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Alfred hitchcock film techniques Psycho
Gender and violence in movies
Gender and violence in movies
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Psycho essay
Why is Alfred Hitchcock's shower scene so revolutionary? Hitchcock used a variety of shots to create the feeling of suspense and mystery. He was one of the first people to use nudity in a film which caused a lot of controversy, the way he used sound effects created a sense of fear to the audience. In the shower scene a guest at the Bates Motel, Marion goes to her room to take a shower but little did she know what was coming to her. When the shower scene started off with a close up of Marion's face to show her emotions, then we get a high shot to show her stepping into the shower. Next we get an extreme close up of Norman Bates face that's still covered by the transparent shower curtain. The reaction shot shows her screaming. High shot of her stomach shows her vulnerability at that point,
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Towards the end of the scene they give us a pan of all the blood. A crossfade tilt shows us the drain turning into her eye to symbolize how her life just went down the drain. As she lays there with her head out of the tub looking lifeless, resembling a bird. That foreshadowed when Norman was telling Marion about his hobby taxidermy and how he likes to taxidermy birds the most. Sound effects in this film were different than in any other, such as “re-re-re” that give the audience a sense of suspense and fear. Makes us want to know what's going to happen next, and when it happens it seems to shock everyone. Violins are used for most of the music. These violins helped create a frightening atmosphere for the audience. Without them, Psycho would not have received the same reactions of simultaneous entertainment and terror. In this esteem, the music made Psycho the film that it is. The shower scene is still important, since something as innocent as a bathroom quickly becomes tainted, but it’s the music that truly clinches the horror
‘Psycho’ is a 1960’s thriller that has been voted as one of the top 15
Through the use of irony, mis en scene and recurring symbols, Hitchcock has reinforced the fundamental idea of duality throughout his film, Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960’s American psychological horror thriller, was one of the most awarded films of its time, proposing contrasting connections between characters, Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, and cinematic/film techniques to develop this idea. Irony identifies contrasts between the dual personalities of Marion Crane and Norman Bates, often foreshadowing the future events of the film. Mis en scene is particularly influential to enforcing the idea of duality, evidently shown through the music and diegetic sounds used. The recurring symbols including the mirrors and specifically the birds, underpin a representation of the character’s dual personalities. Hitchcock’s use of devices reinforces the dual personalities of characters Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.
Alfred Hitchcock manipulates the camera to draw the attention of the audience, in the 1960’s thriller, Psycho. The credits abruptly appear on the screen, as though the lines are stabbing at something. The words are white text against a plain black background. This symbolises the dark being the dominant colour, but still creates a visual binary opposition. The word ‘Psycho’ is contorted and indecipherable, having been displayed over more than one of the horizontal lines foreshadowing the confusion later on in the film. They accentuate that something extreme will happen and sub-consciously raise the viewer’s awareness of events that could proceed to happen.
Suspense is only one of Hitchcock’s many techniques and themes. His themes range from the obvious violence, to the depths of human interaction and sex. From Rear Window to Psycho, Hitchcock’s unique themes are present and evident. Rear Window starts with something we all do at times, which is nosing in and stalking on others business, and turns it into a mysterious investigation leaving the viewer second guessing their neighbors at home. Psycho on the other hand, drags
Psycho is successful in sustaining that eerie, creepy feeling throughout the film. Although it does not start off scary at all really, the fact that
In 1926, Hitchcock directed The Lodger; which is considered his first real film; he reflects his technical abilities in addition to his capacity to manage narration and symbolism. This style transformed in his signature for the subsequent films. The Lodger is the template of Hitchcock´s films because in he established a certain formula as well as certain theme to develop and explore in his next films. According to Spoto one of the iconic elements that Hitchcock incorporate in this film was a revealing and full with important information opening scene, which he would use in all of his films. Also the couple formation, symbols and underlying ideas that would be treated in the films, start with the production of The Lodger. It would be appropriate
Enhancing the sustained fright of this film are an excellent cast, from which the director coaxes extraordinary performances, and Bernard Herrmann's chilling score. Especially effective is the composer's so-called "murder music," high-pitched screeching sounds that flash across the viewer's consciousness as quickly as the killer's deadly knife. Bernard Herrmann achieved this effect by having a group of violinists frantically saw the same notes over and over again.
