Alfred Hitchcock and Psycho

Occupation - Film Director and Producer.

Born - 13th August 1899 - Leytonstone, London, England.

Died - 29th April 1890 (aged 80) - Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.

Other Names - Hitch, The Master Of Suspense.

Years Active - 1921-76

Hitchcock was a British film producer and director He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talking movies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen, while remaining a British subject.

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing and this is where he got the name 'The Master of Suspense'.

Psycho

Psycho is a 1960 American horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) absconds with $40,000 of stolen cash from a Phoenix bank and drives toward California, where she plans to start a new life with her paramour. Before reaching her destination, however, fate delivers her to the Bates motel, which is run by the seemingly harmless mama’s boy, Norman (Anthony Perkins). Following Marion’s mysterious disappearance her sister and her boyfriend team up with a private investigator to find out what happened to her. Clues can be found in the shower of room #1 of the Bates motel.

Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best films and is highly praised as a work of cinematic art by international critics.

 

NOTES ON PSYCHO

Mise En Scene – Location, Props, Costume, Lighting	Camera Angles, Shots & Movements	Editing	Sounds
- Credits very sharp, violent/unpredictable – represent the stabbing motion. - Blinds close when Marion and Sam are in the room, intimate and secrecy. - Phoenix, Arizona, Time and Date – use of anchorage. - Window half open – Hitchcock likes to hide as much as he can from the audience. - Sam opens the blind – dramatic lighting shot – very bright. - When the policeman pulls her over his glasses cover/hide his identity. - Mention of trouble at the car dealers – darkness on the horizon. - She looks confident then it rains which could symbolise things to come before she gets to the hotel. - Long shot of house. - Over the shoulder shot – goes to room key number 3, then 2, then 1. This could symbolise a countdown and that time is nearly run out. - When she is eating, he is in the dark and he is in the light. The juxtaposition shows that he is the evil one and she is the good one. - No panic on his face – controlled – he knows what he is doing. - His room – birds of prey. - Her room pictures of smaller less harmful birds. - Power struggle between Norman and the detective. - Questioning – verbal sparing – detective is seemed to be winning. - When he enters low angle shot of the owl again which suggests that he may be the next prey. - Although Sam’s talking to Norman you still get the feeling she is in danger.	- Establishing shot. - Two shot – shows intimacy. - Wide open aerial shot of the town, pan across. - Zoom into the hotel room window. - Not there point of view shot but someone else’s, seems like someone is watching them. - Power of money, when Sam has the money he is standing up, then when Marion has the money she is the dominant one. - Long shot of two cars. - The shot through the glass when the policeman stops her could represent that she is trapped. - Low angle point of view shot of the policeman shows that he is the dominant one although she has the money. - Over the shoulder shot of the car dealer shows her with barriers and darkness behind her. This again could show that she is trapped. - Over the should and point of view shots in the car shows that it is clear in front of her but because of the car in the rear view window it shows that she is always being followed. - Low angle shot of Norman with the bird behind him in the background could represent that she is his prey. - High angle looking down on her represents that she isn’t in control of what is going to happen. - Midway through her talking about her mum (negative) he moves forward in his chair with the eagle in the background shows something has unnerved him. - Pictures of naked woman on the walls – takes them off to then view Marion getting changed through a hole in the wall. - Extreme close up of detective – knows they have the money. - Low angle – nervous about being found out. - Medium shot of Norman smiling – shows he may have given away information but he is actually in control. - High angle shot looking down on the detective from the stairs again suggests he is next. - Birds eye view of him coming out the door of his mother’s room and attacking the detective. - High angle of them in the bathroom where her sister was murdered – shows they could be prey for Norman.	- Cross cutting from her to the money – audience on her side – she has her mind on the money. - Long pauses between shots – comfortable /intimate. - Shot reverse shot – cutting between characters – both on their own – cuts are shorter which makes it tenser. - Jump cuts – forward in time – day travelling in city to night travelling in the suburbs. - Transitions between scenes – Norman taking his mum somewhere and Marion and Sam coming out the church.	- Non diagetic – shaper music, reinforcing the genre – stabbing motion – represents what is going to be the death of Marion. - Sam opening the blind – creates a sharp dramatic diagetic sound. - Non Diagetic sound of people talking in her head. - Diagetic sound of rain – heavy/harsh. - ‘As harmless as one of those stuffed birds’- Norman says this when talking to Marion – shows something bad is on the horizon because although they are stuffed they are birds of prey and were dangerous. - The sound mirrors the way in which Norman is feeling. - Sharp/Harsh high pitch music when stabbing. - High pitch noise when she’s dieing. - Diagetic – Harsh.

