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Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

May 12, 2013 by Udi Tirosh Add Comment

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Vertigo, Hitchcock’s 1958 classic just celebrated its 55th anniversary and rhizome released an interesting bit of information about the movie.

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

As with the other “late” Hitchcock movies, the opening sequences (designed by Saul Bass) correspond with motifs from the movie itself. For Vertigo there is a strong spiral element in the opening sequence, spirals that correspond to the staircase that triggers Scottie’s Vertigo.

Saul Bass insisted that the spirals, which represent 19th century equations, should be accurate and not drawn freehand, which requited both a pendulum and a rotating table (specifically an animation stand). Alas, no animation stand of that time could continuously rotate without its wiring getting messed up.

Hitchcock hired John Whitney who rigged up a WWII 850-lbs, 11,000-components anti-aircraft  targeting computer called The M5 gun director to a platform. It was a mechanical computer which needed 5 soldiers to operate, but a computer nonetheless. He then placed cels on that platform and used a pendulum to achieve the needed endless rotation

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

“Whitney realized that the gun director could rotate endlessly, and in perfect synchronization with the swinging of a pendulum. He placed his animation cels on the platform that held the gun director, and above it suspended a pendulum from the ceiling which held a pen that was connected to a 24-foot high pressurized paint reservoir. The movement of the pendulum in relation to the rotation of the gun director generated the spiral drawings used in Vertigo’s opening sequence.”#

There you go, computer generated graphics back in 1958.

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Possibly The First Movie To Use Computer Animation

[Did ‘Vertigo’ Introduce Computer Graphics to Cinema? | rhizome via Matthew G. Monroe]

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: Photo Blast From The Past, Video

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

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