FINAL THRILLER PIECE : FIRST PRODUCTION MEETING

FIRST PRODUCTION MEETING:

On Monday 8th December, we built upon a storyboard in which consisted of the ideas of our AS Level media Thriller. The storyboard consisted of the make up of images showing angle structure in which the text was constructed of the type of camera angle used and where we are initially filming our piece. During our Lesson we came up with a couple of ideas for the use of an area in which we are filming our piece. These ideas consisted of Valence House and East-bury Manor. After our group discussion we decided that East-bury Manor was more appropriate for our setting. We generally  wanted to create suspense in our thriller but alternate it so its not a typical thriller. We decided to add some unusual ideas to make a more dramatic emphasis in our thriller.

We visited the website of east bury manor in order to give us a more pictured image of our plot. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/eastbury-manor-house/

The most important thing in order for the base of our thrillers setting was the plot of our thriller.The plot of thriller is intentionally two spy's responsible for a micro chip that contains information unknown to  no one including the audience other than the spy's. Unfortunately whilst out on a call the two spy's named Belle (Abbie) and Violette (Verity) were astonished by the fact that when they had returned to there undercover house the micro chip had Disappeared this ruled in a murder... Once this murder had taken place the mystery was...

 WHAT WAS ON THE MICROCHIP ?

 WHO WAS THE MURDER?

 WHY DID THEY KILL BELLE ?...

This is left the the minds of the audience and the continuous aim of the thriller.

"MC GUFFIN"

Furthermore , during our production meeting it was important our story line had a "MC GUFFIN" to draw the audience and make them believe in one thing when the story is initially in the opposite direction ... in this case the mc Guffin is left to the mind of the audience...

THE PHONE CALL 

On Wednesday 10th December, I made a phone call to East bury Manor indicating that i was from Robert Clack Media As group and was wondering if the house could be used as it would an ideal entrance to our film. We was given the time and date available for this shooting, and using both the inside and outside would also be ideal for them as well as us. I collected both the map and address but addressing my group in the next meeting would be were we would initial plan the route in which we would take to get there .

DETAILS:

• Address:
  Eastbury Square, Barking, Essex, IG11 9SN
• Telephone: 020 8227 2942

INTRODUCTION TO OUR GROUP

THRILLER TITLE: UNDERCOVER          

CAST: 

ABBIE ( BELLE) 

VERITY( VIOLETTE) 

CAMERA MAN :
CARLY

DIRECTOR

DAVID SMITH 

EDITOR:

VERITY

VERITY:

Verity, is the editor and story writer for this thriller. her main job is the acting and making sure that the storyline matches the initial effect she is trying to give as an actor. as the base of her work will not make sense and her certain person. More so , the most important thing is the editing the small mistakes can cost a big effect in the work as if the editing is not done properly the whole film including the filming becomes useless that there is a chance it may have to be recorder again or undone and re edited .

ABBIE:

Abbie, is the main actor and producer. Her main job is to make her dramatic ending to there opening setting of the film emphasising to the point that the audience want to carry on watching our thriller , more so she has the initial job to make sure the film is running in order and then finalising with the production.

CARLY
Carly , is the camera women and sketcher for our initial plan. Her job is to get as much detail on our plan as in the film to make more of an effect .. she elaborates on key featyres that would make our thriller at its best. , moreso his filming must be at a high standadrd in cluding the introduction the the right camera angles and the initial idea of a steady hand. This is because small mistakes waste time and effect the time frame of both making and editing the film before being developed.

PAST AS MEDIA STUDENTS

Past AS media studies Thriller starters

HIDDEN


 I personally thought that hidden was the worst of the 5 thrillers we have observed as there was various contributions in why this thriller starter did not meet the criteria. Firstly , as shown when the opening of the clip begins the lighting of the area is too dark this causes problems for the audience when looking for things like clues that may be a track to the rest of the initial storyline.Followed by the basic idea that an area being dark causes just overall trouble for the audience and not being able to see what's going on very clearly mean there is not much attraction from the view of the audience. With no clear idea of what's going on means the attraction of the audience will be lost and  would make the whole idea of the thriller pointless.

