Cinematography in Psycho - Essay Example

Cinematography in psycho Introduction “Psycho” is one of the successful horror movies. The film features several amazing cinematography techniques that are ever captured on movies. Alfred Hitchcock is known as among the leading cinematographers. The camera techniques used in the film are meant to deceive the viewers, directing their attention where the cinematographer wants them to be. Building the film’s suspense inexorably and slowly towards the end of the film. The film is a form of catalogue full of cinematic techniques. The filmmakers of this film have the ability of appealing mass emotions. The film was produced in the same way Shakespeare’s plays are produced. Hitchcock acts as an entertainer while the film entertains the audience. The aim of this essay is to discuss the cinematography techniques used in psycho. Hitchcock uses his audience “playing viewers like organs”. He establishes sympathy and identification of the audience at the onset with heroin “Janet Leigh”. This sympathy is built within the first forty five minutes. Hitchcock does this by making appointments that Janet Leigh is attractive, young, and loving. However, she has various problems, problems that can be solved with money. Therefore, when a lecherous customer of her firm pays her using cash payment composed of unknown income, she decides to steal some cash from this dishonest, disgusting dirty old man. In general, Psycho is a very captivating film. The use of cinematography in the film is very incredible: the white and black surround the entire movies with a mystical view. In addition, the film has various camera movements and shots that likely makes the viewers swoon due to their uncommon grace. Apart from the shower sequence, one of the favorites is when Norman Bates looks through the peephole that is behind the wall picture, silently envisioning Marion who is unaware that there is someone watching at her as she undresses to get ready for shower (Anobile 22). Besides giving the viewer a spotless close up of Bates ever-watching eye, the cameraman manages to give the audience spiteful intentions. The viewer just knows that Norman is going to kill Marion. During this scene, Hitchcock does not provide the viewer with anything or any cheesy dialogue. He simply plunges the audience into the mind of Norman, making whispers on what he is planning to do next. Cinematography technique is also used in the scene when Marion is packing with the money lying on her bed. We are aware that Marion is going to pick the money and escape with it. This goes without any say, however, nonetheless, this needs to be spoken again. This is a very marvelous scene that shows the love for visually that Hitchcock has. Alfred Hitchcock is known by many people as a cinematographer master and an editor. His overall achievement in the crafting of the choice of white and black in his 1960 film was ranked as one of the leading films in terms of cinematography techniques. The color in the film was perhaps five years the current standard. However, this was a very tremendously good job. After all, although there are some film viewers who dislike white and black films, Hitchcock’s psycho movie is popularly heralded as one of the buffs due to its interesting cinematic achievement (Naremore 27). Imagine the film being produced in a colored style, it would bring out the sense of horror or appear as a horrific movie. The film would also not appear as memorable or unified as it stands now. The use of black and white color enabled the quality and ability to paint things in starkly manner. Black and white color also show that plain truth about the characters, their moods, and determination (Anobile 34). This also enabled vulnerability and other purely and inexplicable artistic elements. Unlike in his other films, Hitchcock opens this film with a flying crane scene coasting over the Arizona and Phoenix setting. Even without the chilling and mysterious sound tracks, this scene itself when watched in silence evokes the signs of danger. The scene sweeps along the city space building initial curiosity to the viewer’s eye as well as surpassing a curtain-drawn window to a hotel room presence with trysting occupants. All of a sudden, the viewers are called to confront their discretion, with regard to those actions that they are not customarily supposed to see, in ideas such as good taste and privacy. How far can the law step down into the world of man before the man is discovered with reasonable conviction for engaging in criminal activities? This is a type of question that can come into the minds of the viewers about Norman Bates when Arbigast interrogates him, even though this is followed by him murdering Marion Crane (Naremore 44). Norman is obviously becoming so tensed, but the camera watches him sadistically from a very low angle, showing him as he is feverishly chewing and swallowing candy corn bits. Despite the viewers’ support of law, Norman is thought of being a victim in some way. The viewer can feel sorry and sympathy for him. In addition, how much does the viewer question the character of Norman as he peeps through the frame’s hole to watch Marion while undressing for