Pyscho

Pyscho

  • Submitted By: presto783
  • Date Submitted: 11/16/2013 7:03 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 830
  • Page: 4
  • Views: 74

Explain how a composer uses techniques of cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound and editing to create suspense in two sequences of the films you have studied in class

Apprehension is employed by composers in order to establish and sustain interest. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller film Psycho, conveys an intensifying idea, that bases itself on the inexorable, subconscious battle between good and evil that exists within everyone. Similarly, M. Night Shyamalan’s, 1999 Psychological thriller, The Sixth Sense, demonstrates the importance of trust, belief and communication when trying to conquer our inner demons. Both of these films utilize numerous techniques in order to create suspense, and provoke emotion, thus acting as a guiding force, prompting the audience into a didactic experience.

Suspense places the horror inside the mind of the audience. The Parlour scene in the film Pyscho reveals much about how meaning is conveyed to the viewers through the use of Mise-en-scene. In this scene Norman brings Marion supper on a tray, yet the real message, revealed through objects, lighting and placement of the characters, is that Marion is blatantly being chosen as Normans next victim.
The angle of the light, is high on the wall, it stands as a divider between the two, creating a clear direct juxtaposition of good and evil, it places closer illumination upon Marion and the light falls directly above her, with an almost angelic ray of light beaming down, this suggests that Marion is the focus of Norman’s attention and makes her seem more vulnerable, as she is in “the spotlight”, in the sight of the killer. The most obvious object in this scene is the oversized milk jug, situated on the tray, the jugs spout is seen to be pointing directly at Marion, reinforcing the ideology that Norman is fixated on making her his “prey”. The characters positioning and body language, subliminally help us to understand suspense in this scene, although the camera is neutral, and nothing...