History Main / OneTakeWonder

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII': Due to his busy schedule, Sir Creator/ChristopherLee told the voice directors that he would go to the studio, read out his lines for Ansem the Wise exactly once, and then walk out.

* The Italian dub of ''Manga/DeathNote'' had Light's EvilLaugh from the last episode (widely regarded as one of the best versions!) done in one take by Flavio Aquilone.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Two examples from the English dub.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': In Giorno's NoHoldsBarredBeatdown towards Cioccolata, the former lets out his {{Kiai}} for 30 straight seconds. Cioccolata's English actor, Creator/BillButts, revealed that Giorno's English actor, Creator/PhillipReich, performed that entire scene in one take.
** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': Creator/YongYea, Pucci's English actor, confirmed in a [=YouTube=] video that he was able to record his death scene in one take, and even showed a [[https://youtu.be/DSz-eQLQE8c behind-the-scenes video]] of him voicing the scene, including him needing to drink water due to feeling lightheaded.
* The final scene of episode 48 of ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'', where main characters Hikaru and Lala bid each other a tearful farewell, was performed by actresses Eimi Naruse and Creator/KonomiKohara in a single take. Their strained performances were genuine, not only because of the raw emotion of the scene itself, but also due to their realization that [[RealitySubtext the show was almost over]] and they wouldn't be meeting up regularly to record anymore.
* In Episode 7 of the anime adaptation of ''Literature/WhenSupernaturalBattlesBecameCommonplace'', not only was Hatoko's infamous rant towards Andou done entirely in one take, Hatoko's VA, Creator/SaoriHayami, pulled it off on the very first take as well. Given the toll it took, she had to go home to rest her voice after that.

** The titular song was originally conceived as a more up-tempo rock song; it was eventually retooled into a romantic ballad to better fit the scene. Creator/AngelaLansbury, who portrayed Mrs. Potts, was initially reluctant to provide the vocals, thinking herself a poor fit for the style of song. At the directors' request, the actress recorded one take as a backup, in case no other options were found. Lansbury reportedly brought the entire studio to tears with her performance.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'': Creator/EllenDeGeneres did the "I look at you and I'm home" speech in one take, and wasn't able to get through the second because she was so caught up in the emotion of the scene. They used the first.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'': According to Milt Kahl, Geraldine Page nailed every single one of Medusa's lines in one take.

* Creator/NatalieWood was known for getting all her lines right on the first take - and she was nicknamed 'One Take Natalie' as a result.

* ''{{Film/Alien}}'': The iconic chestbuster scene needed one take, and the story behind it is interesting: The actors read what was going to happen, but no one really expected Creator/JohnHurt to act like he was having a heart attack or to see blood exploding from his chest, [[EnforcedMethodActing so their reaction was genuine]]. As Creator/SigourneyWeaver said, they thought John Hurt really was dying right there.
* Creator/AnthonyHopkins astounded the crew of ''Film/{{Amistad}}'' by delivering the entire seven-page courtroom speech in a single take. Creator/StevenSpielberg was so in awe, he couldn't bring himself to call him Tony, and insisted on addressing him as Sir Anthony throughout the shoot.
* ''Film/BatmanReturns'': Creator/MichellePfeiffer got so good at using a whip that she was able to do the scene where Catwoman knocks the heads off a row of mannequins in one take. The crew gave her a round of applause for it and she [[ThrowItIn improvised]] using the whip as a jump rope to celebrate.
* The "Malkovich, catch!" scene of ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'' almost didn't enter the movie, as it was getting late and Creator/SpikeJonze feared drive-by beer can to the head would be hard to achieve. Yet the guy who volunteered to do so, an assistant of John Cusack, nailed it on the first try!
* ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance'', by nature as an entire film [[TheOner done in one take]], had to nail each sequence on the first try, or else set the production back significantly. Apparently, Creator/ZachGalifianakis was particularly talented at this--though he did mess up occasionally, he was able to save messed up takes through improvisation.
* ''Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai'' had only one chance to destroy the titular bridge due to how long it took to build it and how expensive the set was (it featured an actual train getting destroyed as it crossed a collapsing bridge). [[AllOrNothing If they messed it up, the film was ruined.]] [[ForegoneConclusion But they got it right.]]

