OTS Textual Analysis: Vertigo

In the Opening Title Sequence of Vertigo, the first shot is of a close up of a woman. We do not see the whole of her face which creates an element of suspicion. This shot uses the rule of thirds as she is positioned left to the shot, not central. The camera then pans on to her lips, then tilts upwards so both of her eyes are in the shot, they are full of tears which adds to the feeling of suspicion. Her eyes do not stay fixed on the camera, they move around which makes the viewer feel uneasy. The camera then zooms into an extreme close up on just the woman's left eye, then by special effects a swirl shape is created and spins around her iris. 

Incidental music is used throughout this OTS as when the film name 'Vertigo' appears on the screen, the eerie flute music turns into a harsh mix of lots of instruments together which is quite jumpy. 

The graphical swirl created in the woman's eye turns the shot into just plain black which creates another uneasy feel to the film as it is almost like a dark void. After all text has appeared, the swirl leads the sequence back on to the woman's eye, then the sequence ends and fades to black.