Art of the Title

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Snake Eyes (1998)

Snake Eyes
It isn't lying! You just tell them what you did right, and you leave out the rest!
—Rick Santoro
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Here comes the pain.

Feeding off Nic Cage’s dickish-but-funny vapors the opening sequence to Brian De Palma’s Snake Eyes impresses as bits of narrative register and bullets fly. The sequence plays continuous but reportedly has eight cuts. Where are they?

Afton Grant, from the Steadicam resource site Steadishots:

The full opening sequence continues for almost 13 minutes but the first 7 minutes contain the best examples of the Steadicam work by McConkey. Within the full 13 minutes, there are 8 well hidden cuts, mostly in either whip pans or something crossing full frame.

This shot, and the sequence as a whole, are excellent examples of a director’s vision, and understanding of the tool. Add to that vision, a great amount of trust and collaborative respect for an operator, and you get a shot that people talk about for years to come.

  • Credits

SHOT DETAILS
Operator: Larry McConkey
Length of Shot: 13:00
Shot Elements: Long shot, Stairs, Escalators, Dutch Roll, Whip Pans

Related

  • Single Take Titles, Part 3: Steadicam’s Long Take

    Single Take Titles, Part 3: Steadicam’s Long Take

    feature

Title sequence

  • Category

    Film
  • Styles

    1990s, live action, main title, single take
Snake Eyes
  • Film Director

    Brian De Palma
  • Release Date

    August 7, 1998
  • Aspect Ratio

    2.35:1
  • Studio

    Paramount Pictures
  • Country

    USA
  • Language

    English
  • Reviews

    Reviews on Letterboxd
  • IMDb has full details

Article

  • Writer

    Alexander Ulloa
  • Published

    December 21, 2009

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