** In the DVD Extras, it's mentioned that they only purchased two Lamborghinis for the scene in which Bruce Wayne blocks the truck driver's attempt at running over Coleman Reese. It wasn't the end of the world if they got it wrong on both takes, but splashing a million dollars on two cars is naturally not exactly the optimal scenario. However, everything went right on the first try.
* ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'': The scene outside in the snow after Neil's suicide was done in one take due to the fact that it started snowing.
* ''Film/DrWhoAndTheDaleks'': As an incentive, Roberta Tovey (who was 11 at the time the film was produced) was paid a shilling (5p) by director Gordon Flemyng every time she did a scene in one take. She made so much money, Flemyng didn't offer her the same deal for the sequel.

* In ''Film/{{Elf}}'', the elaborate Christmasland display that Buddy makes for his first day at Gimbel's Department Store took hours to set up. As such, the hilarious, room-trashing fight between Buddy and the MallSanta was done in only one take, as the producers didn't have time to recreate the set.

* The scene in ''Film/ExtremePrejudice'' where Creator/PowersBoothe picks up a scorpion then crushes it with his bare hand was done in one take.
* Bobby's scene with his father in ''Film/FiveEasyPieces'' only required one take.

* The train-on-a-collapsing-bridge setup was done for the climax of Creator/BusterKeaton's ''Film/TheGeneral''.
* The racetrack scene in ''Film/{{Get Carter|1971}}'' was done in one take.
* Sonny's death scene in ''Film/TheGodfather'' was the most expensive in the movie to set up and film, for it cost over one hundred thousand dollars to set up, and was finished in just one take from four or five different camera angles.
* Creator/EliWallach refused to do another take of the train scene in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' after almost getting decapitated. Thankfully, it only required one.
* ''Film/HardBoiled'': Because of the shooting schedule, the crew only had one chance to perform the continuous take during the gun-battle in the hospital.
* ''Film/HighAndTight'': Kaireht Yovera was given free reign to improvise during Becky's ConfessionCam segment. What she improvised was significantly better than what had been written for her. They did however two more takes, because the loud rain outside was affecting the sound.
* ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'': Stephen Hunter (Bombur) caught the egg thrown into his mouth on the first take, but was unable to catch it on subsequent takes. Therefore the take used was the first one.

* Many of the more complex stunts in the Film/JamesBond films were done exactly once, such as the full corkscrew in a car in ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' and the ski jump from ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''.
* Creator/JonathanFrakes is known on sets as "Two-takes Frakes" due to the efficiency of his directorial style
* Creator/SpencerTracy's eleven-minute closing speech in ''Film/JudgmentAtNuremberg'' was filmed in one take.
* ''Film/JurassicPark1993'': Creator/JeffGoldblum claimed that his reaction to seeing a Brachiosaurus for the first time was captured in one take ("you crazy son-of-a-bitch, you did it"), with Steven Spielberg dictating to him off-camera what expression he wanted.
* Creator/ClorisLeachman's last scene in ''Film/TheLastPictureShow'' was printed on the first take without any previous rehearsals. She wanted to rehearse the scene but director Creator/PeterBogdanovich thought it would ruin the scene if it was rehearsed. After she completed the take she said to him, "I can do better." He replied, "No, you can't - you just won the Oscar." Ultimately his sense of direction paid off, as Leachman won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for her performance.
* The scene in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers'' where Gandalf calls for his horse, and Shadowfax comes galloping across the fields and straight up to his Master, was achieved on the first take.
* ''Film/TheMaster'': Creator/JoaquinPhoenix's unhinged performance as an alcohol-addled follower of a cult was on full display in a [[ThrowItIn largely improvised scene]]. Phoenix went absolutely berserk, and his first take at the scene was the one Creator/PaulThomasAnderson chose to use in the final cut.
* The falling bookcase gag in ''Film/TheMummy1999'' was done in one take.
* According to Creator/SidneyLumet, the "Mad as Hell" speech in ''Film/{{Network}}'' was filmed in one and a half takes. Midway through the second take, Creator/PeterFinch abruptly stopped in exhaustion. Lumet was unaware of Finch's failing heart at the time, but in any case, did not ask for a third take. What's in the completed film is the second take for the first half of the speech, and the second half from the first take.

