VERTIGO CONDENSED FACT SHEET
What is the effect of the dolly zoom? – Creates a disorientating, stretching effect
What is the dolly zoom a visual metaphor of? – Scottie’s acrophobia
What does the colour green represent? – Madeleine’s ghostly, ethereal presence
What does the colour red represent? – Passion and danger
What is the impact of POV shots? – Feels voyeuristic
How does Hitchcock use mirrors? – To reinforce themes of duality and identity
What is the impact of tight framing around Scottie? – Makes the audience feel his entrapment
and claustrophobia
How does Hitchcock show the link between Madeleine and Carlotta? – Zoom in on their hair
when Madeleine is at the museum
How does Hitchcock foreshadow romantic relations between Scottie and Madeleine? – A
romantic score plays when we first see Madeleine from Scottie’s POV
What kind of score plays when Madeleine jumps into the river? – Cacophony
What is the impact of the cacophony? – Creates a sense of panic
How does Hitchcock signal danger in the opening scene? – Through red colour grading
How does Hitchcock present the themes of spiral through sound in the opening scene? – The
vertigo sound motif is a sonic spiral, mimicking the theme of the film
How does Hitchcock introduce Scottie’s acrophobia? – Dolly zooms
What is the effect of having the opening scene take place on a roof? – Allows for an
establishing shot of SF
How is Scottie’s acrophobia shown through behaviour? – He is sweating and shaking
What sound techniques are used in the opening scene? – Romantic score, minor chord score,
cacophony, foley sounds
When is a romantic score used in the opening scene? – When the woman comes into the
frame, creating a sense of fragility
What is the effect of a minor chord score? – Makes it more mysterious
What is the effect of foley sounds? – Immerses us in the action
What graphics are used in the opening scene and what is the effect? – Hypnotising graphics,
links to the spiral motif
How is clothing colouring used in the opening scene? – The criminal is wearing white
What does the clothing colouring show? – How Scottie is the culprit for all the deaths
How is the name placement used in the opening scene? – Conveys power balances and how
Scottie’s attraction to Madeleine is purely visual
Where is James Stewart’s name? – Above the woman’s mouth
Where is Kim Novak’s name? – Below her eyes
How can we see that the woman is scared in the opening scene? – She is blinking and her
eyes are flicking from side to side
How is shot framing used to create a disorientating feeling in the opening scene? – Non-
centralised extreme close-up shots of the woman’s face are used
How does the Scottie following Madeleine scene remind us of a spiral? – They are driving
around in a spiral
How does the editing make the Scottie following Madeleine scene feel endless? – Fades
between them driving in different locations
How does the score make the Scottie following Madeleine scene feel endless? – The same
repeating score continues to play
How does Hitchcock maintain our focus in the Scottie following Madeleine scene? – Shot-
reverse-shots between Scottie and Madeleine
What is the impact of tracking shots in the Scottie following Madeleine scene? – Feels
voyeuristic as it’s from Scottie’s POV
How does Madeleine stand out in the Scottie following Madeleine scene? – Contrast between
the colourful flowers and Madeleine in a grey suit
How does Hitchcock present the idea of dual identity in the Scottie following Madeleine
scene? – We watch her through a mirror
What camera techniques does the nightmare scene use? – Dolly zoom, tracking shot
When is a dolly zoom used in the nightmare scene? – Cut out of his head descending in a
tunnel
When is a tracking shot used in the nightmare scene? – Scottie waking up, immersing up in
the scene
What sound techniques are used in the nightmare scene? – Cacophony, romantic score
What is the effect of the dolly zoom? – Creates a disorientating, stretching effect
What is the dolly zoom a visual metaphor of? – Scottie’s acrophobia
What does the colour green represent? – Madeleine’s ghostly, ethereal presence
What does the colour red represent? – Passion and danger
What is the impact of POV shots? – Feels voyeuristic
How does Hitchcock use mirrors? – To reinforce themes of duality and identity
What is the impact of tight framing around Scottie? – Makes the audience feel his entrapment
and claustrophobia
How does Hitchcock show the link between Madeleine and Carlotta? – Zoom in on their hair
when Madeleine is at the museum
How does Hitchcock foreshadow romantic relations between Scottie and Madeleine? – A
romantic score plays when we first see Madeleine from Scottie’s POV
What kind of score plays when Madeleine jumps into the river? – Cacophony
What is the impact of the cacophony? – Creates a sense of panic
How does Hitchcock signal danger in the opening scene? – Through red colour grading
How does Hitchcock present the themes of spiral through sound in the opening scene? – The
vertigo sound motif is a sonic spiral, mimicking the theme of the film
How does Hitchcock introduce Scottie’s acrophobia? – Dolly zooms
What is the effect of having the opening scene take place on a roof? – Allows for an
establishing shot of SF
How is Scottie’s acrophobia shown through behaviour? – He is sweating and shaking
What sound techniques are used in the opening scene? – Romantic score, minor chord score,
cacophony, foley sounds
When is a romantic score used in the opening scene? – When the woman comes into the
frame, creating a sense of fragility
What is the effect of a minor chord score? – Makes it more mysterious
What is the effect of foley sounds? – Immerses us in the action
What graphics are used in the opening scene and what is the effect? – Hypnotising graphics,
links to the spiral motif
How is clothing colouring used in the opening scene? – The criminal is wearing white
What does the clothing colouring show? – How Scottie is the culprit for all the deaths
How is the name placement used in the opening scene? – Conveys power balances and how
Scottie’s attraction to Madeleine is purely visual
Where is James Stewart’s name? – Above the woman’s mouth
Where is Kim Novak’s name? – Below her eyes
How can we see that the woman is scared in the opening scene? – She is blinking and her
eyes are flicking from side to side
How is shot framing used to create a disorientating feeling in the opening scene? – Non-
centralised extreme close-up shots of the woman’s face are used
How does the Scottie following Madeleine scene remind us of a spiral? – They are driving
around in a spiral
How does the editing make the Scottie following Madeleine scene feel endless? – Fades
between them driving in different locations
How does the score make the Scottie following Madeleine scene feel endless? – The same
repeating score continues to play
How does Hitchcock maintain our focus in the Scottie following Madeleine scene? – Shot-
reverse-shots between Scottie and Madeleine
What is the impact of tracking shots in the Scottie following Madeleine scene? – Feels
voyeuristic as it’s from Scottie’s POV
How does Madeleine stand out in the Scottie following Madeleine scene? – Contrast between
the colourful flowers and Madeleine in a grey suit
How does Hitchcock present the idea of dual identity in the Scottie following Madeleine
scene? – We watch her through a mirror
What camera techniques does the nightmare scene use? – Dolly zoom, tracking shot
When is a dolly zoom used in the nightmare scene? – Cut out of his head descending in a
tunnel
When is a tracking shot used in the nightmare scene? – Scottie waking up, immersing up in
the scene
What sound techniques are used in the nightmare scene? – Cacophony, romantic score
