Monday, 24 October 2011

How does Hitchcock create tension leading up to and during the shower scene?



The film ‘Psycho’ was voted as one of the top 15 scariest movies of all time, it was one of the very first movies to use a psychological disorder in a horror genre. This movie was seen as a very scary movie in the 1960’s as not many people were aware of some individual’s psychological state of mind, which Alfred Hitchcock’s was able to use to his advantage.
Hitchcock misleads his audience to create shock in Psycho. At the beginning of the film we are taken in through the window and we see Marion and Sam in the bedroom together. This makes us think this is a romance story, although after we see Marion steal money from her boss, we start to doubt that the genre of the film is of crime. However the genre is neither of the two, it is in fact a horror and the main character Marion dies a little more than half way through the film which is unexpected as she is the main character, and also not a bad person.
Alfred Hitchcock realizes that in order to grab the audience’s attention straight away for the dramatic shower scene he needed the audience to feel as though they were inside that situation, he says “the point is to draw the audience right inside the situation instead of leaving them to watch it from the outside, from a distance. And also you can do this only by breaking the action into details a cutting from one to the other so that each detail is forced, in turn, on the attention of the audience and reveals a psychological meaning”.  The scene where Marion's character is in the shower is the film's most essential scene and is also the best known scenes till this day, the reason it is so important s, his is the scene where by the tension had been building up to, this is the main scene, this is where it starts. It was shot from December 17 to December 23, 1959, and features 77 different camera angles. The scene runs 3 minutes and includes 50 cuts. Most of the shots are extreme close-ups, except for medium shots in the shower directly before and directly after the murder. The combination of the close shots with their short duration makes the sequence feel more personal than it would have been if the images were presented alone or in a wider angle, this is an example of what Alfred Hitchcock would describe as "transferring the menace from the screen into the mind of the audience".
Tension is a type of atmosphere that is created by making the audience, nervous and expectant of a tragedy. This essay will explain how camera shot and sound, help Alfred Hitchcock complete the shower scene filled with tension.  The shower scene in Psycho shocked and horrified audiences, which resulted in some so horrified that they left the cinema. The tension in the scene was so frightening that when the attack does actually come you are so worked up with anticipation yet are still disgusted by the attack made by Bates’.
The shower scene comes into action when Marion undresses in her room and puts on her bath robe; the fact that Alfred Hitchcock is following her through her steps towards the bathroom creates suspense and makes the audience wonder what is going to happen. She takes off her gown and steps into the shower, suddenly, an anonymous figure enters the bathroom and stabs Marion to death, it is a sudden shot that is only 3 minutes long, and results in her death. Norman then finds the corpse, and immediately assumes that his mother committed the murder. He cleans the bathroom and puts Marion's body in the shower curtain and wraps it up with all her possessions, including the money she had stolen in the back of her and sinks it in a swamp.

