How does Hitchock use cinematography to create tension in The Parlor scene in Psycho?

There are many ways that Hitchock has created tension during this scene, one of them being the shot types being used. Most of the way through the scene the camera shots are mid shots but as the tension builds they turn into close ups. Hitchock has done this so because as the mid shot turns in to the close up it gives the impression to the audience that something bad is about to happen but also tells them to listen to what he is saying because it may be important. The golden line is also used in this scene in the shot where he is leaning in to and talking to her, there is an owl with its wings open looking like it’s about to attack. This owl is directly above and slightly to the left of the male which seems as though it, in a way, is on his side and about to pounce on the woman. As well as a close up it is also a low angle shot, this also tells the audience that the male has more power and creates tension and anxiety.

Composition is also a key part of this scene, a good example of this would be the use of a candle and an electric light. Although they are seen as normal things separately, together in the same room portrays quite a strange approach to normal decoration of a motel. Because the male is sat on the side of the room with the candle and the woman sat on the side of the room with the electric lamp it creates tension between them and gives the audience, along with the response to the answers of the questions by the woman, a reason to question the sanity of the male. There are also a lot of shadows created by the candle, especially of the bird above him. But these shadows aren't like the shadows created by the electric lamp, these shadows are constantly flickering in and out of brightness which could connote the state of his mental health. Because there is only a candle to provide light on his side of the room, there is not a lot a lot of light on his side of the room but just enough to make out that the paintings on the wall are of naked women. This is a very unusual type of painting to have in a Parlor which along with the lighting on his side of the room connotes a sense of unknown about this character and that you don’t know what he could do next.

By the end of this scene you can tell the woman was worrying about what he was going to do. You can tell this by her body language shown on camera while he was talking. When they were talking to each other Hitchock used point of view shots to show who was talking to who and their reactions to what they were saying. A good example of this would be when the woman is talking to him and she mentions the ‘mad house’ he begins to lean in and scare her. This creates tension and gives the audience an idea of what he thinks of the mad houses in general. Hitchcock also uses body language well in this scene; it tells the audience what the characters are feeling at different points. A good example of this would be when the woman mentions either ‘friends’ or ‘the mad house’ both of these touch a nerve in the males body and both times his body language completely changes. When ‘friends’ are mentioned he goes from stroking a stuffed bird to dramatically moving his arm towards his body almost as if he is angry with her for asking such a question. On the second instance, his mode changes even more dramatically, he now becomes violent towards her using his voice. He also begins to lean in and look straight into her eyes. By showing this using a close up Hitchock creates tension and gives the audience another side to the male.

Hitchock has also used framing effectively in this scene to create tension. He has used it effectively because he has left out important items in the background, for example, not showing how big the room is creates tension for the audience because they don’t know how much space the woman has in the room to escape or separate herself from the male sat opposite her. Because the audience cannot see most of the Parlor, this connotes uncertainty among the audience and also gives the impression that you don’t know all there is to know about the male.

How is gender represented in Shallow Grave?

The director Danny Boyle uses mise en scene to create the idea that different genders are represented in different ways. One of the ways he does this is by dressing Juliet in a revealing dress, the dress is clearly more revealing in contrast to the other women at the ball and this is shown by a long shot of men and women dancing showing the other women’s dresses and how they go down to their ankles and don’t allow cleavage to be seen. He has dressed her like this to show that she is more feminine than the other females and that she is more outgoing than them. Alex, one of the males has been dressed in black trousers, white shirt and a checked jacket. The white shirt is done up all except the top button which portrays that the character doesn’t feel that he has to make an effort and also makes him look scruffy. Alex’s hair is quite long and scruffy which also presents him to the audience as being a laid back character with no care in the world. But, this is a complete contrast to the character David, who has clearly made an effort to look respectable because he is dressed in a black suit and bow tie which is stereotypically seen as clothing that upper class people wear. David is also made to look like a more responsible and older character by the use of glasses and the style of his hair. His glasses are black, quite a boring and mundane colour which doesn’t connote liveliness and fun, but they do connote seriousness and class. This is why that Boyle has used the colour black for David’s glasses because they sum up the personality of his character. David’s hair is clearly a lot smarter than Alex’s, although you can tell he doesn’t spend much time making it like that, he still puts some effort into it which connotes that he cares about the way other people see him and the way he looks.