* The climactic scene in ''Film/ThePitAndThePendulum'' of Nicholas strangling Elizabeth was all done in one take.
* The climactic mall pole slide sequence in ''Film/PoliceStory'' was filmed in one take, without any rehearsals or use of wires.
* In ''Film/PoolhallJunkies'' there is a scene where Creator/ChristopherWalken is called upon to make a trick shot. He was supposed to take a practice run of the scene before filming but he asked for the practice run to be filmed in case he actually made the shot on the first try, which he did.
* "Your Crowning Glory" from ''Film/ThePrincessDiaries 2'' was the first time Creator/JulieAndrews had sung in public, or on-screen since she had throat surgery in 1997. She reportedly nailed the song on the first take, and brought tears to the eyes of the crew present.
* The psychiatrist's speech at the end of ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' was considered an extremely important part of the film, since it provided the detailed {{Exposition}} needed to understand everything that had happened up to that point. But since the speech was so long and full of nuance, by all expectations it should have been a struggle to film. Instead, actor Simon Oakland did it perfectly in the first take, leading Creator/AlfredHitchcock to stand up, shake his hand, and say "Thank you very much, Mr. Oakland. You've just saved my picture."
* There was only one take of the abduction scene in ''Film/RabbitProofFence'', because it was so traumatic to the child actors.

* ''Film/RomeoAndJuliet1968'': Creator/OliviaHussey's first scene to be filmed was where Juliet hurries to see Friar Laurence and bumps into Paris. She imagined that Juliet would have ran all the way there and so would be all agitated and out of breath, so she did laps all around the set to get herself in the mood. She then told Franco Zeffirelli he didn't need to direct her and went straight into the scene. Once cut was called, there was a moment of silence before the director chimed in "One Take Hussey I think we'll call her now."

* ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'': Creator/MarilynMonroe was notorious about insisting on multiple takes (the "where's that bourbon" line took ''eighty-one'' takes before she was happy). But for the upper berth bed scene, they did the whole thing in one take and at the end Marilyn said "I loved it too" -- shocking everyone.
* Creator/MerylStreep did the final scene of ''Film/SophiesChoice'' in one take and refused to do it again, saying that as a mother, she found it too painful and emotionally draining.

* ''Film/Titanic1997'': The scene where the Grand Staircase floods had to be shot in one take because the whole set would have been too damaged for a second. The water destroyed the period-accurate materials to the point where wood blocks and even an actual part of the staircase became dislodged while filming.
* ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird'': Atticus Finch's closing statement, in which Finch demanded the jury "do their duty", was originally planned to take several days. But Creator/GregoryPeck somehow managed to nail the speech in only one take--that alone was enough to guarantee Peck's only Best Actor Oscar.
* ''Film/TradingPlaces'': Creator/DonAmeche, who played [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Mortimer Duke]], abhorred swearing, so he agreed to film only one take of Mortimer yelling "[[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]] [[VillainousBreakdown him]]!" towards the end and apologized afterwards.

* According to Creator/KevinSmith, Creator/JohnnyDepp never learned his opening monologue for ''Film/Tusk2014'' because a misprint in his script gave him the impression he'd be delivering that monologue off-screen (meaning they could just ADR it in later). Undeterred, Depp grabbed the script and memorized the scene in five minutes flat. He ended up nailing the monologue in ''one take''.
* For obvious reasons, they had only one take in ''Film/VForVendetta'' to shave Creator/NataliePortman's head.
* Creator/MartinScorsese claimed that the scene in ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'' where Jordan attempts to get in his car while extremely impaired on Lemmons was improvised on the day of filming, and that it was Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio's idea to open the car door with his foot. [=DiCaprio=] strained his back during the scene, and was only able to perform the stunt once.
* Creator/RobertMitchum's speech in the Lakota language in ''The Way West'' was shot right after his teacher read it to him just two times out loud! Mitchum only needed one take to do it flawlessly and his teacher said that it was the best Lakota accent he had ever heard. (Mitchum was famous for his phenomenal memory.)

* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'': The final scene of the series finale, set in Mr. Feeny's old classroom at John Adams High, was completed in the first take because the cast was far too distraught to try for another one. Even in the take they got, both Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong are in tears and choking up as they deliver their lines. Even Creator/WilliamDaniels, a consummate professional, seems to have difficulty with his (and the show's) final line.