shower? Particularly, at present there would be likeliness of the viewers questioning this less than watching the film in its initial theatrical release. This is because the modern films over washes the senses in gore, violence, and mechanical sex to bring unconscious indifferences in the eyes’ of the viewers. Maybe, this does not come into mind in the first place because right after Norman is shown hiding behind peephole’s shadows and light, the camera is cut to hide the privacy of Marion. This lessens the culpability of Norman. However, noticing Norman in the act causes wonder to uncovering the secrets of people. These examples, maybe suggest an obsession of passive wrong or violence to a modest strength that the murder scenes’ horror still shocks the today’s viewers. Of course, these scenes are dramatized further by Hitchcock’s initial editing (Anobile 45). This indicates how dangerous and wild events occur with a short time in our real life situations. In addition, the awe is conserved by failing to mull over violence in indulgence or additional screen time. In addition, Hitchcock used cinematography techniques to perfect his way of building tension in the psycho film. The director did so using the above discussed cinematography techniques. However, there are other techniques that he applied to such focusing the eyes of the actors, editing techniques, and camera movements. Hitchcock became a cinematographer master just because he understood the cinematic techniques and how they affect the audience in an emotional manner. Looking closely to the above described scenes, one can see an essential pattern in the narrative style used in the psycho film. The insistent zooming and panning shots and impressive background music that underlines the movements from darkness to daylight, the change from the atmosphere of a normal city with the abnormal world all show the use of cinematography techniques in the film (Naremore 56). Cinematography is also used to represent the two lovers Sam Loomis and Marion in the hotel room. This scene is under control of Hitchcock and is systematically acted and carefully thought. The camera movement in the opening scene is not shot in a neutral or standard manner. On the contrary, this draws its own attention demanding a figurative and metaphorical reading. The entire sequence is visual except the music for Hermann (Anobile 56). This signifies the change from normal to anomalous. The camera in this scene works metaphorically progressing towards the hotel room’s window.The music on the other hand, also works in a metaphorical manner strengthening on the significance of the movement of the camera. Altogether the music and the camera enrich the portrayed situation with several overtones making the entire film attractive and interesting. Therefore, the sequence of the film starts as a type of a film documentary, but the end is a world of darkness (a metal prison). The film opens with an indication of place and time, but the other part of the film is place and time attack. Psycho begins in a normal way that draws the viewer steadily deeper into an abnormal world. A credit sequence or opening scene can serve metonymically for the rest of the film. In the film psycho, the opening images have an expository value in the film. They take the viewer from the film’s surfaces to its depths (from daylight towards murky and sinister darkness), from public view to intimate view, therefore announcing the film’s movement as a whole. The manner in which the hotel window, city, and buildings are filmed transforms the entire situation into a sinister darkness. In addition, it is the aural composition and whole visual that guides the eye of the viewer and his mind from open world to dark one. Hitchcock as a director is only interested in the world’s vision and this is why he usually adds significance or meaning to the above discussed events using cinematography techniques. The use of cinematography techniques makes the entire film more interesting and attractive to the viewers (Hayward 31). Conclusion In conclusion, Psycho is a very captivating film. The use of cinematography in the film is very incredible: the white and black surround the entire movies with a mystical view.The film features several amazing cinematography techniques that are ever captured on movies.The camera techniques used in the film are meant to deceive the viewers, directing their attention where the cinematographer wants them to be.For instance, the use of black and white color enabled the quality and ability to paint things in starkly manner. Although there is use of other film making techniques in psycho, cinematography has highly enabled the producer to offer to the audience what he intended to do. Without the use of cinematography, the film would not be as interesting and attractive as it is. Works cited Anobile, Richard J. (ed.). Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho. London: Pan Books, 2004. Print. Hayward, Susan. Key Concepts in Cinema Studies. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Naremore, James. Filmguide to Psycho. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Print. 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