-How did scotty survive after hanging off a gutter.
-Why has this scene got pretty much nothing to do with the rest of the film.
-Who is the criminal why was he being chased.
2. What is the purpose of the opening sequence ?
-The purpose of the opening scene is to introduce us to Scotties acrophobia, Vertigo.
-To set the scene of San Francisco with the iconic Golden Gate bridge on the background.
-To introduce us to the main character Scotty.
3. What can we learn about Scottie in this opening sequence ?
-He starts off as a detective as he is in his own suit whilst chasing a suspect with a Policeman, and that he is the central character of this film.
-He as acrophobia, fear of height which triggers his Vertigo.
-His character is flawed, he will be wondering why he survived but the Policeman died, this will have a serious Psychological impact on the rest of his life as his failing has resulted into the failing of his friend.
Cinematography & Mise-en-Scene
-Camera angles and movements used start of close up and then a swoop shot of the set to show where they are (San Francisco), then when scottie is hanging of he gutter a contra zoom is used looking down to the ground to make the audience feel they are looking from Scottie POV.
-The setting of this scene is on the rooftops of urban San Francisco buildings at night time.
-The performance in this scene is very realistically showing a criminal being chased with gun shots which are seemingly fake but thats due to the given technology when the film was made in 1958.
-The lighting in this scene is very naturalistic dark light to imitate night time.
-The Mise-en-Scene shows us that two Police officers are chasing a criminal, the contra zoom shows us Scottie is perhaps losing his perspective and that his eyes are playing tricks on him, we can clearly see Scottie is mortified as his eyes look very shocked but the Police Officer in uniform isn't scared as he doesn't look frightened.
-The dark lighting shows us the mysteriousness of this police chase as it takes place at night.
-The Mise-en-Scene shows us that two Police officers are chasing a criminal, the contra zoom shows us Scottie is perhaps losing his perspective and that his eyes are playing tricks on him, we can clearly see Scottie is mortified as his eyes look very shocked but the Police Officer in uniform isn't scared as he doesn't look frightened.
-The dark lighting shows us the mysteriousness of this police chase as it takes place at night.
Good detail Billy, you have covered most of the main elements that the opening sequence is designed to provide for the audience. You have discussed the use of the contrazoom and the establishment of the setting.
ReplyDeleteHowever I don't agree with your comment in the first question about the opening scene having nothing to do with the rest of the film, firstly at this point you wouldn't know that, but there is one important feature of the opening sequence which is important for the rest of the film, and that is to establish Scotty's character and his flaw. Reply to this post and explain how this opening scene provides this information for the spectators to use later in the film to understand the events what follow.
This opening scene gives the spectators knowledge of Scotty's flaw, or his vertigo, which introduces the character and sets the scene for the whole film and what the film will always revert back to.
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