The film opens with the title sequence played over a series of black and white close ups of a face. This creates an immediate sense of ambiguity as the audience is unaware of whose face this is and why it is being shown and introduces a common theme in thrillers, suspense. The close ups show the person's lips quivering and their eyes flickering back and forth, clearly displaying their fear and therefore showing to the audience that there is a potential danger. At the same time the music parallels the visuals as it is quiet and creepy, with a synchronous crescendo as each title appears adding emphasis to them. The shots are all side lit from the right, creating dark shadows across the persons' face, further adding to the feeling of the unknown in the opening. The shot the becomes tinted a red colour which has connotations of blood and danger. The eye widens, again in synchronisation with the music, reinforcing the idea that this person is terrified. There is then a graphic match cut to a series of colourful spirals, a distinct contrast to black background they are shown on. This change in the opening mirrors that the audience is now no longer examining the external appearance of this woman but instead the inner workings of her mind. The shapes are continually spinning, introducing the idea of dizziness which is commonly associated with Vertigo. This opening establishes straight away that Vertigo is a psychological thriller and also shows it will focus on identity, which is often a key convention of the thriller genre.
The film opens with the title sequence played over a series of black and white close ups of a face. This creates an immediate sense of ambiguity as the audience is unaware of whose face this is and why it is being shown and introduces a common theme in thrillers, suspense. The close ups show the person's lips quivering and their eyes flickering back and forth, clearly displaying their fear and therefore showing to the audience that there is a potential danger. At the same time the music parallels the visuals as it is quiet and creepy, with a synchronous crescendo as each title appears adding emphasis to them. The shots are all side lit from the right, creating dark shadows across the persons' face, further adding to the feeling of the unknown in the opening. The shot the becomes tinted a red colour which has connotations of blood and danger. The eye widens, again in synchronisation with the music, reinforcing the idea that this person is terrified. There is then a graphic match cut to a series of colourful spirals, a distinct contrast to black background they are shown on. This change in the opening mirrors that the audience is now no longer examining the external appearance of this woman but instead the inner workings of her mind. The shapes are continually spinning, introducing the idea of dizziness which is commonly associated with Vertigo. This opening establishes straight away that Vertigo is a psychological thriller and also shows it will focus on identity, which is often a key convention of the thriller genre.
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