One of the main ways tension is created is by making the viewer so calm and relaxed before the attack as Marion is doing normal, everyday things, although the strange and creepy atmosphere does make you nervous and you feel slightly on edge.
Marion enters the shower, and the music noticeably stops, leaving just the diegetic sounds of the shower and general noises, which creates a lot of nerve wracking tension. After turning the water on, Marion steps into the shower and walks towards the water, becoming calm from the gentle flow of the shower on her, this also relaxes the audience, only for them to be shocked and become startled when a figure appears behind Marion in the shower, there is suspense created through the music. The camera then slowly points towards the shadow of the person who is getting closer and approaches Marion. The figure then swiftly draws the curtain, and rapidly stabs and kills Marion.
One of the camera shots used well in the shower scene to create tension is the over the shoulder shot. This is used when Marion’s killer is creeping behind her and you can see the silhouette of the killer through the curtain. This is a good camera shot as we know something is going to happen but we don’t know what or who is doing it, which creates a huge amount of tension.
Another shot that creates a lot of tension is the close up of the knife the killer is holding to kill Marion. This shot, which shows Marion’s killer holding the knife over his shoulder about to stab Marion makes us rise up and worry with terror as we realise what is going to happen. It is also at this point in the film we discover that the real plot of the film isn’t all about Marion on the run, and she may actually die.
Another technique used to create tension in the shower scene is by using diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. Diegetic sounds are sounds that you would actually hear in real life, such as the toilet flushing and the shower running. Non-diegetic sounds are noises that would not happen in real life, such as the music score in the background. Using a lot of diegetic sounds in the shower scene makes the film very realistic, which creates a lot of tension. People are often more fearful of something if they believe what is happening could actually happen, and more essentially, it could happen to them. Sounds such as the toilet flushing, the curtain being drawn and most importantly the shower running create an air of realism which makes people anxious and intimidated as these are things that they do in their everyday lives. The fact that all the non-diegetic sounds stop once Marion turns the shower on create an atmosphere of suspense and tension, which makes the audience know something is going to happen but leaves us guessing. It is often worse to watch a film when we know what is going to happen and we are waiting for the event to happen as, although you aren’t surprised by the incident we are still shocked and tense as we didn’t know when it was coming.
One was that tension is created in the shower scene by the use of non-diegetic sounds is that in the scene there are allot of different instruments, including violins, cellos, harps and violas. String instruments are particularly good at creating tension due to the variety of things that they can do. Short, sharp, high pitch notes make us shoot up in fear, whilst long notes create an atmosphere of calm, often relaxing you before the action. The high notes playing when Marion is being stabbed emphasises the realism, adding a lot of heart racing tension.
When the murder was committed, a powerful shot shows Marion with her arm out stretched, grabbing the curtain with desperation seemingly trying to hold on for her life, before she leans forward and collapses. This shot creates sympathy from the audience as Marion’s hand is shot extremely as her face is blurred, making it seems that it is reaching out of us but we can’t help her. Also when Marion’s hand is sliding down the wall, being tracked by the camera, shows how, like Marion’s hand, Marion’s life is no longer being controlled by her.
The next shot is of the blood swirling down the plughole, which makes you feel sympathetic and creates tension as Marion is losing a lot of blood and you see it going down the drain. This could also symbolise the sins washing away, with the water. In this dramatic scene this shot becomes extremely powerful as the drain shot cuts to an extreme close up shot of Marion’s eye, which then slowly zooms out.
        In conclusion, I think the main way that tension is created by Hitchcock, is by the use of sound, essentially the non-diegetic sounds of the music. The stringed instruments add suspense and create an incredible atmosphere. The other way I believe is effective in creating tension is the camera shots, which let the audience believe whatever they want without being too violent or tasteless. Lastly is the way that a sense of calmness is created before the ‘storm’ of action, the death of Marion.

I believe the film had a good storyline, was a highly original picture, used every technique to the best of its ability and I can understand why the film was as successful as it was. In summary, a fantastic film of its day, although it is now too out-of-date to shock as it did in its prime. It still uses powerful methods of creating tension which have been the inspiration of many films of today.
The shot taken straight after the murder is also a shot to create tension, there is a shot of the camera panning across to the bedside table to remind us of the money that started the journey for Marion.

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Final Girl

The theory of the final girl refers to the final girl standing in a horror movie, that ultimately stands victorious over the villain. The theory has been embedded in many different horror movies, some of which are:
- Carrie
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Halloween
- A Nightmare on Elm Street
- Scream
- SAWII


It is said that within films that contain the final girl theory, the audience generally start of by sharing the perspective of the killer but eventually end up experiencing a shift as they realise who the final girl is.
The final girl is usually the one who is sexually unavailable, which avoids the common errors made by characters in horror which end up ultimately with their deaths. 
Clover also states that sometimes the final girl may have some sort of shared history with the villain.
Clover further states that the final girl becomes more masculinised when in confrontation with the villain especially if she takes up a weapon like a knife or a gun.
Clover also argues that in order for a horror (mainly slasher) film to work properly, it is vital that the overall victor is a female character who has been objected to terror, as it may not seem as effective if it was a male.

Male Gaze

'..film has been called an instrument of the make gaze, producing representations of women, the good life, and sexual fantasy from a males point of view..' -1998 Jonathan Schroeder
Laura Mulvey is a British Feminist Theorist, she wrote a very influential essay, 'Visual Plessure and Narrative Cinema' -1975
- Women are represented as sexual spectacle and objects of pleasure for the characters and audience
- Men have this gaze to avoid being ‘cast rated’
- Men fetishise women imbuing them with an overvalued and unrealistic status – ‘fetishistic scopophilia’
- The gaze is constructed through the camera man and production team establishing and framing a shot; by the ‘look’ within the film of male characters objectifying female ones; the spectators gaze is thereby constructed through these mechanisms.




