Vertigo Film Techniques Essay

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980), the “Master of Suspense”, was a English film director, who was well known for his use of suspense and psychological elements to shock and surprise his audience. Hitchcock was known for his use of recurring themes, motifs and plot devices, such as the use of birds, hand motifs, the audience as a voyeur, mothers, blonde women, and sexuality. He was also very technical in his editing, using filming techniques such as deep focus, point of view, close up and wide, tracking shots. Montage was also a technique he used frequently in his films. He believed that by using visuals, he could convey thoughts and emotions just as well as dialogue could.

In Strictly Ballroom, Luhrman uses many different camera angles and lighting techniques to exaggerate scenes, settings and even characters’ personalities. An example of this is at the start of the film, when Scott Hastings is dancing by himself in a room, there is a bright, white spotlight on him as he dances, drawing the audience to watch him. This happens whenever Scott dances and it shows the audience that Scott has a sense of purity and that he is the protagonist of the film. Luhrman uses low angle shots when Scott and Fran are dancing at the end of the film, this is a good technique used so the audience can see them dancing and also gives the audience the impression that they are dominate and confident. Another character who is a good example of camera angles and film techniques being used on them to portray their personality is Barry Fife. Barry is a mean character and Luhrman uses dark, reddish lighting to make him seem evil.

How auteur theory can be applied to the study of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Vertigo

"It's difficult to describe the way…the twisting of the… it's too difficult to describe" When describing some scenes in the film, he uses hand movements to show "twisting". This makes us eager to see what happens. When Alfred Hitchcock reaches some parts of the set, he makes some faces and talks differently. This makes the audience infer that something important or something significant has happened there.

To see what they see, and compare our own thoughts with the evolution of the characters and the story. The dexterity of the images, and the impact that each scene has in portraying this theme, guide the viewer throughout the film with little use of dialogue and action. Our central character “Jeff,” is struggling with his casted imprisonment, his need for adventure is apparent as he watches outside his window. Conflicted with his girlfriend and conflicted with his theories, his character becomes more palpable, we begin to realize what is going on not only on the outside of him, but the inside of him as well. The aspects of the outside courtyard and the visual isolation of each apartment, help depict the humanity of each individual and sympathy for even the darkest characters. Hitchcock uses his camera, just as our protagonist does, to focus with him. The camera angles are depicted in a way to which we react with the character, rather than at the character, and eventually expose the minor elements of the story that bring to fruition the suspense of the movie and the thrills of discovery.

In 1958 Alfred Hitchcock released what is considered the greatest film of all time, Vertigo. Vertigo is a film noir thriller that stars James Stewart and Kim Novak. Stewart's character, Scottie Ferguson, is sent to follow and investigate his old friend’s wife, Madeline. He spies on her strange actions and at the time falls deeply in love with her. The viewer is given a restricted narrative through the eyes of former detective, who suffers from vertigo, as he follows Madeline through San Francisco. The audience views the film from the same perspective as Scottie. Hitchcock pompously puts the viewer into Scottie’s eyes in scenes where he is following Madeline give Scottie a voyeuristic sense. The narrative is later switched to unrestricted as

A thriller is a type of film that usually instills excitement and suspense into the audience. A thriller is commonly described as a tense edge of the seat environment. The movie, Vertigo, is one of the most famous thrillers ever made. However, Vertigo does not fit into the stereotypical genre of thriller. Vertigo, often viewed as an experimental film because it was one of the first major thrillers of that time that used many different and innovative camera techniques. These techniques used in this film are different types of lighting, montage, intense music, etc. Vertigo is known to be one of Hitchcock’s best movies because of his unique sense of style and his famous

Hitchcock’s Psycho is a great representative of horror and thriller genres. The director masterfully creates an atmosphere of suspense and creates tension. Hitchcock blends characteristics of a thriller with horror, making the audience terrified. The director creates situations that can happen to anybody of the viewers, and thus, makes such scenes even more scaring and disturbing. For instance, the scene of the murder in a shower impresses the audience to a

Hitchcock explained the reason for filming a woman wearing only her under garments in the opening sequence of Psycho: "Audiences are changing....The straightforward kissing scene would be looked down at by the younger viewers....Nowadays you have to show them as they themselves behave" (Hitchcock 1). The director was keenly aware of how audiences responded to his films (Rebello 163) and sought to maintain their interest. He was among a handful of Hollywood filmmakers who deliberately sought out innovative composers (Nowell-Smith 258); for Psycho, Hitchcock hired Bernard Hermann who wrote a modern score which challenged the norm. The title itself, fifties and sixties slang for the violently psychotic, suggested the imminence of a new generation (Brill 200).