* Done as part of the EnforcedMethodActing in ''Series/{{Broadchurch}}'': actors were deliberately given little time to prepare and no rehearsal, and though they ''filmed'' retakes, they actually ''used'' the first take for the vast majority of scenes.
* During an episode of ''Series/{{Connections}}'', host James Burke pulls off a feat of timing a monologue on a rocket launch to coincide with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WoDQBhJCVQ an actual rocket launch in 1978]]. It was the launch of ''Voyager 2'', which would visit all the planets of the Outer Solar System. Burke had only one chance to time this shot, as it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the rocket's launch; if he messed up the timing even slightly, the shot would have been ruined, with no way to fix it (since such techniques didn't exist at the time). However, despite having only one try to get it right, the shot was captured perfectly.

** The circus tent explosion in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E4TheGreatestShowInTheGalaxy The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]" was supposed to be mostly special effects, but the crew brought the wrong equipment and had to do it with real pyrotechnics. The explosion ended up way bigger than it was supposed to be, but in a Real Life Moment of Awesome for Creator/SylvesterMcCoy, he maintained his UnflinchingWalk despite being a little bit on fire because he knew they weren't going to get another shot.
** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]", The TARDIS console room exploding during The Doctor's regeneration was done in one take because of the coral pillars being really expensive to redo, so multiple takes was not on the cards.
* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': The infamous ending to "[[Recap/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAirS4E24PapasGotABrandNewExcuse Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse]]" includes only the first take, despite the fact that Will's baseball cap fell off after Uncle Phil hugs him and Karyn Parsons (Hilary) could be heard crying backstage. The cast and crew were too emotional to do another take.
* ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'': At one point Hannibal Lecter is seen performing an elaborate cooking trick where he throws an egg in the air, cracks it over the narrow edge of a spatula as it falls and catches the yolk inside a small bowl. The crew were convinced the trick was too difficult and prepared several dozen eggs as well as three chefs to act as [[TalentDouble hand doubles]]. Creator/MadsMikkelsen performed the trick perfectly on the first take with no rehearsals. Turns out Mikkelsen was a juggler in his youth, which he credited for being able to pull off the trick.
* In the ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' episode "Bad News", Lily steps out of a cab and tells Marshall that his father has died. This prompts an emotional reaction from Marshall, with him embracing Lily and crying "I'm not ready for this." Marshall's actor, Jason Segel, [[EnforcedMethodActing did not know about the twist before Lily said the the words]], and the scene was done in only one take.
* ''Series/ILoveLucy'': The second-season episode "Lucy is Enceinte" climaxes in a scene where Lucy, failing to find the opportunity to tell her husband Ricky she is pregnant, attends his nightclub show and submits an anonymous request for a song to celebrate her pregnancy. Ricky silently asks the women in the audience if they submitted it until he gets to Lucy, jokingly asks, and receives confirmation and is overcome with emotion and sings another song and dances with her. Ricky's actor Desi Arnaz happened to make a minor flub to the lyrics in that take, but the emotion and chemistry from his real-life marriage to Lucy at the time made the scene so powerful that crew and audience members loudly protested when a second take to correct the lyrics was suggested. The flawed but powerful first take was used.
* ''Series/{{Newhart}}'': The legendary [[TheReveal reveal]] scene at the end of the GrandFinale was shot in the only take -- ''without rehearsal'' -- because the live StudioAudience's initial reaction would not have been replicated on subsequent takes.
* The crew of ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' gave Creator/BrianBaumgartner this actual nickname. as many of his scenes as Kevin, were shot using only a single take of filming (including the famous scene of Kevin dumping his chili on the floor).
* The "Chandelier Scene" from the ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' episode "[[Recap/OnlyFoolsAndHorsesS2E07ATouchOfGlass A Touch of Glass]]", in which the Trotter brothers prepare to remove a priceless chandelier for cleaning only for their grandfather to unscrew the wrong one which crashes to the ground behind them, had to be done in a single take as they could only afford one chandelier for the gag. Creator/DavidJason and Creator/NicholasLyndhurst were under strict instructions to stand completely still and silent for 30 seconds after the chandelier dropped as the scene was originally supposed to be the final shot of the episode. Lyndhurst later claimed the director told him he would be fired if he made a mistake or [[{{Corpsing}} started laughing.]]
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': George's climactic monologue in "The Marine Biologist" was shot on the first take, and ''without rehearsal'' as the scene had only been rewritten the night before.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': Spock's emotional breakdown in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E4TheNakedTime The Naked Time]]" was shot in one take (as they didn't have time for a second one) -- though contrary to urban legend, it was ''not'' improvised.