Silent Hill - Akshay Mason, Georgia Sharp, Catherine Porter and Emma Wylie

Like my group, Daryl's presentation and Ellie's groups presentation, Akshay, Georgia, Catherine and Emma also commented on the 4 elements but in the horror film 'Silent Hill'. The film was directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary. The story is an adaptation of the Silent Hill horror video games.


- In the opening sequence of the film there is the non-diagetic noise from a piano which is playing a haunted style of music. This immediately sends across the mood of the film as being very dark and mysterious as well as putting across the genre of the film as being horror.
- There is a low angle shot of the woman, this may show that she is the main character and also you see in the background that there is a man and he is always in the background compared to the woman, this will show that the female plays the more dominant role in this film.
- The time it is set adds a mysterious element to it, at night (common in many horror films) represents fear and the unknown.
- Different shots and especially the long shots between her and her mother shows that the mother is isolated and has a lack of control over her daughter.
- Colours of the clothing each character is wearing shows their connections - light blue pyjamas of child and light blue shorts of woman.

Hide and Seek - Abbie Lacey, Hannah Moore and Ellie Fetcher

Similarly to My group and Daryl, we watched Abbie, Hannah and Ellie do a presentation also on the four elements in the horror film 'Hide and Seek'. It is a 2005 horror film staring Robert De Nero and was
directed by John Polson.

- The first thing we hear is the non-diagetic sound of the music, it is very child-like music and links to the title as we all used to play hide and seek when we were younger.
- There is not much natural light it is quite dark and gloomy, this sets the tone of the film.
- Man walks up and the fact that he is in dark clothes and wearing glasses suggests that this character may have two sides to him and two different personalities. The dark clothes also makes the audience feel quite unsure about this character.
- When the woman was outside she was in bright colours but now she is inside she seems quite depressed and is in black, the contrast of these colours may suggest that there is something not quite right.
- Red lipstick, jewellery, nails etc represent death and blood and could be the signs of something that is going to happen to her.
- Man (father) has his glasses off, this shows that he is not hiding anything but then when they start to argue and talk to each other he puts the glasses back on to show that he may have something to hide.
- She takes off all her jewellery and this could represent that she is leaving bits of her behind for people to remember, she is going to get in the bath but she commits suicide so she is leaving her jewellery in memory of her.
- He wakes up and is walking very slowly towards the bathroom, this builds tension, shot looks like he is being followed. The asynchronous sounds of the dripping tap also builds tension and adds curiosity for the audience.
- He slides the door of the bath open and see's his wife in a pool of blood, the colour is seen to have drained form her and into the water. Music now turns quite echoey and quite mysterious.

The Grudge - Daryl Meadows

Like my group Daryl made a presentation on the 4 elements; Mise En Scene, Sounds, Editing and Camera Movement/Angles, on a horror film called The Grudge. The Grudge was an American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on. It was directed by Takashi Shimizu who also directed the original japanese version. After taking notes on the film and his presentation here is some of the analysis I got.

 Here is the link to the opening on Youtube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Kjg6jLgQ8

From 2 minutes 20 seconds onwards.

During the opening credits (2:20) the colours are red and black which relate very much to death and blood and this then sets the scene for the film because straight away you would know it is some sort of horror film.

At 3:41 the woman enters the scene riding her bike and we see her coming out of a dark shadow, this could represent the fact that she is quite a mysterious character as well as the black being associated with fear, this also sets the mood for the film. The combination of jump and match on action cuts also to speed up the process of getting to where she wants to go instead of just watching her for ages cycling.

At 4:09 the woman enters the house and straight away we get the feeling of being trapped because one of the first shots whilst she is in the house is from behind a banister or staircase and this creates may represent that now she has entered there is no way out. Also the shot is almost like a Point Of View shot which makes the audience feel like they are hiding whilst watching the woman and may have been used to put us in the grudges position as he may have been sneaking round watching her. Enhancing the fact that us as an audience are looking at her and putting us in the grudges position, is the fact that the camera shots rarely move with her they are always shots from the same place that follow her. Especially at 4:56 where there is a high shot of the woman this gives you the feeling that she is a very vulnerable target and the grudge is much more powerful than her.

At 7:01 when she enters the attic she has to make her way through some cobwebs, this is very significant as we all know that she is the grudged prey just like a fly would be to a spider in it’s web. The attic is almost like the grudges web and once she enter she is trapped for good and there is no way of escape. As well as the cobwebs the light from the lighter is also very significant in this part of the scene. It is very flickery and this gives us the sense of her fear, and could mirror that she is shaking and extremely nervous.

