Vertigo Opening Scene

Hitchcock makes use of a number of techniques in Vertigo and brings them together to make a film that is considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces. Through the use of colour, lighting, camera movement, dialogue and characterisation, Hitchcock produces a film that fascinates and intrigues us.

The first shot we see of this sequence is a low angle which shows, quite simply, the sheer enormity of the building Max is about to enter. The shot slowly pans down as the foreboding notes of the score

While much of the neighborhood appears on-screen in the beginning of the shot, one important thing is notably off-screen the whole time: The view from which the camera pivots. Behind the camera was the apartment of L.B. Jeffries, and the camera pans to the left, inside his window, to finish with a brief tour around his living room that teaches us his most important character traits. We see first, in an extreme close-up of a cast, that Jeffries has a broken leg. And then the camera pans left and we see why: A broken camera appears on screen, and a rack focus shift to the background shows a photograph of an automobile accident with a tire flying straight at the camera. Then several other framed photographs of exciting events appear on the screen, telling us Jeffries is a photographer who craves adventure and excitement.

The first scene, where Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) is imaginatively urging Walter to climb onto the helicopter to hunt down photographer Sean O’Connell, uses techniques such as slow motion, high angles, and long shots. Slow motion is used when Mitty is running to catch the helicopter before it takes off; this creates a sense of “real time” in the film and also adds drama and suspense--the audience is waiting to see whether or not he will make it. Then, when the helicopter is taking off, the camera cuts to Cheryl, on the ground, looking up at Mitty. The use of this high angle is to showcase Mitty leaving the ground and leaving behind his “old” life; it is becoming smaller in his mind as he seizes the moment and jumps onto the helicopter, which is something he would not have previously thought of doing. It makes Mitty seem like a large, powerful person to be leaving. Lastly, when the helicopter is flying over the Arctic Ocean, the camera zoom out from just Walter to show him looking outside the helicopter, which turns into tracking as the helicopter flies away. This is to establish the scenery of Greenland and showcase how alone Mitty was after leaving all he was used to behind. This use of tracking emphasizes the scenery in the movie and impacts the audience in that they feel happy for Mitty for being so brave. Overall, Stiller’s use of tracking, zoom, slow motion, and high angles craft a sense of adrenaline, bravery, and beauty in the scene, which adds to the sentimental value of the film. In the next scene, Stiller once again works with

The film starts by the two detectives arriving by boat accompanied by dark creepy clouds and terrible weather which leads to hurricane type winds and stormy rain through the film. This helps contribute to the already eerie and dark environment of the mental hospital/institution. The dull grey lighting of the sky with the dramatic rocking of the boat and loud fog horns puts you on edge from the get go. From the very beginning, it is apparent something strange is taking place on Shutter Island and the director leaves the audience to gain the experience of watching everything unfold.

Establishing Shots- The movie begins with a few establishing shots of skyscrapers and streets crowded with people giving the impression that the location of the film is in New York City. Also, establishing shots are used to show where most of the action will be in film. For example, Andrea is seen walking from her apartment to the bakery to the subway then finally in front a large building. In a high angle shot, Andrea looks vulnerable and nervous for her interview with Miranda. There is an establishing shot of the lobby of the building named Elias-Clarke Publication, where the Runway office is located in. Also, this uses the “outside in” method where the action of movie starts from the outside then

Vertigo is about a man named John “Scottie” Ferguson that lives in San Francisco and suffers from acrophobia, which is the fear of heights. Throughout the movie, he investigates the unusual activities of an old friend’s wife, Madeline, and during this process, he becomes obsessed with her. Scottie’s acrophobia gets to him while trying to save this woman’s life and it is a critical point of the movie because it is where the title comes in. His fear of heights is the most important thing to pay attention to in this movie and it is shown through many points during the movie. There are also many themes, motifs, and symbols in this film to know about.

In the beginning of the movie, the audience is thrown into immediate action. At first you see a cop chase a man and Scottie, the detective, following. The music increases the suspense as the audiences waits anxiously to see what is going on. Scottie all of a sudden falls and is holding on to dear life at the end of the roof. This is when the audience first learns about Scottie’s Vertigo. The audience can feel his fear of heights. The feel of a thriller movie incapacitates that audience at this point because they are wondering at the edge of their seats what is going to happen. As the audience sees the point of view of Scottie looking down onto the ground, they can feel Scottie’s Vertigo. The camera work on that shot was revolutionary in that film period. The camera seems to blur and zoom in and out to portray how scared Scottie is. The lighting in this shot and

Francois Truffaut, when referring to Hitchcock said that “he exercises such complete control over all the elements of his films and imprints his personal concepts at each step of the way, Hitchcock has a distinctive style of his own. He is undoubtedly one of the few film-makers on the horizon today whose screen signature can be identified as soon as the picture begins.” Many people have used Hitchcock as the ultimate example of an auteur as there are many common themes and techniques found amongst his films. Even between the two films “Shadow of a Doubt” and “Vertigo,” many commonalities occur.

The first shot after the opening sequence was one of a bird's eye view, a bird's eye view shows a map like perspective building rooftops, bridges, roads and a canal. Tykwer sets the distant scene with this but does not need it to define a certain place, as the film needs no area to make it complete. It was used for only a short period of time and makes a good start for the next effect.

In the opening sequence of Halloween, a boy named Michael sneaks into a house during Halloween night. Michael took a large kitchen knife from the kitchen and stabs her sister who was in the house. Michael then escapes from the house and his mask was being removed by his parents. The camera stares. Then backs off, becoming a 15-second crane shot up away from the silent.

Within the excerpt, the directors began with a medium shot. I understood the importance of making the viewer feel a part of the trio, therefore the condensed shot caused this; also, it allowed the musical announcement to have a greater emphasis on joy by beginning at a medium shot then zooming outwards as the characters spread apart. Once

In The Uncanny, Freud discusses the different definitions and claims that various theorists have made regarding the feeling of uncanny. He defines the different factors that provoke the uncanny in humans and demonstrates how these factors elicit that strange and seemingly inexplicable feeling. Similarly, in Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock, adopts the various factors that cause the uncanny to alter Scottie’s identity and beliefs. Ultimately, when Scottie is transformed from a rational being to a psychotic obsessive, it serves to indicate the severity of Scottie’s mental instability and his detachment from reality.

In the opening scene of the film ‘Gattaca’, camera work and the power of setting engrosses the audience and institutes conflicts. Close ups and wide shots are most frequent for camera work while colours and organisation represent setting.

The scene starts with the medium shot of Thelma and Louise’s face while they are being amazed by The Grand Canyon. Although they had almost fallen off a cliff, their faces were not scared but amazed by the beauty of the Grand Canyon. However, when hearing the helicopter, Louise's emotion changed, the camera closed up to Louise’s face with full of nervousness and surprise and looked at Thelma. The camera tilts up following the helicopter in the next shot, Hal is sitting in the helicopter and looking at Thelma and Louise, his face is shot in a low angle camera. When the next scene was when Louise backed off, the camera was converted to a wide-angle lens and chosen long shot, which enabled a panoramic view of Louise's car to the police helicopter.