POWER CUT


In addition , i found power cut the second worst thriller opening of the media films and did also not meet the criteria that was given. This was due to a number of different reasons this includes. The effect of the black and white theme used throughout. The reason this made the whole idea and effect pointless is because there was no need for this theme to be there, in fact it didn't tie in to the structure of film at all and is confusing to the audience of why its there. More so,the idea of the black and white theme is normally used to present something happening in past or a long time ago. Furthermore the whole building up idea was too long and by the end of the introduction was very bored and confused in what effect i was supposed to get.

AFTER EIGHT 
                                                                             
On the other hand i found this thriller more entertaining than the other thriller followed by the fact that the thriller had features in which matched the idea of the thriller genre and showed clear comparison with the two previous thrillers. Although there are small misprints within this thriller as the opening of this thriller begins with a thriller like atmosphere but end with the impression of a horror film especially the detail of the mallet as this demonstrates a more graphic outlook. Furthermore the scene is set in a house so the mise en scene was chosen very well including the correct shots for the right moments this gave a very thriller like effect . More so the sound was accurate and parallel as it matched the current action presented on the screen, which is important for the right effect in a thriller.

HUNTER



I believe that this thriller was by far the best of the for thriller in fact there was not much to say bad about it . The only flaw i found was the acting during the interview was to an extent unrealistic. Although i found that the mise en scene , the sound the camera angles tht were constructed matched the plot very accurately. Including the age group this was chosen very well making it more open to a a wider audience. On the other hand no female characters were really shown apart from the women on the desk which shows a typical patriarchal society.

STUDIO IDENT

Title sequence:

• producer
• fade in/ fade out
• director
• title
• music
• stars
• writer
• screen play
• production company Ident ... e.g. Warner brothers
• production company music 
• voice over ( if optional)

Studio Ident's ( Production Company's)

WALT DISNEY 

The Walt Disney production is the largest media and entertainment company including the production of theme parks as well as cartoons and movies. The company including the  logo was first introduced in 1923. During this time the production company was founded by Roy and Walt Disney and named the Disney brothers studio. The purpose of the logo was to symbolize a fairy tale world, and focuses on the provision of entertainment purposes to young children.

BIRDS

BIRDS

Birds is considered a thriller / horror as both the aspects and content don't meet your typical thriller in fact the story line seems one of a kind. The reason in which this unfathomable film don't meet the original use of a thriller is because of the famous director Alfred Hitchcock.. This man is considered one of the greatest directors that has ever lived. The bases of all his films including Birds itself are obscure and each film gives out a different effect to give off the best possible cliffhanger.

CAST

DIRECTOR
 Alfred Hitchcock

WRITERS
 Daphne Du Maurier ( story line )

              Evan Hunter (screenplay)

STARS
 Rod Taylor (mitch brenner)

       Suzanne pleshette (Annie Hayworth)

jessica tandy (Lydia brenner)

 Tippi Hedren ( main character, melanie daniels )

veronica cartwright ( cathy brenner)

TRAILER:

The trailer open's with the words "The Birds" in big bold letters in writing that gives a sense of mystery as tho the story has a bewildering out of nature's tone with the over voice of screeching from the birds ..As the title carries on the screeching becomes silent and and  the over voice states " there is no need to be afraid" ..... the trailer opens with a women who confirms she knows alot about birds and states that birds are  not aggressive creatures and that they bring beauty into the world . Unfortunately this women is blissfully unaware for the subconscious fear that lies ahead.

 As the trailer reflects back onto the birds in the "playground scene" quoting " that might be true for one bird , but for thousands of birds that's a different story" this allows the audience to want tot know the effect of this particular story line and why do thousands of birds have something that is not beautiful to a singular one. The trailer then reflects to children running out of the school and being maliciously attacked  and seriously injured to the fact some follow potential chances of death. They are pecked till there bleeding as though the birds are inhumane, like a flesh eating zombie. The trailer shows children lying on the floor screaming and running... the trailer has consistent action and thrill to it to keep the audience attached to why this is occurring and what has made this particular event happen as this is not your typical outlook on nature. There is an external threat for the inhabitants of nature.

