Psycho
Production company: Shamley Productions
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Date of release: June 16, 1960 (New York City) September 8, 1960 (United States)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Staring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh.
The movie Psycho follows numerous important horror film conventions, all of which were intentionally employed to shock and captivate the audience. Because it follows many of the standards and conventions of psychological horror, it is classified as such. One of these is the adversary's appearance This follows Propps theory of characters, in which the antagonist is presented as a false hero and has no physical indicators that would make them look as a killer. This misalignment of roles makes the audience even more terrified, as the character they thought was pure turns out to be wicked in the end. In Psycho, for example, the antagonist shows no outward indicators of being a serial murderer. Hitchcock employed technical codes like high camera angles to show the antagonist's superiority or power over the other characters, low key lighting and back lighting to give the adversary a sense of mistrust, and sound to emphasise a mood or theme like apprehensive and terror, or good against evil.
Alfred Hitchcock used lighting to portray the important topic of good vs. evil. Although the film is in black and white, the audience can still tell who is good and who is bad just on the lighting (wether it was low key or high key lighting). Hitchcock used low-key lighting to emphasise the concept of good versus evil. This is due to the fact that evil is associated with darkness, therefore when Hitchcock films the shots in this lighting, the audience is able to sense the evil that is conveyed through the actors and the lighting. Marion, although having taken the money, was shot in a less low-key manner than Norman, indicating their social status and personality. Marion is shot in a less low key lighting when speaking with Norman in his office, whereas Norman is shot in a very low key lighting, expressing the disparity between the two. The lighting in this film is crucial since it foreshadows the film's ending, which is highly regarded by Hitchcock.
To convey the notion of safety, Hitchcock manipulates camera angles, shot sizes, and movement. Camera methods have been selected with the intent of confusing the audience or foreshadowing a potential future occurrence.
This shot for example, is an overshot that makes the subject appear smaller and more exposed to what's to come. Because he is slightly out of focus, the detective is inattentive and vulnerable to Norman, who is going faster than the detective. This shot builds suspense by showing the audience what is about to happen while also making the investigator feel uneasy. This shot, which happens before the investigator is slain, is a result of the strategies used to set up a hazardous and suspenseful final stabbing scenario.
As she walks into the bathroom, a long cut is used to show her setting and that she is in her home, which is usually associated with being safe place. In the shower scene, Hitchcock used Voyeurism, or male gaze, to engage his audience. When the killer's silhouette appears from behind the curtain, the camera zooms in on him, drawing the audience's attention to him. The camera zooms in on Marion's mouth as she screams, emphasising her scream and conveying to the audience how terrified she is. The camera quickly shifts to her every time the killer tries to stab her, making you aware of the power he wields over her. Throughout the entire shower scene Marion is shot from a high angle which represents her vulnerability, whereas the male was always shot from either a low angle or eye level shot to emphasis his power and dominance over the women. When the killer leaves there is a close up shot on her hand as she slowly falls, this is an obvious connotation that the Marion died.
Due to the lack of advancement in crops and editing there was no direct scene of her being killed but an action code has been implemented by the slowly falling hand. This shot is static but disobeys the rules of photography, causing the audience feel discomfort. As there is too much blank space forcing the audience to focus only on the hand.
The Professional
Birds eye view tracking landscape with subtitles present cast. Tilt up and handheld shot forward cut from the forest to the city streets tilt up implication of the cultural change from urban America to little suburban Italian hood.
Dolly in though the frame of the door into pitch darkness which then fades in with insert shot of hands on the table relaxed. The Mafia is presented in low key lighting with only a limited amount of face revealed creating an enigma of who and what is this man doing. There is binary oppositions created from the title sequence, the well developed urban streets of New York and the corrupt rural little town. Further enigma is created by not explaining the why is there an isolation between of the urban city and this isolated Italian hood. The shots continue with an action code the mafia extinguishes the cigarette which means it’s about to get serious and down to business. Another enigma is created by not revealling who is this person is and why is he wearing sunglasses in a dull room. Mafia has a high status within its community, usually stereotyped as very dangerous and aggressive people, but when a scene is presented of the mafia is drinking milk it juxtaposes with the normal understanding of a Mafia.
A deal was proposed by one mafia and accepted which was implied by the action code of taking the the picture of the target implication he’ll take care of him, implication he will kill him. Language very aggressive Fat bastard no politeness shown implying the boss is displeased. High level showing shoulders implying he is very tough and big masculinity he is important fills in the entire frame body guards headless presenting their unimportance.
Black swan
Verisimilitude is extremely high when the girl wakes up in her bedroom contrasting with the opening scene of dreamlike setting, it is a performance but no audience is presented. It’s just a blank isolated space, which presents lack of verisimilitude. Binary opposition is often used, Black and White, which implies good and evil, male and female which shows the dominance of the male and a subservient female. The swan is implied as elegant beautiful and weak, which all fits in with the usual female characteristics. The Male is shown as Masculine and powerful. The bell hooks theory could be applied as the female is portrayed in a very stereotypical way, of being weak, elegant and beautiful, which is further presented in a cultural code of being portrayed as a white swan dancing ballet. Ballet is associated with female activity, and the white swan is a replication of a charming women.
Sound, the composition is a non-diegetic although the entire ballet dance was in sync with the composition. The composition began with a major key which implies of peace, happiness and joy. The dynamic was at first piano which further shows that peaceful environment. When the male character enters there is a key change from major uplifting mood to minor which represents a threat or danger, there are some chords with dissonance also presented like a culture code of the devils chord, which implies of evilness. There was a crescendo as the male entered increasing the tension causing the audience to feel sympathetic for the at danger female character. This shows the disruption of the initial equilibrium. The male character was presented with red eyes, symbolises a demonic, evil villain, an ironic symbolisation of the all-powerful, idolising the Black Swan.
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