QUESTION: Using your notes below and your notes from your thriller seminars, analyse

how Vertigo conforms to our expectations of thriller codes and conventions.

EDITING

Match on action walking up the steps. Jump cut walking in the church. Fade of Scottie looking at

green car to him entering his apartment, gives an eerie unsettling feeling. Graphic match of the

photograph that scottie is looking at to the face of Madeline shows relation between two images.

Fade again when she is in the car looking up at Scottie to them driving in the countryside.

CAMERA SHOTS/ANGLES/MOVEMENT

Push out, (Vertigo effect), POV, close up, birds eye view. Low angle when he walks up the

steps. Establishing shot, street. Two shot of scottie and friend, low angle showing his friend in

more power. Two shot later shows scottie in more power because the friend is asking scottie

something. Tracking shot inwards in the restaurant. Scotties face is more emphasised then

Madeline’s, close ups of their faces when they are close. Crane looking at the building. POV of

the car. Pan following her walk into church. Low angle shots of scottie walking in the church

courtyard. Voyeurism of Scottie watching Madeleine. Zoom on painting, tilt up, POV looking at

painting. High angle of Scottie walking up the stairs. Establishing shot of bookstore. Two shot of

Midge looking at books and scottie looking at man, Scottie looks bigger and more powerful.

Tracking shot that contains the car that Scottie is in and the car that Madeleine is in. High angle

on Madeline sitting by the fire showing her to be weak, low angle of Scottie showing him in more

power having just saved her he feels he is controlling the situation which prompts him to

intrusively ask Madeline questions feeling that she owes him something. When she says she

hasn’t been to the art gallery, Scottie is shown in less power in a mid shot that is almost level.

When Madeline gets to know him their eye lines are at the same level showing they are both

equal and no-one has a high or low angle. There is a two shot showing them very close to each

other and they touch for the first time in the scene showing them having a better relationship.

Scottie now following Madeline once again in his car, close up of his face is closer compared to

earlier when it was more zoomed out. When he catches up and she is at the door she is higher

up and a low angle is used looking up at her and a high angle is used looking down at him

showing that she now has the power. But when she is in the car she is looked down at when he

suggests meeting up again. Very wide shot they are shown to be quite small in the shot when

they are in the woods, shows insignificance. Close up and panning when she is pointing

something out. When they talk by the cliff the rule of thirds isn’t obeyed giving an unstable feel

which gives off a feeling of disorientation. The camera is close of head and shoulders when they

kiss showing how close they are. High angle when they leave the apartment showing both of

them as being weak. Two shot in the car when driving, they are shown quite close together

reflecting their relationship. Another two shot in the building but there is more empty space but

then it zooms in with almost no empty space. Low angle of Madeline when they kiss showing

her scared, fearing her own existence. Wide shot when she walks off showing how alone she is.

High angle of Scottie running up the stairs. Vertigo effect used to show disorientation. After

death of Madeleine establishing shots followed by zoom to center our attention. High angle shot

when Scottie is talking to the strange girl showing him in more power. Zoom in on Scottie when

he looks at the door realizing that Madeline is looking at him from the green door. Two shot

when Judy and Scottie are in the car. Close up Scottie’s satisfied face and then Judy’s worried

face. At the top of the stairs by the bell, a high angle shows Judy in less power

SOUND

Unsettling score. Change in score when in the restaurant, gets louder when the woman is

closer. Score gets loud and dramatic when Madeline jumps in the bay. Crescendo of the score

when she runs up the staircase, suspense is created through what could happen when she gets

up there.

THEMES & MOTIFS

Voyeurism, obsessing over Madeline, auteur of Hitchcock. Deja vu when he goes to the red

restaraunt and sees Madeline in a black and white dress then goes to the art gallery and sees a

girl who looks like Madeline. Then sees flowers that that remind him of her and a girl in a green

dress who looks like Madeline. Scottie has internal conflict, always questioning himself.

Repeated green colour palette. Scottie wearing brown colours. Red colour filter used to

foreshadow danger of what he is doing. Flashback used to show that she faked her death, a

fake Madeline was thrown off. Repeated imagery of the grey suit. Obsessive on getting back to

what Madeline looked like, forcing Judy to look like Madeline. Judy has agreed to let Scottie turn

her into Madeline. When Scottie take’s her to the hairdresser it is covered in grey walls

emphasises the symbolism. Judy gets back and looks almost exactly like Madeline, green light

on the door when Judy leaves the room. Scottie is surprised to see Madeline at the door, she

looks ghost like. Battles over how sane Scottie really is. When Scottie looks around and sees

himself in another setting he finds it strange and knows he gone insane but doesn’t care

because he wants to connect with Madeline as the scene comes to a close green covers all

space that isn’t covered by them kissing. Judy is now wearing black, she looks like Madeline in

his eyes he realises she is dead. Repeated imagery of the necklace in the painting and on

Madeline. Similar shot when they leave the city, two shot in the car, except this time it is at night

and quite a black colour palette is used. Scottie realises what’s happening when he smiles in

the car. Scottie recreates the scene with Madeline.

SYMBOLIC CODES (including enigma and binary opposites)

When Scottie first sees Madeline in the restaurant she is wearing green this represents envy.

Scottie is envious of the man she is with and wants to be with Madeline.

IDEOLOGY

Misogyny towards women, Scottie doesn’t treat Madeline well.

LIGHTING

Dark, blue light. Low key lighting in the dark room by the alley. Chiaroscuro contrasted from the

dark room to the colourful high key lighting of the flowers. Natural lighting outside. Chiaroscuro

in the church. When Scottie opens the door to find Madeline she is dark and unseen by other

people but he instantly recognizes her and he turns on the light to further suggest this. The

lighting gets darker the second time they walk up the stairs.

NARRATIVE

Non linear. Fear of leaving the house and vertigo, acrophobia. Scottie retired detective

CHARACTERS

REPRESENTATION

Questioning himself and his motives. Scottie is represented as being quite persuing and stalking

Madeline. When he sees Judy he wants to recreate what he had with Madeline so he is quite

forceful to change Judy. Madeline is represented in a grey suits which is very unusual for a

woman of the time, showing how different she is. She also wears green to show her

mysteriousness. In a scene in the apartment when Scottie and Madeline are talking, Madeline

appears ghost like and when they kiss the background changes, Scottie realises this but doesn’t

care. Scottie knows that Madeline isn’t real but wants to have his fantasy.

SETTING & MISE-EN-SCENE

Woman in the restaurant is green when everything else is red. Madeline’s car is also green. A

lot of grey, desaturated in the street of San Fran. Personality contrast, Madeline now wearing a

grey suit, quite strange, contrasted among the colourful flowers. After Scottie has rescued

Madeline he is wearing a green jumper and she is given a red bathrobe shows that he should

stop what he is doing.

Sea is used a lot, an uncontrollable force, character is afraid of heights, she is always in deep

places. Things lurking beneath the surface.

Binary opposites of Scottie and Maddy’s clothes always contrasting colours.

When he goes back home he is wearing a red tie showing he has been swayed to the side of

Madeline. When in the room she is in the dark, chiarascuro lighitng contrast, green in

background shows enigma, confusion if she is Madeline or Judy. Red is Scottie and Green is

Madeline they are blended in this scene. Repeated imagery of grey suit.

MOOD & TONE

Uncomfortable feeling, mysterious, strange.

summary:

set in san fran, starts with chase sequence at night

Madeline says she has never been in the art gallery even though he has seen her.

at the redwood area, you doubt his sanity,

Madeline is always changing her clothing and her clothing was quite strange to a normal woman

showing how mysterious she is.

Circular stairs are his confused mind.