 The trailer then reflects from a young girl falling and smashing her glasses to the scene of the smashed glass on the telephone box... this is a very clever way of unconsciously connecting two  different scenes with the same effect. The next part goes back to women who said that they bring beauty to the world ... stating that " i hardly think a few birds are going to  bring an end to the world " in which case is followed by an explosion ... to a women announcing that Tippi Hedren ( the main star) is the cause of the birds attacking.

which then flicks to the last part the main scene "the house scene " where the birds come flooding through the fire place. Then follows back to the women screaming your evil in which Tippi Hedren reacts with a typical slap in this then  ends with the swarming  of birds ... This leaves the cliffhanger and the typical questions.

WHY ARE THE BIRDS ATTACKING?

DOES ANYONE SURVIVE?

IS TIPPI HEDREN THE CAUSE FOR THE BIRDS?

 

IS THERE A SOLUTION... ?

THRILLER CONVENTIONS 

HITCHCOCK:

In all of Hitchcock's thrillers he purposely makes the thrillers seem like there is no where to hide as this allows a greater effect as people trying to work things devote to much greater action as the film carries on . In this case Bodega bay in "The Birds"

Thriller's are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action",  This is shows within "the farm scene. This scene shows the death of an innocent man being mutilated by an "innocent bird" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0HjlCowwuM&feature=bf_prev&list=PL46FB178E8BEABAB8

As the scene opens Lydia comes in with the keys and unlocks Dans ( the farmers) home.. it opens with her shouting his name asking if he is home. As she carries on through the house she comes past the kitchen in which she notices the top of the cups have been smashed of this then becomes very peculiar.

Then is slow motion she makes her way through the house as she becomes very befuddled at the strange era carried through the silence of the house. Walking through the hallway she comes to the "bedroom" in which she enters in slow motion,

 Noticing the smashed photographs and the smashed window with a dead bird on it and blood and feathers everywhere . Scanning the room she then notices the whole room is distraught it has been violently mutilated , furniture everywhere, feathers widely distributed all over the room. There are dead birds all over the room. This send thoughts through the reader head as in why has this happened and where is the farmer ????? ........

Her eyes catch glimpse of the feet of someone covered in blood, mangled clothes ripped to pieces. As her eyes are followed up the body .. the body has been confirmed as Dan the farmer..... his body caressed in blood and tears carried throughout all his clothing. to the reaching of his face in which his eyes were savagely hacked out ... what savage would do this ??? .....

Alfred Hitchcock uses a clever fast pace movement as when she become in tact with his eyes he uses the camera to zoom into the face frantically rapidly bit by bit .. in which case alerts Lydia she runs brain-less dropping her bag on the floor speechless and gasping for air....

"THE BIRDS" THRILLER CONVENTIONS 

"Resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of the more powerful and better equipped villains". Hitchcock uses this throughout most film although in " The Birds" as the villains win in the case of the birds, the birds manage to get what they want. 

Dramatic irony is when the audience something the individual character does not.  In the case of the film"The Birds"  in the school yard scene Tippi Hedren is blissfully unaware that the birds have been gathering but the audience are aware of the situation . We have knowledge denied to the character. The suspense therefore climates extremely leading to the image of the children being attacked , this scene is very dramatic and leaving the cliffhanger of what going to happen with the birds as she does no know that they are there is therefore grabs more of the attention from the audience. 

"HITCHCOCKS" TECHNIQUE AND USE OF SOUND 

In the schoolyard the scene the underlying score of the innocent child's song is in contrast to the evil in the nature. Tippi Hendren's character is only guilty of taking nature for granted. In "The Birds" scene outside the cafe- the high camera angle is like the gaze of the pitiless God who cannot be bothered to intervene.

"MC GUFFIN"

" A thriller is a villain driven plot . Obstacles are presented that the hero must overcome"

This is represent in the film as every main part of action including the following scenes;

Cathy Brenner's party 

The farm scene 

The school playground 

The cafe scene 

The house scene 

In the end the only way to escape the whole situation is by leaving Bodega bay

The MC GUGGIN of the story is the love birds. Melanie Daniels was browsing a shop but due to Mitch Brenner catching her eye  she pretended to be a shop assistant, not knowing that Mitch Brenner knew exactly who she was . He played along saying that he wanted love birds for his sister.. After some flirting took place he confided i her telling her that he knew her she was shocked that he made her loo like a fool. so to get him back when he left she took the lovebirds to his hotel but he wasn't there so she received his address in Bodega bay in which she took a boat across the lake and put the love birds on his door step. The MC GUFFIN is the film its given a sense that this is a typical love story not your typical thriller. 

