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Sound in cinematography
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Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, displays just how impactful the characteristics chosen within the film are. Each choice that is picked ultimately determines whether or not the film will be a success or not. When choosing which settings, sounds, and lighting that a film will use, one must take into consideration the emotions that are trying to be conveyed on the screen. In Rear Window, Hitchcock displays the emotions in the film through the use of setting, sound and lighting. These features allow the audience to see the film’s overall big picture. The whole movie is spent in Jeff's small apartment somewhere placed in Greenwich Village, New York City. This makes the film appear to be as if you, the viewer, like Jeff, are …show more content…
I felt the use of the train horns in the distance, and the cars honking in the streets as the drive by, as well as the kids playing in the streets makes me think of the time period in which this movie was shot. Especially, with the neighbors having parties nextdoor or families talking to each other through open windows, with this use of sound it almost makes the viewer seem like they are in a little village in the heart of New York …show more content…
In the film I noticed low-key lighting as well as high-key lighting. I noticed a lot of low-key lighting that showed a lot of shadows. I think this is important in a film to get even the little things like a shadow in the scene. This also created the film to be more realistic and got me, the audience, starting to look at little details also going on in the scene. This makes it easier to notice the main character in less lighted scenes. This draws my attention to them and not the background, which is less lighted and harder to see. I noticed the high-key lighting parts of the scene more during the day or close ups on the characters. This allowed for clear visual of the characters and really focus on what they were saying. I wouldn’t say that shadows or lack of lighting added a feeling of danger but more of a feeling that something was about to happen. Overall I was very impressed with the lighting of this movie, especially for how old it
Thus placing the film fully emersed in the old, mysterious, dreamlike settings of the city, they are equally balanced with modern technology and the collective past gives viewers a sense of definite decay, with no sure centre for future (Spotto 277). Through Hitchcock’s films Americans could reminiscence and ruminate about their past-a kind of nostalgia and longingness is created. When Scottie meets Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) in the shipbuilders’ office at the Embarcadero, what he says is striking: “The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast,” Elster complains quietly and referring to the old maps and woodcuts in his office he continues, “I should have liked to have lived here then-colour, excitement, power, freedom” (qtd in Spoto 280-281/qtd from the film). Here his speech echoes urbanisation that has gripped America and he also expresses a typical American sentiment of longingness for the past well expressed. And the sadness of the old things “disappearing past” is deliberately introduced to effect in Scottie and in us who are urged to identify with him, a nostalgia for bygone era (Spoto 281). Hitchcock has taken the film keeping in mind the viewers of postwar America who were nostalgic. Artist should be able to read the mind of the people. Taine has already pointed out the importance of ‘the man, milieu and
Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock was an exceptional movie with a jaw- dropping 8.6 rating on IMDb’s website. The movie is about L. B. Jefferies (protagonist), who is a well-known photographer in a wheelchair.The lack of entertainment and extreme boredom caused Jeff (Jefferies) to stare out the rear window day and night. He eyed his neighbors through this window 24/7 and revolved his wheelchair season around their personal lives. As the movie goes on Jeff feels as if Lars Thorwald (antagonist) has murdered his sick wife. He knew they were an unhappy married couple already and had some unmistakable clues. In this series of events Jeff’s girlfriend who he thought to be too perfect for him and epicene turns out be a risk-taker and brave.
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
Cornell Woolrich in “Rear Window (originally titled ‘It Had to Be Murder’)” is a short story, full with suspense and murder. The short story and the film version take us into the life of a man who is force to live in a wheelchair due to his injured leg. According to Lawrence Howe author of the article “Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window”’ he emphasizes that “Rear window has been recognize for its thematic of watching, connecting the voyeurism of L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jeffries with spectator’s curiosity about the lives of those one watches on the screen” (Howe 16). The theme of voyeurism is present throughout the film. According to George E. Toles author of the article “Alfred Hitchcock’s
Rowe, Lawrence. "Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock's"Rear Window"." College Literature 35.1 (2008): 16-37.