As a filmmaker, whose individual style and complete control over all elements of production, Alfred Hitchcock implied a great deal in the motion pictures that he made.
Norman Bates is arguably the most unforgettable character in the horror genre. His movements, voice and aura at first radiate a shy young man but transform into something more sinister as the movie Psycho (Hitchcock, USA, 1960) progresses. How has the director, Alfred Hitchcock, achieved this? Norman Bates was a careful construct: the casting, body language, lighting and even the subtle use of sound and mise-en-scène created the character.
...en in the form of black and white. The movie was able to hold on to my gaze through all the suspense. I enjoyed the score composed by Bernard Herrmann in the film because it would hint at something that might happen and I felt myself tense up whenever the music came on. The characters were relatable and incidences that occurred in the film were realistic, which made the movie more comprehendible. I would warn people about how mind-boggling the film gets after the shower scene because everything afterwards becomes very fast paced. I feel the viewer would need time to think about the film and pausing is a must in order to fully understand what is going on. I would recommend this film to suspense lovers especially because Psycho is one of Hitchcock’s greatest works of art. I am glad I chose this movie to watch because the movie was well sorted out and very engaging.
In the article, “Psycho at Fifty: Pure Cinema or Invitation to an Orgy?” by John A. Bertolini, he describes how the images and scenes throughout the whole movie and its more arguable parts are what made the film stick with the imagination of Hitchcock’s audience. He goes on to give an explanation of how Hitchcock is as well one of few directors who is able to mix a little humor to go along with his vicious plot. Bertolini speculates that the audience was thrown off by savagery depicted in this film and more concerned with the emotions that were created by Hitchcock’s movie. He also outlines how much controversy the film created Psycho by stating how it, “reflected the changes at work in the larger society, especially the increasing insiste...
The reason I was looking into it because it falls under horror genre of movies. In this film, we can see supernatural activities. When a family(Katie and her boyfriend) moves into suburban tracts home, they start feeling all types of paranormal activity like ghost pops up, stuff goes missing and keeps on repeating the same thing. Later, Katie( the main character) gets possessed by a demon and kills her boyfriend. Horror movies are about violence, killing innocent people for no reason, ghost possessing people and kill them. Even though the protagonist kills it, we see a sign that shows the evil spirit might come back to this world. We see the different incident that happens in Psycho. Norman Bates kills people because of his mental illness. He ends up in jail which is the end of the movie. Psycho has a reasonable explanation for the murders that Norman Bates commits. Therefore Psycho is not like the Paranormal Activity. In this case, it is not a horror
The movie Psycho, is one of the most influential movie in Cinema history to date. The director Alfred Hitchcock, wanted to test many of the conventions of movie making that was common at that time. Alfred Hitchcock movie broke many cultural taboos and challenged the censors. Alfred Hitchcock showed a whole bunch of at the time absurd scene, for example: Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) dying naked while taking a shower, Norman Bates with split personality disorder, and the first ever flushing toilet shown in a movie. Because from the late 1920's to the late 1950's, movies were made usually go around the story, and usually with a lot dialogue. This movie gives the audience an experience that was much more emotional and intuitive. The viewers were caught up in a roller coaster of shock, surprise and suspense based on image, editing and sound.
Alfred Hitchcock’s unique sense of filmmaking and directing has allowed him to become a very famous and well known film maker of his time. He uses similar recurring themes, elements, and techniques in many of his films to engage the viewers in more than just the film, but the meaning and focus behind the story.
Sound is an incredibly relevant part of filmmaking. Although often misunderstood, it helps to generate a more realistic episode by recreating the sonic experience the scene needs. Its main goal is to enhance the emotions that each section is trying to convey by adding music and effects alongside moving images. Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960), is one of the most popular films of the XX Century (Thomson, 2009). Commonly recognised as a masterpiece for its cinematographic, editing and musical values, it changed cinema forever by “playing with darker prospects (…) of humanity such as sex and violence (Thomson, 2009)”. This paper will analyse the sound effects used in the shower scene and its repercussions