DID YOU KNOW?

The scene where Tippi Hedren is ravaged by birds near the end of the movie took a week to film. More so, the birds were attached to her clothes by long nylon threads so they could not get away 

 WOW!!

Hedren, was actually cut in the face by a bird in one of the recorded shots. Unlike most thriller's this has no musical score for the film except for a short electronic music sequence and the children singing in the school . On that point, the lack of non- diegetic sound helps the audience to suspend disbelief  and allow the audience to become more fearful for the action that lies ahead . This is because with no effect outside the screen play both the audience and  cast are unaware of what is happening next as there is no sound to give a suspenseful meaning . Therefore this allows the whole effect to have a more dramatic emphasis as the action is unexpected and has no lead to it. 

HITCHCOCK'S THOUGHTS 

Mankind has abused birds throughout history. Deliberate irony in the cafe scene with the elderly 'bird loving' lady is presented as she is blissfully unaware of the matter that lies ahead in a way Hitchcock uses our actions as humans using animal cruelty towards birds for the justice of the birds to take revenge. The elderly lasy is interrupted when speaking by a order for three southern fried chickens. In addition one of the other character's initial reaction is to shoot the birds. Hitchcock said that in "The Birds" the usual 'safety nets' such as (science/religion) are denied to us . We are on our own 

DO THE NARRATIVE THEORIES APPLY TO "THE BIRDS"

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVES:

Linear (chronological)

few, if any , sub plots 

tendency towards closure at the end of the film

THREE ACT STRUCTURE = The Typical HOLLYWOOD narrative = set up ( 25% time)/ confrontation (50%) / climax (final 25 % of the time) 

Hitchcock uses the three act structure in the film " The Birds" as he uses the set up the two lovers and the love birds in the shop in the setting in which the children are attacked at the party, then the farmers death, followed by the school scene and then the cafe scene this is the signs of confrontation .. which eventually leads to the climax the house scene and is left on a cliffhanger with no solution to open it up . 

ROLAND BARTHES

All texts are 'complex' and have bundles of meaning.

 Enigma codes (problems introduced ) - usually in the ' disruption stage. 

" The Birds" is an open text - not resolved at the end - the threat is not explained or resolved at the end 

Polysemic texts- lots of different meanings. Hitchcock tries to portray the question , Is the film just a thriller or  does it represent something about our particular relationship with nature 

REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN "THE BIRDS" 

THE MALE GAZE=
Women viewed as the objects of male erotic desire- in film and audience .
 Does Hitchcock enjoy Melanie Daniels suffering?
Men active/ Women passive
Women do not have agency- they do not move the plot forward
The audience is forced to identify with the male gaze
Cinema reflects the patriarchal (male dominated) society

THE END 

 A number of endings were being considered for this film .One that was considered would have showed the Golden Gate Bridge completely covered by birds. The film does not finish with the usual "THE END" title because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to give the impression of unending terror 

ROPE

ROPE

         Rope is a 1948 movie adapted by  Patrick Hamilton's 1929 Play which was based on the grisly Leopold and Loeb case of 1924. The effect of having a thriller emphasized and re- an acted gave  the image of what was proposed within the case its self; this gave the film depth and brought the case alive . Alfred Hitchcock was the master mind of drama and was good at showing a situation in depth and graphically enhancing the imagination of the audience. The case was about two men named Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb which were considered as upper-class. They were Chicago   law students who murdered a teenage boy.  

m      moreover, in the film these characters are named Brandon and Phillip , the real life murderers considered themselves Nietzschean supermen whose superiority of intellect exempted them from laws that govern the rest of us. The Murderous master mind Brandon claimed from his deluded imagination that the prospects of  "Good and evil, right and wrong were invented for the ordinary average man, the inferior man, because he needs them," This was the understandable context that this man was initially doing this murder for an experiment or in which case fun and seemed to have no guilty conscious in which gave him more of a excuse to be inferior.  