Editing

Continuity Editing - Used to smooth over the discontinuity of the editing process and to establish logical coherence between shots - It creates an action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring and it establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

Discontinuity Editing - Can be expressed by the deliberate use of ellipses. Cutting techniques useful in showing the nature of the specific ellipses are the dissolve and fade. Other editing styles can show  reversal of time or even an abandonment of it altogether, flashbacks and the montage techniques.

Types of Editing

- Cross-Cutting (Parallel editing) - A Method of editing use in which the POV switches alternately from events at one location to those of another related action or switching from one person talking to another quickly indicating they are happening simultaneously.

- Jump Cut - A cut which brakes the continuity of time by jumping forwards from one part of an action to another. For example, if someone is driving from one destination to another then a jump cut would be used so you don't have to watch the whole journey otherwise it would be boring for the viewers.

- 180 Degree Rule - This is a filming guideline that participates in a scene that should have the same left-right relationship to each other, with filming only taking place within the 180 degree angle. For Example, when you see soldiers walking moving from left to right on the front lines then right to left when they return home, creating a continuous sense of direction.

- Shot Reverse Shot - Usually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoilder shots showing each character speaking. This shot often ties in with the 180 Degree Rule to retain continuity by not disturbing the audience's sense of location of the characters in the shot.

Eyeline Match - The matching of eyelines between two or more characters. For example, if Ben looks to the right in shot A, Dan will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity.

Match on Action  - This is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. This creates the impression of continuity because the action carrying through creates a 'visual bridge' which draws the viewer's attention away from slight cutting of continuity issues.

Match Cut - This is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different spaces, or two different compositions in which an object in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically.

Other Transitions are:

- Dissolve

- Fade in/out

- Wipe

- Superimposition

- Long/Short Take

- Slow Motion

- Ellipses

- Expansion of Time

Codes and Conventions of Horror Films

Example of Horror Films are:

- Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock - Psychological

- The Shinning - Stanley Kubrick - Psychological

- Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Tobe Hooper - Gore

- The Exorcist - William Friedkin - Religious

All of these films are Made to unsettle and scare the viewer, they are designed to:

- Unnerve and Frighten.

- Fear and Alarm the viewer.

- In a way cause nightmares - refer to peoples fears.

- Entertain and cause an adrenaline rush.

Characters

- A killer or the bad person - These characters usually have a trademark way of killing people, the weapon he uses or the people he kills - For example 'Saw' the killer uses traps, or 'The Ring' where when the tape is played the people who viewed it will die in seven days.

- Good against Evil.

- The 'Bad Guy' usually has a feature, whether it's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' where he wears the faces of his victims or whether it's 'Friday the 13th' where the killer wears a hockey mask.

- One person usually survives to 'tell the tale'.

Death is usually likely when...

- Someones says 'I'll be right back'.

- You go out to investigate  strange noise.

- Someone asks 'Who's there?'

Other Codes and Conventions include:

- Dark/shadowy lighting.
- Isolated location.
- Female victim.
- Disruption of normality.
- Sub plot of male/female relationship.
- Defeat of monster.

Terminator 2 - Analysis

The ways in which Terminator 2 constructs representations of gender using camera shots/angles, Mise En Scene, sound and editing.

Terminator 2 is a 1991 science fiction action film directed, co-written and co-produced by James Cameron starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Connor and Linda Hamilton. It leads on from ‘The Terminator’ and John Connor (Edward Furlong) is ten years old and living in Los Angeles with foster parents. His mother Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) had been preparing him throughout his childhood for his future role as the leader of the human Resistance, but she was arrested after attempting to bomb a computer factory and sent to a hospital for the criminally insane.

The first time we see Sarah Connor is when she is in her room in the asylum. This is where we get the first representation of gender in the film. There is a close up shot of someone’s arms doing chin ups, which shows strength and power. At this moment in time the audience is not too sure who the person is. Because of the representation of men in movies, we as viewers think that this figure doing chin ups is a man. As the camera zooms out to a mid shot we see that it is in fact Sarah Connor. This immediately shows the representation of her as being a very powerful figure in the film and that she will play a major role protecting her and other around her from the terminators.

