The problem is encapsulated in a lengthy scene, filmed in almost a single shot, in which Sissy, a lounge singer, performs a breathy version of 'New York, New York' that brings Brandon to tears.
(He also joked that the opening credits, a lengthy still shot of a vase of flowers, were "interminable" but that's probably on purpose).
He left me a lengthy angle shot at the end of his first turn, but I proved unable to conjure the appropriate "ghost ball".
When Bruno decides he wants to make a pilot for a celebrity interview show, the tape he shows to a focus group runs short of actual celebrity footage -- so he inserts a couple of lengthy shots of him swinging his penis like a lariat (and hands-free, at that) to throbbing techno music.
He also moved into what can only be described as minimalist documentary with Five (subtitled Dedicated to Ozu), which comprised a series of lengthy shots of Spanish landscape, and Shirin, composed of a series of headshots of women watching an unseen film.
Short shots with quick cuts convey a sense of dynamic energy, while lengthy shots feel calm and deliberate.
Though the lengthy shots become more varied, even noisy, the audience is still invited to experience beyond the passive act of looking.
Before the feathers fly and the going gets really crazy, though, we get to savour the infinite ridiculousness of Ferrell's fake beard, which is funnier every time you see it, and his absurdly stiff and pompous way of carrying himself – even in a supposedly suspenseful boat chase late in the movie, his face is emotionally frozen solid, his eyes perfectly dead, for three lengthy shots in succession.
Nava deliberately used lengthy shots so that viewers "would connect with the human endeavor of Beyoncé's awe-inspiring dance", with all the changes in looks, angles, and lighting executed live on-camera because he wanted to keep the feel "very organic and un-gimmicky".