Anne Doane-1982
‘..male bodies are only on display in certain conditions, they are always in active poses as if they can walk away from the women gaze..’
Van Zoonen-1994
‘..men look at women, women watch themselves being looked at..’


Paul Well's Research 2000

Paull Well researched on a small focus group study looking at the relationship between audience and the horror genre.




After looking at this table with Paul Well’s research we are able to conclude that the way in which you are frightened changes with age and also relate to emotional response.
Also younger audiences are harder to shock and are more aware of artificiality.

Todorov's Narrative Theory



Tzvetan Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium.

The theory is simply this:
- The fictional environment begins with a state of equilibrium (everything is as it should be)
- It then suffers some disruption (disequilibrium)
- New equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative

There are six stages of Todorov's theory:

History of Horror Films

Below is a list of different Horror Films which have been made at different times, and also in bold it explains what type of a Horror film it is. This gives us a feel of what type of films scared people in that specific year. By taking a look at this I was able to realise that the audience were frightened by different things every year, from aliens and monsters to vampires or human killers, even psychological horror scared many.




Vladimir Propp's Character Theory

Propp is a Theorist who believed all stories/movies had the same characters in them: hero, villain, donar, helper, princess, princess' father, dispatcher, false hero. 

Character Types
Definition
Examples
The Hero
Generally leads the narrative
Story of the hero usually looking for something
As the audience we generally want the hero to succeed
Shrek
The Villain
Struggles against the Hero and is morally bad
Turns audience against him and drives them to support the hero
Serves to highlight the goodness of the Hero

Lord Farquaad
The Donor
Gives the hero something special, such as a weapon or wisdom or clue
The gift enables the Hero to complete their journey
Maybe combined with that of a helper
Dragon
The Helper
Supports the Hero at critical moments to provide a helping hand
May be a support role throughout
They may have limitations which highlight the Hero’s defining characteristics
Donkey
The Princess
Deliberately sought after by the Hero or she could be the reward
Maybe seen very little in the story or may even be seen as an important character
Fiona
The Princess’ Father
Gives the task to the hero  and is a key figure for the hero to persuade as the Father is protective
May be in competition with the Hero for the princess’ affection
The King
The Dispatcher
Sends the hero on his mission, this can be a family member like the princess’ father
Gives the hero a set of quests to be completed before the hero can claim his award
Lord Farquaad
The False Hero
Appears to act heroically but may be initially mistaken for the real Hero
Will try to steal the real hero’s thunder and will grab the credit
Prince Charming







Why the Theory is useful?
It avoids treating characters as if they are individuals and reminds us they are merely constructs. Some characters are indeed there just to progress the narrative.

The main criticism for Propp's Theory. . .
Propp’s theory of narrative seems to be based in a male orientated environment (due to his theory actually reflecting early folk tales) and as such critics often dismiss the theory with regard to film. However, it may still be applied because the function (rather than the gender) of characters is the basis of the theory. E.g. the hero could be a woman; the reward could be a man.
Critics argue that Propp’s strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives. E.g. the hero may kill the villain earlier than Propp expects. Changing the traditional format will change the whole way the text is received.
Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propp suggests and we should feel free to identify them. E.g. the stooge in a sci-fi film, who is usually nameless and usually killed early on to suggest the power of the alien force, is a typical modern character type.

Monday, 17 October 2011

Conventions of Horror Films

Link to real life/documentary style (to make it more realistic)
Settings-trapped in a dark isolated place, rail, cloud, wind, darkness, deserted

Camera and editing-dramatic, a range of short and long shots, hand held camera shots
Iconography- mise-en-scene (weather), blood, weapon, music
Music and sound-use of silence, heart beat, heavy breathing, instruments

A hybrid- is a mixture of two genres, such as Scary movie, I know what you did last summer, etc.
Voyeurism- the compulsion to seek sexual gratification by secretively looking at sexual objects or acts, the actions of a peeping tom.

Friday, 14 October 2011

Define Horror:

"Horror is what you might feel if you went, for example, into a jungle, or a place where you had lost all your bearings, where you were no longer sure of anything. A place where you begin to suspect that there was something present which you couldn't pin down; something which you wouldn't be able to identify but which could be dangerous and destroy you" - Nigel Kneeled in Wells, 2000

Brief

To create a promotional package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:



  • A website homepage


  • A poster for the film


  • A film magazine front cover, featuring the film