Analysis of stills from the opening of 'Vertigo'

This is an extreme long shot showing rooftops of a city, with a man (most likely a criminal) running away from a police officer and a man in a suit (most likely a detective). We can’t see the character to well in this still, however the audience knows that this is a chase scene as the criminal is running away from a police officer and a detective. This create mystery, as the audience have no idea why this chase sequence is happening or what crime has be committed for there to be a chase. In fact the audience don’t even know who the main character is. It is very common for there to be a chase scene in a thriller film as it helps to create an atmosphere, danger and panic. All of which this scene does well. The setting for the still is the rooftops of a city; this shows how dangerous this chase sequence is and creates fear among the audience as someone could fall to their death. The composition and framing of this shot is important as they have chosen to keep a lot of the background in, so much so the audience can’t the character very well. This show just how big and dangerous this chase really is, as so much could go wrong.  

This is a medium close up showing the detective hanging off a building. The character is dressed in a smart suit which suggest to the audience that he doesn’t usually chase after criminals (this could be why he slipped and is about to fall off a building).  The fact that the drainpipe he is clinging onto is bending shows that it can’t support the man’s weight, creating tension as the audience knows he hasn’t got long before the pipe snaps and the man fall to his death. The composition and framing for this shot is interesting as the audience can’t see much of the detective but they can in fact see more of the background and the building edge. This has been done create more tension, fear and panic for the audience as they can see just how much danger the detective is in.

This is a close up of the detective face as he hangs off the edge of a building. In this shot the audience can clearly see the fear in the man’s face as he looking down. His eyes a wide, his eyebrows a frowning, his mouth is slightly open and there is a sweat on his brow. All this shows how scared and panicked the man really is, which makes the audience sympathise with the man. The framing and composition has been done to main show the man’s face, however it clear shows the setting in the background. This has been done so the audience can see how much danger and fear the man is in.  

 

This is a high angle shot from the police officers point of view. In this the audience can see the police officer reacting out for the detective and in the background the audience can see the drop from the top of the building to the bottom. By using a high angle shot it makes the detective seem in more danger and more scared, making high tension and panic for the audience. The background is key to this shot as the audience can see just how high up the man is and it makes them feel like they are really apart of this scene. The framing and compositions of this shot has been done very cleverly as it allow the audience to see the fear in the detective face, the height the sequence that is taking place in and it makes the audience feel like they are a part of it.

 

This is another high angle shot from the detective’s point of view. This is the highest point of tension as the worst possible thing that could happen in the scene has happened; the policeman is falling to his death. This create sympathise from the audience as they know there is nothing anyone can do for this man and they can only watch. Also because this is from the detective’s point of view, it makes the audience feel more a part of the scene creating more tension and panic. The framing and composition for this shot has been made to make the man seem small and helpless among these building which are enclosed, dark and extremely tall, all of which is appropriate as the man is about to die.