VistaVision is a variant of the 35mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Studios in the 1950s. The film is run horizontally, as in a still camera, with a width of 8 perforations per frame. This gave a wider aspect ratio of 1.67 against the conventional 1.33, and a sharper image.

With all of the other major studios using CinemaScope, Paramount debuted VistaVision in 1954 with White Christmas. Alfred Hitchcock took to the format and used it for many of his films in the 1950s. However, it never really caught on, as it required new or retooled equipment all the way across the supply chain, from the camera to the theater projector, as well as twice as much film. In the end, VistaVision lost out in the general market to the less expensive, anamorphic systems such as Panavision and the more capable 70mm format. Since 1977 the format has enjoyed a renaissance as an intermediate format used for shooting special effects, thanks to the reduced grain and easy adaptability of compact still cameras.

Technical specifications

VistaVision (8/35)

• spherical lenses
• 8 perforations per frame
• horizontal pulldown, from right to left (viewed from base side)
• slightly less depth of field than vertical pulldown 35mm
• camera aperture: 1.485" (37.72 mm) by 0.981" (24.92 mm)

Famous films made using VistaVision

• The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• The Ten Commandments (1956)
• To Catch a Thief (1955)
• Vertigo (1958)
• White Christmas (1954)

References

• Hart, Martin (1996). The Development of VistaVision: Paramount Marches to a Different Drummer. Retrieved Dec. 28, 2004.