Suspense in the eyes of the viewer
Scene analysis
Thesis: In my chosen scene the director, Alfred Hitchcock, expresses Norman’s personality as a predator, in a way that gives the viewer feelings of suspense and insecurity.
Chosen Scene: Conversation between Marion and Norman during Marion’s meal. “We all go a little mad sometimes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Nv88ASiLmgk The first argument backing up my thesis involves examining the Cinematography within the scene. Right from the moment that they sit in the office Norman is portrayed as the dominant character in the room. This is first done with a low angle shot. Hitchcock then uses medium shots to portray the characters. A great way that Normans personality is expressed is when we he gets angry at Marion’s suggestion of placing his mother in an institution. Rather than having the camera zoom or dolly towards Norman, Hitchcock has him lean in towards camera, making him come closer to both Marion and the viewer making us feel insecure. This again portrays Norman as a dangerous character. As Norman leans towards us we see his face darken due to the low key light strength, but strong fill light. This technique leaves half of Norman’s face shadowed resembling the dark side of his personality. The camera is also placed slightly more towards the …show more content…
Hitchcock implements cross cutting, to this technique rather than producing a long take, two shot to view the conversation without cutting or close ups. These various cuts let us get closer to the characters so we understand their emotions allowing for shots such as the one where Norman leans towards the camera showing dominance over Marion. Using the 180-degree rule we can focus on the suspense that is created by the eye contact between the two characters, which is supported with the non-diegetic music we hear in the
Scene analysis
Thesis: In my chosen scene the director, Alfred Hitchcock, expresses Norman’s personality as a predator, in a way that gives the viewer feelings of suspense and insecurity.
Chosen Scene: Conversation between Marion and Norman during Marion’s meal. “We all go a little mad sometimes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Nv88ASiLmgk The first argument backing up my thesis involves examining the Cinematography within the scene. Right from the moment that they sit in the office Norman is portrayed as the dominant character in the room. This is first done with a low angle shot. Hitchcock then uses medium shots to portray the characters. A great way that Normans personality is expressed is when we he gets angry at Marion’s suggestion of placing his mother in an institution. Rather than having the camera zoom or dolly towards Norman, Hitchcock has him lean in towards camera, making him come closer to both Marion and the viewer making us feel insecure. This again portrays Norman as a dangerous character. As Norman leans towards us we see his face darken due to the low key light strength, but strong fill light. This technique leaves half of Norman’s face shadowed resembling the dark side of his personality. The camera is also placed slightly more towards the …show more content…
Hitchcock implements cross cutting, to this technique rather than producing a long take, two shot to view the conversation without cutting or close ups. These various cuts let us get closer to the characters so we understand their emotions allowing for shots such as the one where Norman leans towards the camera showing dominance over Marion. Using the 180-degree rule we can focus on the suspense that is created by the eye contact between the two characters, which is supported with the non-diegetic music we hear in the