There is a clear contrast shown the way the three characters are dressed and how they behave in public. As well as being portrayed by what they wear, it is also shown by the editing. The characters Alex and Juliet are shown to be much closer with each other than they are with David. This is shown by most of the shots being of both Alex and Juliet (a two shot) but David is the only person in his shot. By having David on his own most of the time connotes that he is the alpha male making Alex and Juliet below him in ranking. But, this could be seen as the opposite because some people may feel that the number of people must mean that that group has more power and that the loneliness of David could be seen as him having no power at all over the other two characters.

Danny Boyle has also shown the difference in power by using cinematography. He has done this by making Alex fall to the floor while he is dancing with Juliet. He might have done this because the amount of alcohol he has been drinking or he could have just tripped over something, Either way landing on the floor would have hurt but Alex doesn’t seem to care about that and is seen to be laughing, the fact that he is laughing also reinforces the view that he is laid back and doesn’t care. When Juliet dances over to him the camera shows a low angle shot with only Juliet in the frame looking down at Alex and placing her foot in his mouth to stop him from laughing. This shows the audience two things, one, that because of the laid back attitude of Alex and the low angle shot it shows that Juliet may have more power in their relationship and two would be that letting Alex see up her skirt is tells the audience that she has more power over him because she can flirt and flaunt her body to get what she want.

Boyle has also used diegetic sound to show that both males are more aggressive than Juliet. He has done this by making Alex and David the only two of the group to swear during this scene, Boyle knows that the stereotypical man is loud and aggressive but the stereotypical woman is seen to be well mannered and not aggressive. The first male that the audience see for filling the stereotype is Alex, this is shown by him swearing quite often and making a sexual reference which reminds the audience of the stereotype. Although to start off with David, the second male, doesn’t seem to be the stereotypical man, when a male at the ball askes Juliet to dance, he straight away turns aggressive and threatens him “you're going to end up inside a fucking bin-bag“.

By saying this it gives the audience an idea of what David is sometimes like and also for fills the stereotype. In contrast to the males, Juliet is seen to be much more polite than Alex and David because of her attitude towards other people and that fact that she doesn’t swear throughout the scene. Her non aggressive attitude towards others is shown when Alex recognises Cameron and begins to call him over, Juliet then disagrees with Alex about getting Cameron to come over because she doesn’t want any trouble. This shows that she is not scared of conflict, but will avoid it at all costs and also does not want to be embarrassed by the Alex and David.

The director, Danny Boyle has shown the three characters in different ways and played to the known stereotypes of men and women to represent the characters as individuals. Alex is represented as a male stereotype because of his aggressive behaviour and laid back attitude which is shown by the way he is dressed and the amount of swearing done by him in this scene. David on the other hand is represented as the alpha male of the group because of the way he is dressed at the fact that when he is shown on camera he is the only person in the shot in comparison to Alex and Juliet who are shown together. David is also seen to be using his tack ticks of getting something by being friendly and nice but soon learns that Alex’s method, aggressive and rude, works much better and therefore is shown to have adopted his Alex method when the male askes to dance. In contrast to the males, Juliet is shown to be more feminine than Alex and David. Boyle has represented her in this way by dressing her in a low cut dress and having a flirty relationship with the males in this scene. An example of this would be when she places her foot on Alex after he falls over, allowing him to see up her dress.

