ten white T?shirts?by this point. Andrew Boateng, playing the producer, delivers his final speech, berating the runner in front of the entire crew. We turn to Stephen McMillan, the Runner. “Cut”.

I know we’ve got it. But this one shot?is more than just a technical achievement. More than just an artistic choice – it is?the?film.?

Why The One?Shot??

The one-shot isn’t just about style – it’s about?truth.?

For our runner, there are no second chances. No “reset and go again.” The stress builds, moment by moment, as tasks pile up. The longer it goes on, the worse it?gets.?

For our audience, never cutting means never escaping. You’re trapped inside the moment, just like the runner. The camera doesn’t pull away, doesn’t give you a break, doesn’t soften the?reality.?

For our industry, the one-shot is a technical and artistic challenge – one that earns respect. If you want to make a film that professionals take seriously, you have to give them something impossible to?ignore.?

Our collaborators

For our collaborators, the one-shot was a final push to say yes, it was an ambition worth backing. It had to be executed at the highest level, and that challenge brought in the best. From post-houses like Final Cut, Machine Sound, and to the LED studio at Garden Studios, to equipment suppliers like S+O Media, Gripvan, Chapman UK, D?Lux Rental, Yellow Cactus, Duellium, and Audio Dept – everyone who came onboard had to believe in what we were trying to?achieve.?

And they did. Because there is something magical?about a one-shot. It’s what draws people into this industry in the first place – the promise that, for all the madness, the unpredictability, the chaos,?you might just capture something unrepeatable.?

What?we do doesn’t just entertain, occupy, or inform…it inspires. That’s why people fight to be part of this world. But that’s also why we have to change it, because magic shouldn’t come at the cost of?wellbeing.?

This film proves that we can create something demanding, intricate, technically brilliant – without breaking people to do?it.?

If we can capture something this special, without resorting to bad practices. If we can make something extraordinary, and do it the right way, then there’s no excuse not?to.?

Watch Break the?Cycle

Watch the film now and share with your colleagues and friends in the industry – together, we can break the?cycle.