Vertigo was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and it has a lot of mystery, romance, drama and thriller signifiers. The main thriller signifiers that I have noticed in both of the thrillers is the urban setting, high up in offices or skyscrapers. In the opening of the film, there was a classic chase between two men. We did not know why a man was after another, or who the men were, which adds a sense of mystery because they have hidden identity. There is also gun fire, which grabs the audiences' attention, perhaps making them wonder who is shooting at who... It gives you the image of who is good and who is bad, good vs. evil.
The scene's then go in to going in to a cluttered house, quite cramp and small. There is a flawed hero, as he has a fear of heights. This is a common thing found in thrillers as it makes the audience feel it is harder for the hero to win or beat the evil. The man's woman friend, Midge, is more of an angel figure than a whore, as thriller's have either angels or whores. She seems innocent and gentle, and we notice that she seems to have a connection with him, this is then shown because they used to be in a relationship.
There is often only two types of women in thrillers, and i have named them already, whores and angels. It is similar to looking at moral ambiguity as the angels always seem to be innocent and good, whilst the whores are the opposite. The angels will be connected to the main character in some way, can sometimes have a thing for the character and just live ordinary lives. On the other hand, whores can be conniving and deceitful. They often cause trouble for the character or mislead them with their apparently innocent ways. However, they also have a lot of mystery about them. They won't say much about themselves as this lets the narrative have more twists and turns when we as the audience find out things, as the story unfolds.
Another common thriller signifier is a detective to be involved in the story, or the main character. Having a detective being involved makes the film have more mystery and usually makes the film have twists and turns, having unexpected endings for example. Furthermore, the use of spirals symbolises that the film is going to have twists and turns occurring.
PICTURE:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j212/bgbird/vertigo.jpgIn thrillers, there are certain camera angles and shot types used which make the film have more suspense and tension, and exciting occurrences. For instance, an extreme close up of the woman's lips, nose and eyes is shown at the beginning which could suggest sexual atmosphere's.
Another shot is the bird's eye view shot which emphasises the height of where a person is.
Continued ideas...
More on the mise-en-scene of Chinatown...
- Slattered blinds
- Character drinking and smoking
- Fan
- Shadows
- Spying/surveillance - binoculars
- Corruption Desert - remote, isolated, lonely
- Watching man in wing mirror
- Chiaroscuro lighting
- Offices cluttered but organized
- Detective Rooftops
- Red lips, blonde/brown hair, tight suit.
- Gun shot
- Violence- knife
- "Hall of Records"- maze like
- Chase between car and men on horses
Camera angels/Shot types:
- Extreme close-up on photo- black and white, gently zooms out
- Over the shoulder shot showing a subject having more importance.
- Long shot - shows hostility and harsh surroundings
- Mirroring reflection of man walking away, shot through binoculars.
- Close up of watches
- High angled shot
- Another reflection in man's camera- you can see man/women.
- Over shoulder shots, close ups, mid shots, extreme close ups, long shot, birds eye view (used to show emotions on faces of character, e.g. Jake lying in bed with Mrs Mulwray).
All making the audiences attention focus more on the film, keeping them engaged in what is happening (narrative-wise).
Sound
- Jazz music in introduction, relaxing and soothing - non- diegetic
- Calm, quiet music- makes you question what he is doing
- Tension music - minor key, makes you feel not-quite-right ~ repeated when looking at lake for men. It builds suspension
Romantic music used.
Editing
- As Jake falls unconscious, the shot fades out.
Special Effects/ SFX
- One of the security guards cutting Jake's nose open with a knife.
VERTIGO thriller signifiers
Mise-en-scene:
Opens with an anonymous woman's lips, nose, eyes and then spirals (used a lot) creating mystery and suggesting the film will have twists and turns. Shots are at night, there is a chase in an urban 
setting, there is gun fire, two men and a policeman who we don't know who they are, moral ambiguity - who is right and wrong. Then we are welcomed into a cluttered house- there is one of the men, John, a typical flawed hero as he has a fear of heights. There is a woman, Midge, who is sitting at a desk, in quite dull, simple office clothes, so she looks more of an angel than whore. We begin to get an idea of John being a detective which is an extremely common thriller signifier.
Midge is shown as an angel instead of a whore as she is very innocent- in the way she dresses and acts. She behaves in a way that makes her seem infactuated with the man, as she looks adoringly at him. Her appearance is very simple and looks like she does not care about looking good as long as she is comfortable. Her clothes are very clean and light pastel colours (the pastel-yellow colour of her jumper and beige skirt) which could be similar to the innocence of a daisy. She wears glasses which could connote stereotypically, that she is intelligent and well educated. She is in a cluttered office which suggests she works for herself, so she relies on herself- she is independant and doesn't rely on a man for financial support. Midge is very self-involved and doesn't express her feelings. If she were a whore and based on my knowledge of film whores, she would have been dressed in tight-fitted clothes, without glasses, and generally act a lot more sexy and approach the man in a more flirtatious way.
Further along... a reflection, blonde woman with tight fitted suit - bright colours, so it looks like she is a femme fatale (whore) but we are not quite sure. Scenes in a church and graveyard which is an obvious symbol of death. Chiaroscuro lighting? and a contrast between the bright colours and shadows. We almost follow him as he follows the mysterious lady.
Camera angles/shot types:
Extreme close up on lips, nose, eyes. As men climb, their hands slip...tension and suspense. Birdseye views emphasizing height. Mid shots showing movement of characters. Close up of woman's face to show her reactions and emotions.Two shoulder shot. Long shot. Low angled shot to show where he is. Close up of painting and hair - editing between the live woman and woman in painting, another long shot to show what he was doing, maybe showing that he was spying on her, and we're spying on him and then view from where he is (what he is focusing on).
Sound
Classical, dramatic music, gradually building up to a faster tempo which therefore builds up tension and creates a frantic atmosphere. Further along, quiet background music...diegetic as it is in the actors world. At the grave yard, sinister music, a low tone. Then very quiet, and tense music once again.
Editing
Red filter on eye, spirals.
SPX
Spirals
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Task: Identifying thriller signifiers and analysing them.