          ROPE THE TRAILER 

        In the trailer,Alfred Hitchcock opens the scene in a country park in which opens the title into"one spring afternoon" The camera goes from a high shot to a wide shot in which the camera is in one position following a couple in which case is David ( the victim) and Janet. Once the couple become seated like an ordinary couple all loved up this gives the audience the image of a typical romantic film to which they are inconclusive to how this setting connects to a thriller. David then proposes to Janet in which case she says he has to wait, he claims he has a 2:30 appointment, in which they exchange smiles and a sight of comfort and leave each other's company announcing she will see him at the party tonight. The audience comes to think this is an average couple in a loved up situation, but Alfred uses this before the disappearance of David as the last time she saw him she announced she was going to see him at Brandon's party and he walked away peacefully.

          

          On that point , The trailer goes into a man who quotes "that was the last time she saw him alive and that's the last time you will see him alive" Alfred uses this to confuse the mind of the audience as this creates suspense and makes the audience wanna watch more to find out why this is that last time he was seen by anyone as the setting explains another story side to the actual main issue.The man explains how the death of David has caused and the impact it had  on seven people's lives in different ways . These are Janet Walker ( future wife) ,Henry Cantley ( The victims father), Mrs Appwalter( his aunt) ,Kenneth Laurence (best-friend), Mrs Wilson ( The house keeper), More so the two men responsible for the murder Brandon Sharr and Phillip Morgan.
          
           furthermore, the trailer now jumps to the murder scene which is Brandon Sharr's apartment in which the camera is directed outside the apartment where all is heard is the screams of the victim (David Cantley ). This is where the beginning that created the suspense of the story flashes into draft images of the film with the title sequence, director, the stars of the film and the ident production. The trailer flashes from text to the main suspense of the climax near the end of this film this is to intrigue the audience into the film as there misunderstood why these parts have happened and what is the leading part and ending to the story. 

           OPENING SCENE

        
   

AFTER THE SCREAM : OPENING SCENE 

 WHAT THRILLER CONVENTIONS ARE USED IN THIS FILM? : ROPE 

                In a typical thriller " thriller are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action".

        Alfred Hitchcock quotes that “resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains” Rope represents this quote by establishing the -prospects of the villains per say are powerful and equipped. The detail of the levels of there experiment were carried out well there ideas were not initially organised very well as they decided at the time to hide the victim in the chest. but they were equipped and Brandon managed to throw a party of the body with no interruptions or suspect. As of Phillip becoming anxious resulting in getting in getting caught to which the ending they are confronted by police sirens due to the current gun shot. 

HOW WAS IT DONE TECHNICAL FEATURES:

Hitchcock included the following ideas in order to make it at his best possible standard; 

•Hitchcock wanted to film a ‘continuous play’.

•Rope pretends to be a one-shot film: an experiment in real-time, continuous-take cinema.

•Film came in 10 minute reels

•He filmed in ten minute sequences.

           This was a successful idea as it went back in time shooting the death at the beginning and carrying out the reasons in which the death occurred and how they tried to cover it up throughout the film. 
     
        Due to Hitchcock's camera being loaded in 10 minute reels, the man filming would have to duck at the behind the actor's back, or a piece of furniture, to "invisibly" cut from one piece of  film to the next.

H      HITCHCOCK'S TECHNIQUES OF SMARTNESS:
         

         Throughout the film, Hitchcock reminds the audience of the death that occurred on the opening of the film.  A smart way in order to enhance the reasons of this film was being able to record the coffin/chest rarely out of any shot, with the camera following the actors around every square inch of the confined set. This indicated thats the actors are trapped and so is the audience . 

PSYCHO

PSYCHO

Psycho  was made in 1960, its considered one of the best made films in the history of film . This is because due to its characteristics enhanced by the brilliant man himself Alfred Hitchcock,it has all quality's of suspense, and idea's that should be used to grabs the audience's attention. In psycho the audience was indecisive in weather this film was  $ 40,000 and the murder becomes a shock. This shock enhances the audience making them apprehensive for the rest of the production of the film, this includes the questions in anything can happen?? .... and anyone could be killed? ..... The Audience are made aware of the situation that there is a murder located somewhat in the house. Unfortunately they don't know when s/he will strike again but to be suspenseful they must know it could happen any minute, This in which the cliff hanger and his famous use of suspense come in play, Hitchcock stressed that as the apprehension increases there is less and less violence on the screen in which is why the idea  come into play to drag the action out to in which keeps the audience suspenseful till the end realising the results of the main character being a psycho.

