# How long did that "split screen showing several shots at once" movie thing last? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-that-split-screen-showing-several-shots-at-once-movie-thing-last/131742 "2002-10-10T22:57:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-that-split-screen-showing-several-shots-at-once-movie-thing-last/131742/22 "2002-10-11T20:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baldwin \* > \*\*I think the movie _The Boston Strangler_ started this trend. You see it in a lot of late 1960’s, early 1970’s movies. The documentary _Woodstock_ used it very effectively, and I think it was used in several caper-type movies where it could effectively show a plan going down on several fronts, but it was also used for no particular reason in movies such as _Airport_. \*\* Watching Woodstock in pan-n-scan, which was most common before the director’s cut came out a few years back, effectively chops off the outside 2 of any 3-frame shots. :rolleyes: Thank god for widescreen format. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-that-split-screen-showing-several-shots-at-once-movie-thing-last/131742/23 "2002-10-12T02:47:02Z")
Actually, it occurs to me that they might have used the occasional split-screen in _Airport_ just to distract people from wondering why the hell Lincoln, Nebraska would have such a huge airport… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-that-split-screen-showing-several-shots-at-once-movie-thing-last/131742.md?page=1)