How does Wilder convey the characters and their relationship in the penultimate scene of Double Indemnity

In the penultimate scene of Double Indemnity Wilder, the director uses different techniques to convey the characters and the relationships that they have. One of the ways he has done this is by using lighting. Because this film in a noir thriller it relies on dark rooms and harsh lighting that beam the characters and objects around them onto the walls portraying danger and uncertainty. At the beginning of this scene, Walter, the male, is seen to be opening the door and walking into the room towards Phyllis. Although the camera angle does not show door, it does show the wall beside it and on this wall is the bold shadow of Walter and the movement of the door opening. This tells the audience that someone has opened the door and that also that someone is portrayed to have power because of the scale of their shadow on the wall. As this male walks into the room, half of his face is covered by a shadow. The effects of this that the audience now know that this individual is dangerous and has a past. Along with portraying that the character could be dangerous, it also connotes the intentions of this character because in noir films when characters are seen to have shadows covering them it portrays evil intentions. The effects of this would be that the audience start not to trust this character and are uncertain about what he will do next.

Although at the start of this scene the male is seen to have power over the female, the audience is then made to feel that maybe Phyllis is the one in charge. The audience is made to think this because of the use of the femme fatale. This is a woman who is mysterious and seductive and who’s charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of desire, this often leading them in to dangerous and deadly situations. It is also known that during this time the men had just got back from fighting in ww2, during this war the women had to take over the roles of the men, for example women now had to work in the factories instead of the men when before they weren’t expected to work. But, after the war, the men wanted to return to their normal jobs and expected the women would do the same but the women wanted to carry on because they enjoyed working. This lead to women being more respected in the work place and also helped to gain them the same rights as men. It is clearly shown here because of the contrast in costume, on one hand Phyllis is wearing a white dress and on the other hand Walter is wearing a black suit. The effects of this are that the audience is made to feel sorry for Phyllis because white is seen as a pure colour. They are also made to feel this way because of the way that Walter is moving round the room. Phyllis is sat in a chair in the middle of the room and Walter is seen to be circling the chair like a vulture, also connoting that he has evil intentions. It also creates tension and shows clearly the relationship of the two characters.

Wilder, the director, has also used the ‘hero with a past’ to good measure here. A hero with a past is most commonly used in thrillers to create tension and make the future story of the protagonist seem more realistic. Like the femme fatale, a hero with a past links into ww2, it does so because while the men went off to war, they experienced terrifying sights and have stories that will stay with them their entire life, but when they got back they were seen as heroes and brave men,  therefore creating the hero with a past. Because of their past, the men found it hard to make rational decisions, leading them to be seduced by the femme fatale and stuck in their web of lies and deceit. The effects of using the hero with a past are that the audience are made to feel drawn to him because they feel sorry for him because of what he has gone through. But they are also made to feel that he has something up his sleeve, and has been planning something the whole time because the skills he has learnt from the army. The effects of this would be that the audience would be made to feel nervous when he is in the scene.                                          

 

Wilder has also used diegetic sound increase the tension and show power. Power is shown by Walter because as he walks round the room, circling Phyllis sitting who is sitting down, he starts to shut the doors to the next room which are allowing the music to come through to where they are. After all the doors are shut, he then turns around to face her but when this happens she shoots him in the chest. Because Walter turned off the music he is saying to Phyllis that he is in control of this conversation but we know that Phyllis is the femme fatale, we know that she won’t want to be in a situation where Walter is in charge. This builds the tension along with the silence in the room

 which makes the gun shot sound loude and more dramatic for the audience.

The use of a high camera angle at the end of this scene also demonstrates the fact that Phyllis is vulnerable and also connotes that Walter has power at the end of the scene. After being shot, Walter walks towards Phyllis, when he reaches her she falls into his arms and let’s go of the gun. He then shoots her twice and places her on the sofa to the right of them. During this ordeal the camera is only showing Phyllis reactions to what is going on. The effects of this would be that the audience begin to feel sorry for Phyllis’ character. In contrast to this the audience would also begin to fear Walters’s character because of how calm he is after shooting Phyllis from point blank.

How does Thompson create an atmosphere of threat in the school yard?

