10 Most Revolutionary Camera Shots In Film History

4. Vertigo (1958)

Vertigo 1958 Probably the most famous, yet also the most widely misattributed shot on this list: sometimes called €œThe Jaws Effect€, but also well-known for its use in Martin Scorsese€™s €˜Goodfellas€™, this is another of Alfred Hitchcock€™s major contributions to the art of cinema. Seen in the film as Scottie (James Stewart) is crippled by acrophobia when climbing the stairs inside the Mission San Juan Bautista tower, the shot was achieved by tracking the camera backwards whilst simultaneously zooming in, creating a vertiginous sensation of falling. Hitchcock€™s production team used a scale model to achieve this dolly effect, which is possibly why some consider the use of the technique in €˜Jaws€™ as more definitive. But it was undoubtedly €˜Vertigo€™ that got there first.
 
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Since studying Film and Art History at University, I’ve been an actor, movie stand-in and journalist. I have contributed to a number of media websites, worked on national daily newspapers, written fiction of all kinds and worked as a gravedigger.