Time Code

The digital video camera made it possible for Mike Figgis to try out a revolutionary concept. With four cameras shooting in synchronisation, he recorded four non-stop takes of 90 minutes. On the screen, divided in four, the images from the four cameras can be seen simultaneously. Each camera tells – of course in real-time – the story of four people who are trying to get their film production or film career off the ground in Hollywood. The four storylines gradually come together. The dialogues by the strong cast are largely improvised. Despite the technical tour de force, the story is strikingly lightfooted, filled with satirical witticisms and stereotypes. Figgis shot the story 15 times in a period of two weeks. While previous directors had claimed to have used the concept of one-take/real-time – Badham with Nick of Time (1995), Hitchcock with Rope (1948) – Time Code is the first commercial film in which this mission was verifiably completed.