Throughout this scene there are many threats created in different ways, the main threat shown is of rape. The male in this scene. One of the ways that sexual tension is used in a provocative manner is when Max Cady has been seen walking up to Nancy, the girl in the car, as he is walking up to the car he stops at the edge of the pavement. Before moving on he takes a cigar out of his mouth and places it back in again. Because of his past this placement of the cigar connotes pathetic fallacy. It also increases the views of the audience in that this man is a threat towards her while she is alone. As she is being chased into the building the camera is at a mid-shot of the male’s crotch. This is also a form of pathetic fallacy because although not telling the audience directly that he is going to rape her, the use of a mid-shot on his crotch shows that he might just do that.

The diegetic and nondiegetic sound in this scene also connote a threatening atmosphere. As Max is walking towards Nancy he passes some fountains, the fountain gives of a hissing sound, just like a snake. Because of this noise that's been given of and also the commonly known knowledge that snakes are a dangerous animal, the audience can tell that danger is just around the corner.
As Max is walking towards the car, there are jump shots to what she can see and what he can see. When the camera is in the car, showing what Nancy can see, there is music playing. The music is quite calm and common which wouldn't arouse the audience suspicions, connoting that she is safe in the car and she should stay in there. This music then changes to a more sinister tone, which uses chromatic sound which gets louder as he gets closer to the car. This is a complete contrast to what was just seconds before, showing how things can turn so easily. Later on in this scene, the girl runs out of the school and into Max's arms thinking he was in the building, as this happens the non-diegetic sound of a discord is played loudly. This sound is played in this way to show the shock on her face after thinking she has got away and it is also played to connote that the build-up to the threat has finally come around.

Mise-en-scene is also used in an effective way during this scene along with non-diegetic and diegetic sound. Because of the known past of Max Cady the audience already know that he has been in prison for offences similar to this. Because of this Thompson has placed metal bars outside of the school, but, these bars are themselves threatening because they have spikes placed on top of them and in them which is unlike normal metal bars surrounding schools. As Nancy is running away, she presses her body up against the bars to look for someone to help her and also to see the whereabouts of Max. In doing so it suggests that is helpless and cannot escape the upcoming danger. It also reminds the audience of his past and how much danger she is actually in. ‘A hero with a past’ is also a commonly used factor in late thrillers, although Max is not the ‘hero’ he is the past of the ‘hero’ Nancy’s dad and that past is playing a part in his life at the moment.

Cinematography plays a big role in creating a threatening atmosphere and also one in which the audience are made to feel sorry for Nancy. One way the audience is made to feel this way is when Max is walking towards the car and she has no clue on what is happening. Before she finds out that it is Max walking towards her, the camera is showing her point of view and where max is in relation to her. Because the camera has tracked the movement of max we, the audience, know where he is. This makes us want to stand up and shout to her where he is which backs up the audiences ideas of how threatening he actually is. As well as this, it also provides the audience with a feeling of uncertainty, one of the key features of the thriller genre, because up until now he hasn't done anything wrong.

Golden-eye.

One of the first shots is a pan shot. This makes it a good opening because it shows that the enormity of the challenge that James is about to face. It then moves to a high angle shot above James which shows the rocky ground beneath him and gives a feeling on uncertainty to the audience. This is also a good thriller opening because of the amount of action with in the first five minutes which connotes that there will be a lot more to come. There is also a wide range of camera angles and shot types which keeps the audience occupied and not bored because of the lack of camera movement.

28 Days Later.

This is a good thriller opening because it very effectively uses wide angle camera shots and soundtrack to connote the feeling of loneliness. It does this by only having one man in the shot that is showing that he doesn't know what he is doing or where everyone has gone.  

The Departed.

 

This is an effective thriller opening because of the use of a voice over. The voice is of one of the main characters in this film, it is also quite a deep males voice which is commonly thought of as quite threatening or aggressive, both shown as the male walks into the shop and acts like he owns the place. You can also tell that the little kid in the shop that has been given free food by the main character will play a bigger part later on in the film, making the audience think how he could be used as a character.

Memento.

This thriller opening relies mostly on the audience knowing that they know as much as the main character does because of his illness. He uses photos to remind himself of his past which gives the audience clues on where he has been and who he knows. This is also a good thriller opening because of the tension that the music creates because of the tempo rising and falling.

Drive.