PSYCHO AT 1996: IN WHAT WAYS DOES THIS FILM FOLLOW THE CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER ?

Psycho creates a little bit of an untypical thriller as he uses a deranged mind, the threat from a mad man. Initially this idea is not made clear till the end in which suspense is played very carefully throughout the film keeping the audience attached to the story line. The main character "the mad man" acts as though he is the carer of him mum and the importance of her care is important to him , hence the reason he has not left and runs the hotel in order to be in close company her. He uses the idea that his mum is mental and is overpowering. In order for the woman staying at the house to not become suspicious he acts as though he goes against his mother as he cares for this woman. 

Unfortunately, this act of acting like a son that initially cares for the life of his mother in fact has an alternative. The man initially acts as himself the hotel manager and the mother in order for the people that are staying to be blissfully unaware whats actually happening.

His deranged mind causes him to act as two different people in two different personality traits. The killer is clever whilst keeping the audience in suspense that his mother is a killer they are unaware of the fact that he has killed his mother due to issues as a child.

 After his father died him and his mother had formed an attachment he felt like his love was unconditionally and protecting her was important to him so when she came to find another man resulting to him feeling like as a son he had been replaced. Killing the pair of them seemed the best idea, styling out both there deaths  to local towns people and police "she was buried " along side her lover and told strangers off the road his mum was ill in fact he was his mum and his idea were for more hideous ideas. Acting as though his mother was ill to stranger drew the audience to think that his mother was killing theses people as what they thought she was in his mind. The finding out that he in fact was his mother and dressed like her in order to perform these horrendous murders he kept her body preserved in cellar after digging her body out of the grave once the funeral was over 

SCENES OF THE MURDER:

Alfred Hitchcock stated that a thriller can not be a thriller without "fast pacing frequent action"

His scenes of murder included:

THE CAR:

THE SHOWER:

THE STAIRCASE :

All these individual murders included Hitchcock's ideas of fast pacing frequent action, the shower scene used the idea of who the murder was at the shower curtain and what was initially going to happen this piece uses suspense well thought out. This turns into a very suspenseful story line keeping the audience hooked to there imagination. The car scene whilst trying to act like a hotel manager he clears the hotel room and any trait of the former victim trying to put her as well as her stuff in the boot of his car in which he drives to a swamp and gets out leaving her, her items and his car drowning through the swamp. Furthermore, the stair case the police inspector looking for the indication of the victim due to her being on the run with stolen money he comes eye to eye with the killer himself being stabbed and pushed down the stairs likewise as before clears the traces of the body.

THE HERO: 

Initially once resulting into there findings of the plot all along the initial hero is both the sister and the boyfriend/lover of the first victim . They report to the police in which the police think they are mad in what there saying as he says the mother is dead so how is there a possible chance of you seeing her sitting in the window , they explain how the inspector has been there and he makes a phone call in which the hotel manager says the inspector has been and left . In order for them to find out whats happened to the inspector and potentially the victim they inspect themselves in finding there results there disgusted in the sick twisted plot. 

NORMAN BATES: AKA THE MOTHER
    Hitchcock said it is important to avoid cliché and repetition – particularly with regard to character – eg murderers can be charming and the heroes flawed
   In his films Hitchcock often placed evil in the most banal of settings.

“Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively.”

In description to story-wise, Psycho is not extraordinary; its true brilliance lies in the construction of the film itself.Hitchcock has developed the film in such a way that it consistently flouts audience expectations.

There are two major surprises:

1.the shower scene murder

2. the final revelation about Mother. 

