Alfred Hitchcock Psycho Camera Techniques

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Throughout the years, many directors have been making movies that make the audience jump out of their seats. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the best directors of his time, creating brilliant movies to advance the horror genre. From thrilling to just suspenseful scenes, Alfred Hitchcock explores different techniques in the film Psycho, to ensure that he captured the audience's attention. With the use of camera angles, lighting, composition, sound and many more techniques, Hitchcock masterfully portrays his characters and drives the plot towards the theme. The structure for the film “Psycho” was unlike any horror movie that had gone before it, he used his characters as strategically placed chess pieces, knowing exactly when to make his move. The…show more content…
Hitchcock uses camera angles and movement to reveal the troubled mind of Norman Bates and also create this feeling of uneasiness in the viewer. When Marion is sitting comfortably in her chair, slightly leaning forward and enjoying a sandwich, Hitchcock places the camera near her eye level. This results in the audience seeing Marion from the front, showing her whole. It is as two people might see each other while sitting and talking. There is nothing unusual in this and in fact, provides the audience with a sense of normality and comfort in Marion's presence. Hitchcock, however, moves out of the comfort zone to shoot Norman from an unnaturally low and side angle. The low angle shots that are used help create the impression that Norman is a threat to Marion and obscures Norman's other side, or other personality. We feel uncomfortable in this position because we are not used to seeing the world from such an angle and when we do it makes it difficult to extract meaning. Another technique that Hitchcock uses to portray his characters closer towards the plot is the use of cross-cutting between Norman and Marion. Throughout the parlour scene the protagonist and antagonist never appear together, which adds a sense of disconnection and separation between the two characters. Alfred Hitchcock tries to portray to the audience that despite the two characters both having problems, there is a significant difference between who they are as

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