Slit-scan photography

[1] Originally used in static photography to achieve blurriness or deformity, the slit-scan technique was perfected for the creation of spectacular animations.

Though this type of effect is now often created through computer animation, slit-scan is a mechanical technique.

John Whitney developed it for the opening credits of the Hitchcock film Vertigo.

Slit-scan was used by Bernard Lodge to create the Doctor Who title sequences for Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker used between December 1973 and January 1980.

Slit-scan was also used in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) to create the "stretching" of the starship Enterprise-D when it engaged warp drive.

Example of a slit-scan photograph, of hands typing on computer keyboard. The slit scan runs top-to-bottom.
Slit-scan of a person's head rotating