In other words, the higher class creates the beliefs on how the rest of the lower classes should be seen or what ideals they should follow. The lower classes do this to themselves to reinsure their nature of national identity. Cinema is used as an ideological apparatus. Hollywood puts their ideals on the screen and renders them invisible. Such ideologies that are on the screen are heterosexual and it is embedded in almost every genre. Other ideals consist of social class of an individual, the gender of the individual and the age. There are two states of apparatus that are spread ideologically on screen. The first is repressive, discriminates other people to in oppressive state, such as laws that discriminate against certain groups. Second is, Ideological state apparatus, covertly spreads ideologies such as family, church and school. Hitchcock uses the reality effect in Rear Window to draw the audience more into the cinematic experience. He does so by making the protagonist look through the lens of his camera to view his neighbors and look inside their apartment and how they live their daily lives. By doing so, we see the world through Jefferies eyes and he himself becomes part of the audience. While viewing every apartment window we see how people live in their natural state and give the film a sense of realism. Each window shows what life was like, living in America in 1950. Each character represents different social classes. As Jefferies lens focuses on apartment complexes across the alley, it displays a capitalistic view of the tenants. On the top floor lives a hard working pianist in what appears to be apartment house suite with the great view and accompanied by other people that look well kept and pampered. His social standin...
Stam, Robert & Pearson, Robertson., ‘Hitchcock’s Rear Window: Refluxivity and the Critique of Voyeurism’ in Deutelbaum, Marshall & Poague, Leland A. ed., A Hitchcock Reader (John Wiley & Sons: 2009).
The film begins with a title card sequence upon a static backdrop of shrubbery, mountains and distant clouds; a lingering sight that doesn’t truthfully establish forthcoming events in Vienna’s saloon. Her saloon may be quiet, but it is always occupied, and whilst the opening sequence, in which we are introduced to Johnny Guitar, is filled with a bravado of horns and orchestral accompaniment, the saloon itself is inversely populated by the sound of wind, tumbleweed, and stark silences - something perhaps more associated with the western expanse in which the story takes place. Yet for this dichotomy in sound, the initial visuals after the credit sequence foreshadow the destruction of locale, and the audience takes the place ...
Situated in the rising action of the film, Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954), this scene depicts Jeff sending a note to his neighbor, Mr. Thornwald, with the help of Lisa and Stella letting him know that they know about his crime. Hitchcock's use of mise-en-scene elements such as, lighting, setting, props, spacing and expressions between characters all allow Hitchcock to prove Jeff’s’ inability in the situation and develop important themes such as opposite perspectives and peoples’ engrossment with lives other than their own.
It hints of danger when Peg sees a man standing in a dark corner of the room looking like it was a bad guy, so Peg got scared when she first saw him standing there. It also made the audience have a scary feeling. Tim also uses low-key lighting in the movie Bettlejuice, there was a moment when Adam and Barbra made this secret door inside their attic and it had a low-key lighting effect, so it made it look like it was dangerous because it was a mysterious door. Now I have listed some examples when Tim Burton uses low-key lighting in his
The film, 'Rear Window' has an essence of 'urban isolation/ loneliness' in it. The entire film is made on one confined set. In the whole movie, the viewers can either see the apartment of the immobile protagonist, Jeff or the window views of his neighbors. With the idea of confined set, Hitchcock (director) showed the loneliness and urban isolation of Jeff. Due to his leg injury, Jeff can not go anywhere so he passes his time by peeping into his neighbors' life through his rear window and can see different stories going on in different apartments. Each apartment window is like a TV series for him, which he watches on a daily basis. This film shows the visual study of obsessive human curiosity.
The lighting in this movie is very effective. It helps to establish the characters very well. The audience is helping in distinguishing the bad and the good characters through the lighting. The movie overall is very stylized. There are some other strange lighting patterns brought out by Hype Williams, but by far the most effective lighting patterns are ones that help to characterize the main players in the film.
The lighting played a major role in setting the tone for both the theatre performance and the movie. In both the film and play, the lighting was dimmed and the non-important elements, such as background elements, were often hidden in the shadows. In the film the murky lighting also hid Todd in the shadows, in order to increase the suspense and further emphasize his intimidating demeanor. In the play,
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.
At the beginning, the movie appears to be very dark and gloomy. This is shown from the riot at the bakery and the young revolutionist running away from authorities. There was so much trouble that the family went through to eat, and survive. The tension increases so smoothly yet it drives the nerves of the watcher during the family argument scene (which proves to be very effective).