Ever since digital formats began displacing physical film stock, the one-shot feature has become an increasingly enticing prospect for filmmakers looking to flex their creative muscles. But this can also lead to gimmickry, self-indulgence and an abandonment of the formal rigour which the old ways demanded. Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 2014 film, notable for being the first “one-shot” film to win the Best Picture Oscar, is both a thoroughly modern endeavour and a glorious ode to old school movie-making craft. Though made to look like it was made in one go, the film is actually comprised of hundreds of shots, with each cut carefully concealed. Thanks to the ingenuity of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone, Birdman compellingly sells the illusion of continuity. - Adam Woodward