 Gracey refers to the film 's cinematography as " nothing short of astounding " , and cites a particular example as highlighting Argento 's " passion for technical prowess and breathtaking visuals " . Influenced by the closing shot of The Passenger ( 1975 ) , on which Tovoli had also been the cinematographer , one of Tenebrae 's main setpieces is the murder of the lesbian couple . To introduce the scene , Argento and Tovoli employed the use of a Louma crane to film a several minutes @-@ long tracking shot . Owing to its extreme length , the tracking shot ended up being the most difficult and complex part of the production to complete . It required a maze of scaffolding to be built around the outside of the home . Argento captured all the footage he needed in two takes , but insisted on filming ten more . The scene , which lasts for two @-@ and @-@ a @-@ half minutes on @-@ screen , took three days to shoot . It marked the first time the Louma crane had been used in an Italian production ; the crane itself had to be imported from France . According to Gracey , the camera performs " aerial gymnastics " , scaling the victims ' house in " one seamless take , navigating walls , roofs , and peering in through windows , in a set piece that effortlessly exposes the penetrability of a seemingly secure home " . Newman and Jones said that although this type of crane shot became commonplace later , at the time it was " truly ground @-@ breaking " in the way the camera seemingly crawled over the walls and up the building – not quite from the killer 's viewpoint . Patrick McAllister of Scifilm said the sequence should be considered " one of the most memorable moments in cinema " . According to McAllister , Tenebrae 's distributor begged Argento to cut the shot down because it was " meaningless " . Newman and Jones agreed that the shot added nothing to the film 's plot , but called it " meaninglessly brilliant " . 
