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  • Essay / Alfred Hitchcock's use of color in his film Vertigo

    Filmmakers use colors as storytelling devices, and visually-minded directors create color palettes almost as memorable as the films themselves. Hitchcock is no exception. Few films use color palettes as brilliant as Vertigo (Hitchcock) and there is perhaps no other film that evokes such a powerful feeling from a color palette of red and green. Almost everything about Madeleine and Judy is red and green. The lack of this strong color palette means the lack of emotions. The color palette becomes particularly notable in certain circumstances. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essayThe title sequence of Vertigo (Hitchcock) is a three and a half minute microfilm designed by a young graphic designer, SaĆ¼l Bass. For Bass, the title sequence offers a valid chance to set the mood of the film itself and grab viewers' attention from the start. In Vertigo (Hitchcock), he aims to create an anxious and dizzying feeling. It begins with an extremely close-up shot of an anonymous woman's face in black and white. Then the camera focuses from the mouth to the eyes and freezes on his left eye. At this moment, the frame is completely covered in bloody red. This color variation creates a more intense nervousness. While the image was in black and white, it is difficult for viewers to immediately read what messages are left by the director. But as it turns red, things become different. Red is a color that often suggests pressure, desire, danger and even death. The whole red-filled frame makes viewers uncertain and curious about what kind of feeling they can expect from the film. In this three and a half minute title sequence, there is also a strange spiral image spinning in one of the woman's eyes. As it rotates, the color switches between reds and greens repeatedly, and it also gets bigger and bigger, as if it's going to suck everything up. Eventually it comes back to the same old eye covered in bloody red. The principle of red and green color is contrasting colors. They are strong enough and perhaps represent completely opposing ideas. In this case, such an intense color palette, consisting of red and green, sets the mood among viewers and attracts our attention directly and quickly. A similar motif repeats itself in Scottie's nightmare. In his nightmare, the portrait of Carlotta (a former relative of Madeleine's family) is again covered with a layer of red "curtain" and the image flickers several times, which adds a kind of mystery and danger. As he walks towards Madeleine's tomb in the dream, he finds that she was not there at all. This represents Scottie's fear and remorse. He may regret his giddiness (Hitchcock) and his timidity is what leads to Madeleine's death, or it could be something else. Viewers can observe the same color palette repeating over and over again between the two mysterious female figures and Scottie, with the exception of Scottie's old friend Midge. . Midge never wears anything green or red. She always wears a white T-shirt and her house decoration is neither green nor red. This makes her insignificant or almost invisible in the film. In one scene, Midge is sitting by the window, she almost blends into the background. She is also a female figure, but has nothing to do with an object of male desire or sexual attraction. Viewers can relate while watching the story..