The title sequence uses a variety of media techniques to create the atmosphere for the specific genre. The mysterious graphical matches are effective as they portray the future enigmas. Hitchcock uses the introduction to replicate the sense of duality and split personalities. This is significant when in light of Leigh’s character as the title sequence incorporates graphical matches to reflect her split life. The words divide into two and separate from each other, which conveys the criminal life, Marion is about to lead towards the audience. This was efficiently done by Saul Base, the graphic designer who had also worked on many of Hitchcock’s other films. As the music swells, the moving horizontal and vertical arrows perform a stabbing motion forwards. This also foreshadows impending events.
I believe Hitchcock’s choice to film his psychological thriller in black and white is significant as it allows him to express the nature of the film. Not only did it reduce costs of producing the film, it also allowed him to establish the genre through this technique. Although the director had the chance to use colour, I believe Hitchcock’s curiosity helped him to gain his success in “Psycho’s” huge impact. He wanted to see whether a budget film could make it into the box office. The two colours contrast each other, which could symbolise the effects of good and evil. He thought the gore would be too much in colour for the conventional audience as well.
The parlour scene is one of the most significant features of “Psycho” in order to build up the tension towards the climax. It is used by Hitchcock to display innocence inside evil. Marion is asked to go inside by Norman Bates to have something to eat. This is immediately seen as a threat and builds up the tension by showing how Norman reacts to Marion.
At first, there is a high camera angle facing Marion suggesting she is the victim. She stands out more in the light while Norman is darker; this shows their contrasts, which signifies her vulnerability in comparison. The fact that Norman is pointing the tray at her also shows she is his next victim. Marion’s innocence is also presented through the milk jug, which implies her purity. The oversized jug is in profile and pointing directly at her almost confirming she is the “prey”.
Duality is obviously shown throughout the parlour scene. Shadows, lighting, reflections and camera angles all demonstrate this. The split personality of Norman Bates is shown by the half darkness of his face and reflection in the mirror. It suggests that his mother is half in control but can take over at any time. Marion is nearly always in light showing she is in the right in relationship with Bates. However, this also suggests her vulnerability when she is in the lower position while being filmed front on.
Hitchcock carefully uses mis-en-scene to present the birds of prey as menacing and threatening which cover the walls. This foreshadows later events and the fact that they all have shadows also enforces the sense of duality regarding Bates.
All of these devices that Hitchcock has cleverly introduced into the scene such as camera shots and angles, mis-en-scene and position effectively displays the different personalities in the scene. The different meanings have been successfully layered through the various techniques. The audience identifies these by the several different views of the camera. The sounds also help to build up tension as any wrong moves are illustrated through sudden accents in the soft music which mimicking Bates as he plans his next savage murder.
The Shower scene is said to be one of the most iconic pieces of work in the film industry. Containing fifty-four cuts in just two minutes, which are mainly extreme close-ups of the murder, many claim it is the most “frightening scenes in cinematic history”. Hitchcock applies a combination of close shots and medium shots quickly in a short amount of time to make the audience believe the sequence longer. This also helps it appear more violent and subjective.
One of the techniques that Hitchcock uses is the way he assembles the mis-en-scene and how the environment is presented. The juxtaposition of the dark parlour scene and the light bathroom scene shows the differences between Norman and Marion. The lightness of the room reflects her purity. Also, she is in the shower which could be interpreted that she is washing her sins away and becoming “clean”.
The use of different camera angles is applied throughout this section in “Psycho”. During the shower scene, there are fifty-four quick cuts. This adds the effect of the audience being able to relate to the fast paced sequence. In addition, the camera shot never goes below her shoulders so she is not exposed and the stabbing cannot be witnessed due to the censorship policy. The birds-eye camera shot is also utilised to show an emphasis on Marion’s weakness and vulnerability. Marion’s eye is also focused on once she is which also conveys a sense of doubleness. It symbolises the duality of her contrasting personalities of innocence and guilt. This is graphically matched by the plughole where her blood is washing away which represents her life ebbing away.
