Vertigo - Opening Sequence Analysis

The first shot we see in the opening sequence to Vertigo is an extreme close up of a female face. ( shown above ) . The audio at this point in the sequence is a very 'spooky' soundtrack, with a hypnotic rhythm. We then see the woman's eyes, that appear to be very glassy and scared, darting left and right. At this point now the soundtrack includes hard, thrilling violin sounds. The shot then moves to the woman's right eye, whilst titles appear at the bottom of the shot.

After seeing an extreme close up of this eye for approximately 8 seconds, a red haze covers the shot. The colour red is often associated with blood, danger or fear. At this point, especially considering the loud, hypnotic music the audience may feel very unsettled.

A dissolve the occurs, and a spiral, swirly, rotating image descends into the shot, adding to theme of hypnosis. As the shot zooms into the woman's eye it could be said the audience is being taken deep inside her mind.

These spiral patterns then continue to make up the rest of the opening sequence until we finally return to the woman's eye at the end. During the sequence of changing spirals the rest of the cast and credits are shown on the right hand side of the screen, whilst the mysterious, thrilling music still plays in the background.

North By Northwest - Opening Sequence Analysis

During this opening sequence, we firstly see a green background. This could possibly be linked to green being the colour of envy. Lines are then introduced from all angles, eventually making a 3D structure. This sequence is accompanied by dramatic orchestral music, that's very dynamic, and includes sounds such as 'jittery' violin notes, creating an exciting and fast paced feel to the intro.

Text is then introduced to the sequence, entering the shot by using a 'sliding in' effect. The 'MGM' name is shown firstly, then shortly followed by the star actors of the film.


The sequence then uses a 'dissolve' effect as it changes from a combination of lines across the screen to what appears to be a tall office building in a city. ( See below )

The reflection on the glass shows a city scene, and traffic. The iconic yellow taxi's may suggest that this film is set in a city such as New York. However as the image is a reflection, it's not clear or '100% real', this still leaves the audience guessing and wanting to know completely what the scene is all about.

Another dissolve effect is used and the image changes to a shot of a crowded street. The orchestral music at this point is still playing, as the 'jittery' violin sounds accompany the busy movements of the people in the street. Overall, from a combination of darting lines, quick text and a quick soundtrack, an exciting opening sequence is produced.

Seven - Opening Sequence Analysis

Firstly we studied closely the audio that accompanies the intro sequence. The soundtrack is extremely complex and made up of many different sounds. In some parts we here distorted voices, then typing, then more industrial / robotic noises. The soundtrack is forever changing so the audience is unable to settle, keeping them on 'the edge of their seat'. The soundtrack also imitates a heartbeat sound, which speeds up in places and then suddenly stops, this is also used to build a thrilling atmosphere within the opening sequence.

The opening sequence is very unclear, made up mainly from quick close up shots of either hands, or objects such as books and photos. As the viewer we are led to believe that a plan is involved, but no details, or identity of the characters is given away. The sequence has been given a sepia colour tone, making the images seem a lot darker and harder to understand.

The sequence also features shots of slightly disturbing scenes, such as somebody appearing to remove skin with a blade of their fingertips ( shown above ). A combination of these close up shots, and subliminal shots that appear for less than a second result in the viewer feeling very uncomfortable. This intro to the film also quickly establishes its 'thriller genre'.

The star actors are firstly introduced within the credits, such as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. The names appear in a sketchy, unorthodox font also adding to the thriller feel of the opening sequence.

Continuity Exercise

This was our first rough continuity exercise, to practice using a different range of camera shots and the use of 'match on action'. There are some obvious sketchy patches within the short film, this was mainly a result of our vague storyboarding. Although obeying such rules as the 180 degrees rule, if analysed closely you can notice mistakes such as a change in the actors t shirt colour around 0:32 seconds into the clip. I feel our match on action shots at 0:19 seconds flowed well, however the clip as whole feels quite static. Other rough patches include the shaky camera at 0:07, as a result of not using a tripod in this particular shot. I feel that this activity has been a good practice and we can now see areas which will need more attention when we next film.