This is a good thriller intro because of the use of shadows on the main characters face, these shadows foreshadow his future and connote that there is danger is inevitable. The deep sound of the engine connotes that he has adapted his car to go fast which means that he was expecting to be chased by someone or have to get away quickly. This tells the audience that there will be car chases throughout the film.

 V for Vendetta.

This opening contains most of the key factors commonly used in thrillers. One of these is covering the identity of the hero that has just saved the woman from being raped. This gives the audience something to guess throughout the film and will also keep them engaged because they will want to know who is under the mask.

No country for old men.

The opening for this thriller is not like any of the others, instead of car chases or killings; it just has different shots of what looks to be a desert in America. Because most of the shots are extreme long shots of quite peaceful locations, it connotes calmness and gives the audience the impression that nothing bad will happen. There is also a voice over during this opening; because the voice isn't shouting or aggressive it also connotes calmness as well as the scenery. But, the audience is made to worry about the male that gets in the police car at the end of the scene. We are made to worry because of the weapon that this man has on him.  This makes it a good opening because of the mixed feelings that are expresses through scenery and mise-en-scene. 

The shot is a long shot showing a blurred image of James Bond, you can tell that this character is significant in some way because he is positioned in the centre of the frame with connotes dominance and power. The only light provided is from a window at the back of the hall way, this helps to cover the identity of the man which also creates an element of uncertainty which is a common convention of the thriller genre.  The music in this scene is sharp and is only loud when Bond first appears and when you first see his face which helps to create tension.

This shot is a close up that follows the last screen shot. The image is still blurred in parts but there is another light source which allows the audience to finally discover who the unknown male was. James Bond is holding up a gun in a direction that the audience is unaware of what is round the corner therefore adding suspense, one of the conventions of a thriller. Our eye is drawn to the silhouette of a gun that James Bond I holding up. This gives us, the audience an impression that James Bond has power over others. Bond then walks into the room, as he does; the tempo of the music begins to gradually quicken therefore building tension which makes the audience anticipate what will happen next.

 This is a mid-shot follows the last screen shot of James Bond pointing a gun in an area unknown to the audience. In this screen shot you can clearly see the object Bond is looking for because the camera is focused in on the laptop and someone has clearly taken something from it. This gives the protagonist an aim to retrieve the stolen item which is a common convention in a thriller. The camera angle then shows Bond from behind and also shows his picking up the laptop, looking at it and then throwing it on to the sofa deeming it worthless. During this he is talking to ‘M’ via a headset, you can tell she has power over him because he is reporting back to her and she is giving him instructions on what to do next. Bond then begins to walk down a set of stairs and proceed to the streets where he hopes to carry on his quest to find the missing hard drive.

After walking down the stairs and on to the street, Bonds associate picks him up with in seconds of him leaving the building which indicates to the audience that he wasn’t there alone. This shot is a mid-shot and is also a two shot. As Bond walks down the stairs and on to the street the music begins to have more of an Arabic vibe which gives an idea of his location to the audience. When Bond gets in the car, he barley closes the door before his associate speedily drives of, this connotes urgency to get the missing hard drive.  

After finding the men who stole the hard drive from the laptop, Bond and his associate chase after them in their jeep. This shot is a mid-shot showing the villain getting away on a motor bike after shooting at Bond and crashing his car. The scene then switches to a roof top chase which ends up with Bond being shot by the woman he was with and falling into a river. These series of events create tension, excitement and suspense three key conventions of a thriller. The use very realistic props and non-diegetic sounds help to create a believable and stereotypical Arabic atmosphere. The market place that the confrontation between Bond and the villain starts in is helped made realistic by the use of well-placed extras, market stalls full of fruit, vegetables and meat. The fact that the police are also chasing Bond and the villain for speeding also makes the scene feel more realistic and also connotes that the police did not know that Bond was doing what he did which adds to the uncertainty of what will happen next.