One of the main techniques which Hitchcock used in the shower scene, was the non-diagetic sound composed by Bernard Herrmann which is entitled “The Murder”. The scene itself without the music would not have been half as effective as it was. Hitchcock agreed to use Herrmann’s score as it vastly intensified the scene. At first there is silence to create tension while the diagetic sounds like the shower are in use while Marion cleans herself. This creates tension, as the audience know that something is about to happen. Then the music is then used to portray the sequences that occur during the scene. The slow music builds up speed and definition while the killer enters. The music suddenly adds pace, which reflects her emotions, as she is shocked. The screeching violins are played at a very high pitch, which evokes the stabbing actions made by the knife. Once the killer leaves the director tries to convey the heartbeat by making the non-diagetic sound diminuendo.
The murder of the main character is a significant loss, which affects the plot hugely. The audience feel lost and confused as Marion is killed. They have been following her since the beginning and it would seem strange to lose her so early. Hitchcock uses all of these different devices in order to create shock and impact. The change of plot halfway through the film adds surprise, which leaves the audience lost and bewildered.
Hitchcock uses techniques with the intention of creating tension and an impact on the audience. Sounds, camera angles and certain atmospheres are used in the scene where Arbogast is walking up the stairs towards Norman Bates' property. He is shown as a susceptible man and as if he is being watched. These filming techniques are manipulated to convey this effect on the viewers.
The atmosphere at the beginning of the scene is a dark and hostile one. A sinister and imposing house is significant as it makes Arbogast seem vulnerable. Non-diagetic sound is also applied to add to the sense of mood. The music suggests a threat and aids to the effect of Arbogast’s weakness. The melody is slow and not very loud which ends in silence once he enters the house. As the detective walks up the stairs the volume increases as if to build up to a climax. Soon enough he is attacked with the score at its quickest tempo and loudest dynamic, which increases the level of shock to the impact of the murder.
As Arbogast is walking up the stairs the camera follows him like it did outside the house to suggest someone is watching him. It seems intrusive and makes the audience believe something is going to happen. After this shot the camera them comes in front for a medium close up to show his facial expression which seems worried but wary. It then looks down on him. This technique that Hitchcock applies, again shows the private detective’s defencelessness and susceptibility. Once the attack occurs, a birds-eye view shot is used to reinforce his vulnerability and he is exposed as a victim. Once Arbogast has been stabbed, a “spliced scene” has been put in place. This is where the viewers are shown two bits of film over each other to create a certain effect. In Hitchcock’s case, this is making the murder more effectual and dramatic as the victim falls down the stairs. Nowadays, people may think it looks poor visually, but when “Psycho” first came out, it seemed truly amazing. The “spliced scene” also adds a sense of shock as the death of Arbogast is dramatically emphasised.
I believe Hitchcock included the death of the detective for the same reason that he included the murder of Marion. Although it’s not as soon as Marion’s death it still makes the audience feel hopeless and lost. All of the techniques used in this scene helped the unique effect of the impact leaving the audience lost and perplexed.
Hitchcock has influenced hundreds of films and television shows around the world with his many new risks and aspects that were witnessed in “Psycho”. He revolutionised the film industry by making a “pure film”. Hitchcock has almost guided other directors into a new type of performance. Many other directors have also produced similar performances from The Simpsons Cape Feare and even a sequel of “Psycho”. I personally do not believe that his psychological thriller had an amazing performance but I can definitely see why it has influenced so many other productions around the world. No one before had ever seen anything like “Psycho” in his or her life, which is why it had such an impact. He was able to make it an effective film because he was directing and producing at the same time. This meant he could use all his techniques to create “pure film” and overcome the censorship policies while promoting his movie just to have that extra shock when the audience saw it.
I do believe that Hitchcock can be known as “the master of suspense”. He has shown this through not only “Psycho”, but also other famous psychological thrillers which he has directed for instance North by North West and Vertigo. He uses “layers of suspense” where different meanings are entwined to add tension and finally surprise the viewer, as they are stunned when finding out the truth. The audience of the time showed through their positive response that Hitchcock deserved this title. His status as a director and publisher went up and he was seen as one of the most effective film creators in the world. Hitchcock received a huge praise when he introduced such a startling film which nothing else could compete with.