* ''Series/{{Zoom}}'': An interstitial for an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' [[note]] For those interested, it's "The Last of Mary Moo Cow". [[/note]] reveals the "Zoom Znack" segment for fruit pizza was shot in a single take.

** The ending to the [[Music/OffTheDeepEnd "You Don't Love Me Anymore"]] music video where [[RockersSmashGuitars Al smashes an Ovation guitar]] was also done in one take. Al went on record saying the guitar cost $1,000 and it was the only guitar at that price that was going to be destroyed (which also meant that it was far more difficult to break than he originally expected).
* The AwardBaitSong "My Heart Will Go On" by Music/CelineDion for ''Film/Titanic1997'' was recorded in one take from her demo.

* Music/TheBeatles' cover of "Twist and Shout". Music/JohnLennon had a cold during the recording session, so the song was saved for the end of the session to save his voice. The band recorded it in one take, with John's voice sounding raspy and raw. They tried doing a second take, but John had "nothing left" according to the band mates. The first take was released on the ''Music/PleasePleaseMe'' album, and the rest is history.
** They were also able to record "Long Tall Sally" in one take due to the sheer number of times they played it live beforehand.

* Josh Gracin didn't think that he would be able to record Marcel's "Nothin' to Lose" due to it being [[MotorMouth incredibly rapid-fire]]... only to nail the song on the first take.

* Michael Stipe's haunting performance on Music/{{REM}}'s [[Music/OutOfTime "Losing My Religion"]] is all the more impressive for the fact that the vocal track was recorded in a single take. The band later described the whole process of creating the song as feeling like they had [[IJustWriteTheThing tapped into a base archetype]], as the rest of the composition and recording went nearly as cleanly.

* Lita Roza recorded just one take of her hit single "How Much is That Doggy In the Window"... because she absolutely ''[[CreatorBacklash loathed]]'' the song and only agreed to one take to placate her producer. It became a massive BlackSheepHit but she refused to sing it again; as far as anyone knows, the take on the record is the only time she performed it ''in her life''.
* The Kingsmen's cover of "Louie Louie" was recorded in one take; they thought it was a warm-up and didn't realize the tape was rolling. This, along with the primitive conditions of the recording studio, led to the [[IndecipherableLyrics infamous slurred quality of the vocals]] and also led to [[ThrowItIn a couple of mistakes ending up on the finished recording]]: the drummer can be faintly heard yelling an expletive after a fumble about a minute in, and the singer comes in too soon after the guitar solo and quickly stops to let the band catch up.

* Tommy Earl Jenkins' anguished performance as Die-Hardman in his final scene in ''VideoGame/DeathStranding'' was done in one take.
* Due to his busy schedule, Sir Creator/ChristopherLee told the voice directors for ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' that he would go to the studio, read out his lines for Ansem the Wise exactly once, and then walk out.

* Due to technological restraints of the time, ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'''s cutscenes were each recorded in one long take.
* The voice recording team of ''[[VideoGame/{{Skylanders}} Skylanders: SWAP Force]]'' were running short on time and by that point, and one of the [=NPCs=], Snagglescale, had a couple of long lines left. Instead of the team cutting them, his voice actor, Mitch Urban, [[https://twitter.com/DaveARodriguez/status/1627725151994527744?cxt=HHwWgIDSydrZ65YtAAAA did all of them together in one take]].

* LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} stated [[https://twitter.com/chuggaaconroy/status/1650242906815451137 on Twitter]] that the [[MotorMouth speedy]] capture equation reading from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQs_9ystWxc Episode 1]] of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' was recorded in a single take. He was expecting to mess it up and have to edit it in post, but he didn't need to.
* In ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'', Epic Lloyd as Genghis Khan draws his sword and cuts an easter egg in half in just one take while filming "Genghis Khan vs. The Easter Bunny".
* ''WebVideo/GoldStandard'' the scene of Fergal smashing [[spoiler:Tom's head in with the shovel]] was done by Bobby Calloway in one take -- including an ad-lib of Fergal pausing to check if he was still dead, [[BlackComedy before smashing him once more]].
* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': a Season 1 episode had a shot of a Warthog being blasted by a tank from the ground to the top of Red Base, landing perfectly upright. They thought this would be really tough to film, but to their astonishment it happened in one take. In the commentary, Burns muses that, in retrospect, they were for once doing something in the series that ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'''s engine was actually ''meant'' to do.
* Creator/JenTaylor nailed the narration from the first episode of ''Webanimation/{{RWBY}}'' in the first take, making the producers a bit uneasy ("Dude, we have her for an hour and she got it in the first two minutes, what do we do?").
* ''Creator/TomScott'' is very well known for doing this; making long speeches to camera. He very rarely cuts away for anything more than to show supplementary footage (or if his explanation necessitates him moving about).

