What is the camera effect where the background changes size while the subject stays the same?
Asked 9/27/2015
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I’ve seen a movie shot where the subject stays about the same size in the frame, but the background seems to expand or compress dramatically. I think it’s done by moving the camera on a dolly while zooming the lens in the opposite direction to compensate. What is this effect called, and how is it achieved?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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That effect was made famous in Hitchcock's Vertigo. It's called by various names: Hitchcock/Vertigo zoom, dolly zoom, reverse tracking shot.
To achieve this effect, the camera zooms in or out, while the dolly (movable platform on rails) moves the camera towards or away from the subject to keep the subject the same size, while the background zooms in or out.
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
10y ago
0
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This effect is commonly called a dolly zoom. It’s also often referred to as the Vertigo zoom or Hitchcock zoom.
It’s created by moving the camera toward or away from the subject on a dolly while zooming the lens in the opposite direction so the subject stays roughly the same size in the frame. As perspective changes from the camera movement, the background appears to stretch, compress, or expand behind the subject.
So it is not a change from telephoto to wide-angle without zooming; the zoom is an essential part of the effect, combined with camera movement.
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