Vertigo Effect VERTIGO EFFECT In the movie vertigo the new kind of camera effect used for climactic moment is known as the “ Vertigo effect”, dolly zoom or push-up. The vertigo effect was created by simultaneously zooming in and tracking backward. The effect from this camera technique is that the foreground remains stable while the background expands backwards. The effect creates a visual equivalent of the disorientation Scottie experiences due to vertigo and acrophobia. To achieve this effect in the movie, the shot was created using a model of the towers stairs laid horizontally on its side, with the camera on a track. Likewise, the camera lens zoon in on the subject, while the camera itself is physically moved away from it and vice versa. This effectively make the focal point of the lens to change without distorting the composition of the image. This therefore causes the depth of the image’s information to either compress or stretch, therefore making the image look like it’s getting deeper or flatter. Objects in the foreground and background will appear to change in size relative to each other such that the foreground may get larger or stay the same size while the background shrinks, or the foreground may shrinks while the background gets larger or stays the same size (Coppel, 1986).
It symbolizes a feeling of dizziness, or a swimming in the head. Figuratively it symbolizes a state in which all things seem to be engulfed in a whirlpool of terror.
The other movie from the Film School Generation that employed this effect near the climax of the film is Poltergeist.
Reference:
Coppel, A., Taylor, S., & Hitchcock, A. (1986). Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo: Screenplay. Hollywood, Ca: Script City.