* Creator/RobPaulsen performed the song "Yakko's World" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' in a single take, and he still sings it live at conventions.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': During [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld0uIhst3TA the Joker's eulogy to Batman]] in [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE51TheManWhoKilledBatman "The Man Who Killed Batman"]], Harley playing AmazingFreakingGrace [[KazoosMeanSilliness on the kazoo]] had to be done in one take because everyone was laughing too hard afterwards to do it again -- you can ''hear'' Creator/ArleenSorkin about to fall apart laughing through the whole song.

* PlayedForLaughs in an InUniverse example in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. [[ThePrimaDonna Calculon]] makes it a point to ''never'' do two takes on the ShowWithinAShow "All My Circuits." In "Bender Should Not be Allowed on TV," this causes problems when Bender goes offscript and delivers a long, emotional monologue during a nighttime hospital scene; Calculon tells the producers to "splice in some reaction shots of me," which leads to blatant continuity errors when said reaction shots come from an outdoor beach episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'': Billy Simpson, who voiced the young Spock in the classic episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeriesS1E2Yesteryear Yesteryear]]", recorded all of his lines in a single take for his audition and was later informed he would not be asked back to re-record them for the final episode. This is why several of his lines have odd affects (such as placing emphasis on the word "healer" instead of "here" in the phrase "I will bring a healer here").

** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]", The TARDIS console room exploding was done in one take because of the coral pillars being really expensive to redo, so multiple takes was not on the cards.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' reportedly had every single voice-line recorded during the same day. By the end, the voice actors were just as tired and weary as the characters they were portraying - which was [[EnforcedMethodActing wholly intentional]].

** Creator/TonyJay recorded all of Monsieur D'Arque's dialogue as part of his audition. The directors decided that his delivery was perfect as it was and that there was no point bringing him back to record the same lines again, so they sent his paycheck and used the audition recording exactly as it was.

* The voice recording team of [[VideoGame/{{Skylanders}} Skylanders: SWAP Force]] were running short on time and by that point, and one of the [=NPCs=], Snagglescale, had a couple of long lines left. Instead of the team cutting them, his voice actor, Mitch Urban, [[https://twitter.com/DaveARodriguez/status/1627725151994527744?cxt=HHwWgIDSydrZ65YtAAAA did all of them together in one take]].

* According to Creator/KevinSmith, Creator/JohnnyDepp never learned his opening monologue for ''Film/{{Tusk}}'' because a misprint in his script gave him the impression he'd be delivering that monologue off-screen (meaning they could just ADR it in later). Undeterred, Depp grabbed the script and memorized the scene in five minutes flat. He ended up nailing the monologue in ''one take''.

** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': In Giorno's NoHoldsBarredBeatdown towards Cioccolata, the former lets out his {{Kiai}} for 30 straight seconds. Cioccolata's English actor, Bill Butts, revealed that Giorno's English actor, Creator/PhillipReich, performed that entire scene in one take.

* ''Series/AlasSmithAndJones'', Griff Rhys-Jones has said that the main thing that stopped them {{corpsing}} in the head-to-head sketches was the knowledge that a retake wouldn't work because the audience wouldn't react the same way. If they ''did'' mess one up, they'd abandon it and refilm it with a new audience the following week.

* The racetrack scene in ''Film/GetCarter'' was done in one take.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': During [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld0uIhst3TA the Joker's eulogy to Batman]] in [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE51TheManWhoKilledBatman "The Man Who Killed Batman"]], Harley playing AmazingFreakingGrace [[KazoosMeanSilliness on the kazoo]] had to be done in one take because everyone was laughing too hard afterwards to do it again -- you can ''hear'' Creator/ArleenSorkin about to fall apart laughing through the whole song.

