Psycho- Alfred Hitchcock

In class we watched the film Psycho which allowed us to look at the work by Alfred Hitchcock- a director who uses a quirky and unique sense of creativity in his films- treating them like artwork, as he is after all an 'Auteur and Creator'. Studying particular shots that Hitchcock uses allows us as a group to think of possible shot types that we can use when we start to storyboard and plan our own thriller. For example the shot when Marion is in the bathroom counting the money, Hitchcock uses a shot where her double identity is shown with the use of a mirror- she tries to deceive Norman at the hotel by signing in with a false name. In relation to our own thriller, a double identity could be a fantastic aspect to focus on as the main character in our thriller, who kills her best friend- does not actually realize she has killed her- the drugs she took created an alternative personality where she was out of character. This shot can therefore be considered, the double identity of the character can be portrayed in numerous other ways also- for example in Barton Fink, the storytelling is actually told through images, sound and motifs- the metaphorical fire at the end expresses Charlie’s anger and 'dual' personality as a 'mad man'. Therefore another idea could be to use a metaphorical image which explains the dual identity of the character.  Hitchcock includes various personal 'stamps' on all of his films to backup his 'auteur' title. The very high angle shot (where Norman carries his mother downstairs) keeps the audience intrigued as we are unable to see the mother in detail- keeping us in suspense of the mystery that unfolds throughout. In our thriller, i feel that this shot could be used near the end of our clip when the 'killing' of the best friend takes place- the camera could pan upwards to a very high angle shot as it blurs and distorts the image- leaving the audience confused yet interested to find out what has happened. Another feature used in Hitchcock's film Psycho is the use of exaggerated lighting effects- (swinging light bulb in the cellar sequence) this idea can be taken and modified for our own thriller, as 'moving lighting' can be included to create tension in certain places (girl washing her hands in the sink, covered in blood) - the rhythm of the swinging bulb can also keep the audience 'fixed' on the thriller and what is about to happen. I also found that the shot at the start of Psycho where Cassidy is staring 'lasciviously at Marion in the office, the audience are encouraged to stare just as hard as her with the use of camera angle and shot-reverse shot. Another brilliant aspect to incorporate or consider for our thriller clip. Hitchcock believed it was the director’s responsibility to trigger the audience’s emotional and psychological response by his definition of 'Pure Film'. A pivotal feature of this would be how Hitchcock emphasises the audience as the voyeur- as we always watch with a curious interest in the behaviours of others. We are outside of the narrative, acting as observers, yet we become directly engaged with the characters and actions- we may even feel empathy towards them. We are aware that it is not actually happening to us; however Hitchcock takes this idea, which he 'pushes to the limit'. Regarding this idea, creating a psychological thriller opening that enables the audience to start engaging with the characters emotions is what we would aim to, and like to achieve. Overall studying this film has been extremely influential and a brilliant starting point with regards to shots and ideas which we can modify and include in our thriller opening.

Lauren Taylor.