In the construction of the film the aim of the viewers who see the film for the first time without knowing about either of these unexpected surprises  will experience the full impact of what Hitchcock intended. To create in which case, allows the audience to create something in there imagination which necessary was not shown in the film this includes mainly of the prospects of the shower seen. To the audience the greatest shock for the uninitiated is the early exit of Janet Leigh ( the shower scene). This is doubly unexpected because, to this point, the screenplay had tricked us into accepting Marion as the main character. Hitchcock uses her death to the point of view shifting to Norman Bates in which case has the intention to confuse the minds of the audience. This allows the effect of the other action carried out though out the film to have a more suspenseful meaning to it , as if the film was more predictable it would be a typical cliche. In order to keep this crucial aspect of the film secret when Psycho opened in 1960, there were no advance screenings and no one was admitted to a showing after the feature had started. 

SUSPENSE:

There are a frequent variety of suspense carried efficiently though out the film allowing each individual piece of action to have its own personal effect. Hitchcock carried this out effectively in the car scene , the shower scene and the staircase scene. He enhances the suspense in the action very well , as each piece has its own trait to effect. The car scene he notices how the effect of getting the car to that swamp and disposing of any clues of Janet was important , the suspense of the music was used to see if he was gonna get caught or not when delivering the body into the lake. The stair case scene has it effect when the detective becomes weary of were Janet has disappeared to with the money. The suspense is dramatically entranced when the detective makes slow movement up the staircase and come's in contact with the delusional son, as shown in the shower scene his stabbed to death on the top of the staircase. More so, the shower scene his famous master piece by itself without the rest of the film were Janet leigh early entrance of being stabbed to death in the shower. The suspense of the "MOTHER" killing her, the stabbing and screeches of the backing music was used very well. 

"MC GUFFIN"

Hitchcock , believed that the McGuffin was an important trait to film as he believed that it was the initial reason to the cause of the action , as such the plot device. The McGuffin usually comes in the first part of the film and sometimes with initial reason can return as the main purpose in the end. In his thrillers the audience don't really care about the McGuffin as the action of the plot has become main interest mainly after the death of Janet Leigh. In the case of this thriller the McGuffin is Marion (Janet) stealing the money.

"PSYCHO"

Hitchcock said thrillers allow the audience "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like"
Fortunately, Hitchcock accomplished this in psycho as he allowed the audience to initially see the prospects of being mentally ill, as well as experiencing what its like to be in that situation.
"Psycho is a brilliant excursion into fear that pushes of our primal buttons"

NARRATIVE THEORIES

What narrative theories are used within Psycho?

Roland Barthes:
 All texts are 'complex' bundles of meaning
enigma codes (problems introduced) - usually in 'disruption ' stage
open - not resolved at the end
closed texts - resolved at the end

Hitchcock uses the idea of enigma codes through his film , its not specified its used as the basis of the film.
Levi Strauss- Binary Opposition-
Narratives can be organised through binary opposition - two things opposed - often dominant vs subordinate - eg male/female , Hero/ villian
Hitchcock uses the idea of the male and female in the shower scene as the villain is the "dominant" man the male.

THE SHOWER SCENE

Whenever anyone speaks about Psycho, the first image that comes to mind are those of Janet Leigh being hacked to death in the shower . The scene is so famous that even people who have not seen the film are aware of it. More so, before the film was released the preview showing, people were angered and shocked by what they "saw" on the scream. Nothing like this had been seen in film before an people stated that they had seen her being hacked to death in shower . Hitchcock was initially trying to give of this image , although all they saw during the action of the film was Janet Leigh, a Knife and blood nothing was shown. The clever idea was because Hitchcock believed that what was happening to Janet Leigh was down to the minds of the audience.

The shower scene alone stands as one of the greatest single examples of execution and editing in history of cinema


 "GENIUS"

 the brilliance of the scene initially lies in the editing, the frame-by-frame analysis reveals that Hitchcock left a lot to the audience's imagination.
THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN "PSYCHO"

The Male Gaze: 

women are viewed as objects of make erotic desire - in film and audience
men active/ women passive
women do not have agency - they do not move the plot forward.

The audience is forced to identify with the male gaze
cinema reflects patriarchal society

Hitchcock represents that women are passive as when Janet Leigh is opposed to the hotel. The Psycho has a peeping hole in which he watches her un dress. As the beginning Janet's Lover who is married sees her as something to sleep with but she thinks different.