The Bourne Ultimatum Analysis

This is a screen shot from a scene from the film The Bourne Ultimatum, this particular angle is a low angle shot. The editors have used this shot in this scene because it gives the audience an idea of how far Bourne has to jump to make it and continue on his path; by doing this it creates tension and a feeling of uncertainty for the audience. It also gives a sense of uncertainty because the camera angle does not show the height of the jump. But, the camera does show the metal railings on the doorway where Bourne has to get to, this shows the difficulty of the task and therefore creates tension. 

This shot is a point of view shot; it shows that Bourne isn’t far away from the woman he is trying to save. It also shows that he cannot get to her like he did in the last screen shot which tells the audience that he has to find away round which therefore creates tension. Because of the low angle shot that was shown earlier on in the scene, the audience is able to establish that he is still at the same height and it would be difficult to reach her by jumping across. Because after this shot it quickly cuts to another this shows that Bourne is in a panic and running out of time, this provides the audience with a feeling of uncurntity for the welfare of the woman in the middle of the camera.

  This is a mid-shot and a close up; it shows the position of all three characters in this scene. Although you can only see one of the characters, there is a close up of a blurred image of the gun that both Bourne and the assailant are fighting over which shows the audience where in relation the characters are to each other.

 This is a mid-shot and is also a two shot. It shows Bourne picking up the assailant and throwing him to the ground trying to restrain him from causing harm to the woman or him. This shot also tells the audience that it is a fair fight between the two men, giving a sense of uncertainty of who will end up the victor. This angle has also left out there whereabouts of the woman, this creates tension because we don’t know if she is alive or not.

 This is a high angle shot and also a two shot; it shows the final fight between Bourne and the assailant just before Bourne suffocates the assailant. The high angle shot shows where the two characters are in relation to each other and also shows that the assailant has nowhere to escape from which shows that Bourne has more power over the other male. The camera shot also shows the four corners of the room, therefore telling the audience that they are not in the same room as the woman which makes the audience worry if she can get up off the ground or not.

Shot types and editing techniques

Extreme long shot- the subject isn't clear but it gives a sense of establishing where in the world this is being filmed.

High Angle Shot - This shot is taken for above the subject, looking down at it.

Pan – The camera moves from right to left or left to right, following the subject as it moves.

Tracking Shot – The camera moves on a dolly to follow the subject’s movements.

Tilt – The camera pans vertically- up and down.

Canted/ Dutch Angle Shot – The camera is not straight toward the subject, it is at an angle.

Zoom in / out – Camera focuses zooming in or out on a key detail.

Steadicam / Handheld – The camera moves around with the action.

Crane Shot – The camera takes a high angle shot looking down on the subject; the crane can track, tilt and pan.

Aerial Shot – The camera is positioned in a plane or helicopter to get an ELS high angled shot.

Long shot – The subject takes up the full frame, feet are show at the bottom of the frame.

Mid shot – shows some part of the subject in closer detail but still shows his surroundings.

Medium close up – the medium close up is half way between a mid-shot and a close up.

Close up – a curtain feature on some part of the subject takes up most of the frame.

Extreme close up – this shot gets right in and shows the detail.

Cut away – usually a shot that’s something other than the current action.

Two shot – good for establishing a relationship between two subjects.

Over the shoulder shot – This shot is framed from behind the person looking over their shoulder. Good for showing emotions and reactions.

Noddy shot – common in interviews, a shot of someone listening and reacting to the subject.

Point of view shot – this shot shows the view from the subject’s perspective.

Low angle shot - this shot is taken from below the subject looking up at it, the opposite of a high angle shot.

Composition is what is where different items are placed in the frame.

Framing is what you leave out of the frame.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Transitions – this is where two shots are joined together.

Dissolve – a gradual transition from one shot to another.

Fade to black/ white – one shot fades in or out from black to white.

Fade in / out – a shot is faded out to black screen or in from black screen.

Cross-cutting – when action cuts between two sequences to create links.

Wipe - a line moves across the screen showing a transition from one shot to another.

Jump cut – an abrupt cut between shots.

Rules of thirds – points of interest occur where the lines cross.

The golden mean – points of interest are established by looking for an imaginary diagonal line across the frame.