Shiori Strauss Film History 1 Vertigo In 1958, Paramount Pictures released Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo.

The film was a huge mystery, thriller, romance that starred James Stewart and Kim Novak, two big time stars. Stewart played a San Francisco detective with a fear of heights while Novak, portrayed his love interest with a secret agenda. The story was originally a book and the director made it memorable. Thanks to Alfred Hitchcock this film is known as a classic and has very distinct shots that have been used by many directors since. The vertigo effect is something that is mentioned in A Movie A Weeks article on the film. This effect is known as one of the most famous shots used in Vertigo. Using models and tracking techniques, both Hitchcock and Burks pulled back the model while tracking in. This method forced the camera to extend the shot, which created the dizzy effect. The stairs were also in a particular shape, a concentric square. Since the film, the vertigo effect also known as the dolly zoom has been used in many well-known scenes. Movies such as E.T., Jaws, Poltergeist, Lord of the Rings have all used the dolly zoom. www.amovieaweek.com/vertigo In the film, the Vertigo Effect was significantly used in the multiple tower sequences. The stairwell was a perfect way to illustrate the effect. Detective Scotty, played by James Stewart, has a fear of heights, also known as vertigo, and in the movie when he looks down from a considerable height, Hitchcock and Burks illustrate his feelings by using the camera effect. In those scenes, the floor appears to be stretching out. When they go back to Scotty, his face is full of fear, anxiety and sweat. Although this was not one of Albert Hitchcocks favorite films, it is a classic that is analyzed and loved by many Hitchcock fans. I think its really cool how Vertigo was the first to show, and use the dolly zoom. I have seen it in so many classics, some mentioned above and I never thought about where it originated or how it was done. But, the effect has such an impact on the movie- if they didnt use it Im not sure if it would have been such a hit, it really expresses James Stewarts characters anxiety. Burks and the director, did what they had to do to get in the characters head and the fact that it impacted so many classics after, is pretty impressive.
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