She is then interrupted by what we can assume are some kind of visitors or inspectors of the asylum. These people are obviously on the other side of her cell door. Behind them is a large window with the view of trees. This gives the element of freedom whereas when there is a close up shot of Connor’s face, the window behind her is not only barred up but also has no real element of freedom to it. The fact the bars are there and are shadowed onto her face symbolically shows that she is trapped but because the light is also shining on her face and surrounding her head shows that although being trapped she is sane and being imprisoned for no reason. This use of light round her head makes her seem like she is the savior and definitely show that she is represented in the film as the very powerful and strong figure.

As mentioned previously, in films men are seen the be the more dominant figure and although at times Sarah Connor is represented as being a powerful individual she is also dominated by some of the male figures. For example when she is in her cell, there is a close up two shot of two male prison guards looking through the window at her, this is a very sinister shot that makes Sarah Connor look very intimidated with very little dominance. As they enter she is hit to her knees there is a point of view shot looking up at the two men. Like the close up two shot of the guards, this point of view show also shows there dominance over her.

It’s not only the men in the film that make Sarah Connor seem over dominated. In one of the scenes she has a dream which shows a close up of her face up against a chain fence. The dream consists of an extra long shot of a city that is being destroyed by what looks like fire shock waves of an explosion. She is behind this chain fence and is then burnt alive by this shock wave of fire. This shows that she is not indestructible and is in fact very vulnerable and could be the sign of things to come. The Mise En Scene creates a sense of foreboding.

The last scene also makes Sarah Connor seem vulnerable to the Bad Terminator (not Arnold Schwarzenegger). She shoots through his head after being knocked down to the floor by him and because he is a terminator the only thing that happens is he has a whole through his right eye. The camera is at a slight height just above the terminator’s head. As the camera pans round past the back of his head from one over the shoulder shot to another, you see a glimpse of Sarah Connor lying on the floor through the whole where his right eye would be. This immediately shows the dominance of the terminator and that Sarah is his target and is the main focus for him. This shot also shows that she is very vulnerable because of the slight height of it and because she is on the floor and he is at a higher level than her.

The Male dominance and her being shown as very vulnerable is when he is following her up a flight of stairs at the factory. Although she is at the height this time, which usually shows a domineering role, you get the feeling that he is very intimidating towards her because she can’t harm him in anyway. The music at this time also shows that he is more dominant because it has quite a tense feel to it and as he is the one chasing her you get the sense she is in real trouble.

Overall in the film Terminator 2 I think that although Sarah Connor is seen in some scenes to be a very dominant character in the story, she always seem to be either in some sort of trouble or trapped either in her mind or physically. Whereas with the males figures are shown as a over powering figure and the only time they are seen to be in any real trouble is right at the end when both the terminators die.

Silence Of The Lambs - Facts, Summary and Analysis

Ben Bowen, Toby Harvey, George Jackson and I analysed the editing, sounds, mise en scene and camera angles in the horror film - Silence Of The Lambs. Below are a few facts and the summary of this film.

· The silence of the lambs was the first horror movie to win an academy award for the best picture.
· Also has the distinction of being only the third movie in history to win the five major Oscars.
· It is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s bestselling novel.
· The film was a deserved winner featuring superb performances from Jodie Foster who played the main role of Claurice Staling a young FBI agent, and Anthony Hopkins who plays the role of Hannibal Lector.
· It was directed by Jonathan Demme, previously best known for comedy but also had directed a few gore films.


Summary

· Claurice Staling is asked by her commander at the FBI, Jack Crawford, to visit the notorious serial killer Hannibal ‘the cannibal’ Lector a former psychiatrist held in a high security asylum/prison, who may have an insight into the case of a murderer named Buffalo Bill.
· The witty cultured Hannibal is too clever to give up such valuable information easily.
· He draws Claurice into an uneasy disturbing relationship in which he demands insight into her childhood in exchange for information on the case.
· They move Hannibal to a better facility but once there he manages a thrilling and physiological escape which involves the death of policemen and medics.
· Claurice eventually manages to discover the whereabouts of Buffalo Bill and resorts to killing him her and the lives of the girl and possible other girls.
· At the end Claurice is awarded with her full FBI status and gets a phone call from Hannibal telling her congratulations and that he won’t harm her but doesn’t plan to stop killing others.
· It is left with the camera panning out on Hannibal in a foreign country following a man who has done him wrong.


Analysis

We chose a horror film to analyse and decided that 'Silence of the Lambs' was a good one to do. We had to analyse the 4 elements which were; Mise En Scene, Editing, Sound and Camera Movements/Angles. Below is a link to a video of us presenting.

Click here -->  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoqtmb24E10&feature=youtu.be