Netflix’s latest miniseries, Adolescence, has taken the internet by storm, and for all the right reasons. With its gripping plot, powerhouse performances, and bone-chilling moments, it’s no surprise that viewers are hooked. But beyond the intense storytelling and emotional turmoil that the show throws its audiences into, there’s one technical aspect that has film lovers raving, the show’s masterful use of the “oner“.
So what exactly is a oner? And how does it connect to Seth Rogen’s The Studio Episode 2? Let’s break it down!
What is the “oner” every Adolescence-watcher keeps talking about?
Adolescence is a spine-chilling story about a young boy who tragically kills his classmates with no remorse in sight. The show delves into the incel culture, how the same parenting tactics can yield drastically different results and the idea that it doesn’t take evil to create evil.
But there’s something else making waves with the show, the use of the oner. So what is that? A oner, or one-shot take, is a filmmaking technique where a scene unfolds in a single continuous shot without any visible cuts. Adolescence in total has four episodes, and the camera doesn’t cut until the episode ends.
This technique is especially impressive because it demands flawless coordination between the actors and the camera, and pulling it off is very tricky. Both must be perfectly in sync, with no room for mistakes and no second chances. It’s a seamless dance where every move, every line, and every angle come together in real time to create pure magic.
While one-takes often ramp up the tension, making a scene feel even more stressful than it might otherwise, Adolescence uses this technique to explore a deeper emotional territory and practically drags its viewers into the dark state it’s set in. The oner here doesn’t just add stress, but it mirrors the raw, unsettling atmosphere the story already has.
This is how the show is linked to Seth Rogen’s The Studio and other masterpieces!
This technique has been in use for decades in Hollywood, some of the most famous oners in film history have now become legendary. As many would remember, it was seen in Children of Men, which featured an unforgettable long take during a chaotic battle scene, where the camera takes the viewers through destruction and panic, making the audience feel like they’re practcally in the middle of the warzone.
1917, on the other hand, pulled off a clever trick, stitching together long takes to make the whole movie feel like one continuous shot. This goes to show how this isn’t just for aesthetics but the emotional impact it has on its audience is also immense.
Goodfellas also has the iconic Copacabana scene, where Henry Hill and his date move through the nightclub in one fluid shot.
Beyond movies, TV shows have also embraced the oner. True Detective stunned audiences with a six-minute unbroken take following a tense raid through a neighborhood, while more recently, The Bear crafted an anxiety-inducing episode using this very technique.
And this very aspect also thus links this brilliant Netflix show to Seth Rogan’s The Studio, which took things a step further by dedicating an entire episode to an oner, even after going for it throughout the series, and using it not just as a technical effect but also integrates it in the actual subject of the episode’s plot.
This means that while every episode uses this technique in various scenes, in this one episode, called “The Oner,” one goes all in, delivering an intense, 25-minute real-time sequence that unfolds in what appears to be a single, uninterrupted shot. The decision was taken to immerse the audience in the chaos, pressure, and ticking-clock intensity that defines the show. The creative team, including Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra, meticulously crafted this high-wire act, making it one of the most ambitious episodes of the series.
Adolescence is streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