Alfred Hitchcock also used cinematography in a uniquely stylizing way. Hitchcock not only uses the camera to create dramatic irony, but he also uses the camera to lie to the audience and create anxious suspense. For example, in his film Psycho, when Marion is in the shower Hitchcock frames the scenes very tightly. Marion is in a confined and very personal space. This makes her incredibly vulnerable. Then Hitchcock heightens the suspense by creating dramatic irony with the reveal of a shadowy figure closing in on Marion, unbeknownst to her. This creates a lot of anxiety for the audience, knowing the protagonist is vulnerable and in danger with no way of altering the inevitable. Hitchcock then manipulates the audience by “revealing” a brief silhouette of an old lady as our shower killer. Hitchcock uses this “reveal” to lie to the audience, he makes the audience think they have more inside knowledge confirming their already growing suspicions, when in reality the audience is misled entirely and the murderer was Norman all along. The way Hitchcock uses the camera to reveal both inside information and misleading information truly keeps the viewer engaged and not knowing what to believe until the truth is finally revealed. By using this unique technique of controlling the audience by only showing what he wants you to see, Hitchcock masterfully defies expectations and creates suspense.

On the other hand, John has half of his face covered in shadow several times while they are watching the fireworks. While Francie is tempting John as well as getting him to admit his true identity, John disregards Francie’s scenarios and states that he would not take part in such acts. The fact that we can see one side of his face could mean that John is trying to conceal his identity as the former cat burglar. Hitchcock could have manipulated the shadows to highlight John’s dual identity. The only reason I can think of for why Francie’s shots are not covered in as many shadows is that Hitchcock wanted to emphasize her beauty to the audience and to John.

The Alfred Hitchcock film; Vertigo is a narrative film that is a perfect example of a Hollywood Classical Film. I will be examining the following characteristics of the film Vertigo: 1)individual characters who act as casual agents, the main characters in Vertigo, 2)desire to reach to goals, 3)conflicts, 4)appointments, 5)deadlines, 6)James Stewart’s focus shifts and 7)Kim Novak’s characters drives the action in the film. Most of the film is viewed in the 3rd person, except for the reaction shots (point of view shot) which are seen through the eyes of the main character.(1st person) The film has a strong closure and uses continuity editing(180 degree rule). The stylistic (technical) film form of Vertigo makes the film much more

Alfred Hitchcock is arguably the greatest director of all time. Many of his films are considered standards of American cinema and inspired many of today’s directors. Even though Hitchcock is known as timeless director, he had an understanding of philosophy that was beyond his time. Hitchcock had a brilliant perception as to how the mind works and human reaction. Hitchcock’s understanding of philosophy can be seen in his film Vertigo and illustrates how many theories can be debilitating in everyday life.

Alfred Hitchcock’s attention to detail in his films is one of the many things that makes him one of the most recognized film auteurs of all time. He was very particular what about he wanted seen on screen and how he wanted to get those shots. From camera movements to the things found in the mise-en-scène, Hitchcock was very precise about every little thing that is seen in his on screen worlds. He would strategically place objects throughout the mise-en-scène and have characters wear certain clothing. By doing this, Hitchcock is able to let the audience know things about the characters and the plot without it having to be said on camera. Hitchcock once said that “If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on” (Tiffin). That’s why there’s no surprise that when Hitchcock finally made his first color film, he began to use color as another way of communicating with his audience.

This variation and symbolism of colors are used extensively throughout the movie, and allows for a more effective and accurate method in delivering the messages and themes intended. In a way, Anderson is not just telling a story, but he is also painting a picture for the viewers to enjoy on the screen. For instance, extensive use of soft pastels and muted undertones create a dreamlike look to the hotel and objects (the cake box, funicular, Mendl’s uniform & vehicle, etc), clearly distinguished from the other parts in the film. The poetic and impeccable pastel-toned look of the hotel, mostly pink and purple, resembles of a doll’s house: peaceful, and fairytale-like. Not only that, it is comparable in appearance with the graceful pink packages of Mendl’s Patisserie. On that note, the scene that stands out in terms of a strong color contrast is when Gustav is in prison and shares the cake with the other inmates. When he cuts the cake with the “throat slitter”, the soft rosy box of Mendl’s stand out from the gloomy color schemes of the prison. Not only that, the box is placed in the very middle, thereby emphasizing the objet using the “rule of thirds”; composition aspect of mise-en-scene. Also, the director strikes the audience with vivid colors, when in need of reinforcement of the theme or highlighting an essential scene. When Agatha and Dmitri board on the elevator when holding painting, there exists a powerful contrast: between Agatha wearing beige-toned outfit with hairs impeccably braided reminiscent of an angel, Dmitri with all black long coat and messy mustache signifying the dark and the evil (also, wearing the armband similar to that of Hitler), and the elevator guy wearing a vibrant purple uniform. The costumes, which are also a significant part of décor, therefore convey the audience in