* Creator/JonathanFrakes is known on sets as "Two-takes Frakes" due to the efficiency of his directorial style* Creator/SpencerTracy's eleven-minute closing speech in ''Film/JudgmentAtNuremberg'' was filmed in one take.

* Creator/SpencerTracy's eleven-minute closing speech in ''Film/JudgmentAtNuremberg'' was filmed in one take.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E23Sarek Sarek]]", the mind meld scene was shot in a single take.

* LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} stated [[https://twitter.com/chuggaaconroy/status/1650242906815451137 on Twitter]] that the [[MotorMouth speedy]] capture equation reading from [[https://youtu.be/UJMc8bvfMX0 Episode 2]] of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' was recorded in a single take. He was expecting to mess it up and have to edit it in post, but he didn't need to.

* The final scene of episode 48 of ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'', where main characters Hikaru and Lala bid each other a tearful farewell, was performed by actresses Eimi Naruse and Creator/KonomiKohara in a single take. Their strained performances were genuine, not only because of the raw emotion of the scene itself, but also due to their realization that [[RealitySubtext the show was almost over]] and they wouldn't be meeting up regularly to record anymore.

* ''WebVideo/{{Aaron}}'': Thomas Fitzgerald did the close-up shot of Adam [[spoiler: revealing that his girlfriend miscarried]] in just one take.

* LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} stated [[https://twitter.com/chuggaaconroy/status/1650242906815451137 on Twitter]] that the [[MotorMouth speedy]] capture equation reading from [[https://youtu.be/UJMc8bvfMX0 Episode 2]] of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' was recorded in a single take. He was expecting to mess it up and have to edit it in post, but he didn't need to.

* ''{{WebVideo/Aaron}}'': Thomas Fitzgerald did the close-up shot of Adam [[spoiler: revealing that his girlfriend miscarried]] in just one take.
* ''Creator/TomScott'' is very well known for doing this; making long speeches to camera. He very rarely cuts away for anything more than to show supplementary footage (or if his explanation necessitates him moving about).

* ''WebVideo/GoldStandard'' the scene of Fergal smashing [[spoiler: Tom's head in with the shovel]] was done by Bobby Calloway in one take -- including an ad-lib of Fergal pausing to check if he was still dead, [[BlackComedy before smashing him once more]].
* Jen Taylor nailed the narration from the first episode of ''Webanimation/{{RWBY}}'' in the first take, making the producers a bit uneasy ("Dude, we have her for an hour and she got it in the first two minutes, what do we do?").

* ''Film/BatmanReturns'': Creator/MichellePfeiffer got so good at using [[WhipItGood a whip]] that she was able to do the scene where Catwoman knocks the heads off a row of mannequins in one take. The crew gave her a round of applause for it and she [[ThrowItIn improvised]] using the whip as a jump rope to celebrate.

* According to Creator/SidneyLumet, the "Mad as Hell" speech in ''Film/{{Network}}'' was filmed in one and a half takes. Midway through the second take, Peter Finch abruptly stopped in exhaustion. Lumet was unaware of Finch's failing heart at the time, but in any case, did not ask for a third take. What's in the completed film is the second take for the first half of the speech, and the second half from the first take.

When rehearsing and performing a scene or sequence it is often done multiple times in case there is a {{blooper}} in the first good take or trying to figure out the right tone by playing with multiple options, often referred to as the "safety" take. However when a performance is so phenomenal or so genuine another take would be deemed superfluous (or there is logistical issues where [[ShootTheMoney there isn't enough money to blow up another building in the background]]), so it becomes famous for getting it right on the first try.

When an actor's or a musician's performance is so phenomenal or so genuine (or, more simply, there are time and/or budget restraints), that a second or separate take could not possibly replicate the greatness of the first or the uncut take.

** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': Yong Yea, Pucci's English actor, confirmed in a [=YouTube=] video that he was able to record his death scene in one take, and even showed a [[https://youtu.be/DSz-eQLQE8c behind-the-scenes video]] of him voicing the scene, including him needing to drink water due to feeling lightheaded.

** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': Yong Yea, Pucci's English actor, confirmed in a [=YouTube=] video that he was able to record his death scene in one take and even showed a [[https://youtu.be/DSz-eQLQE8c behind-the-scenes video]] of him voicing the scene, including him needing to drink water due to feeling lightheaded.