How does Hitchcock thrill his audience?

How does Hitchcock thrill his audience? To me 'thrill' means when a director uses lots of suspense to build up tension to make you have a feeling of excitement and nervousness because you know that you are going to be jolted from a dream to a nightmare. Hitchcock uses camera views and shadows to build tension and suspense in all of his films like `psycho` and `the birds`. In psycho the apartment scene after the panoramic shot of the city Hitchcock shows that it is just a normal Friday afternoon in December and life is going on as usual. He pans in on one specific window the audience think that they are going to see blood and guts (there are red stains on the concrete around the window) but instead we see a couple having a secret affair in a dark and dingy room. Hitchcock makes this affair seem inappropriate and something people would not approve of. He then makes the audience feel that there really isn't any blood and guts. The start of the suspense is when Marion thinks she is being followed in her car after she stole money from the apartment the audience can hear creepy music and she can see flashbacks in her mind which makes the audience tense. The real threat starts to come in when Marion arrives at Bates motel and has tea with Norman. Hitchcock uses birds and shadows to show a feeling of violence and threat, Norman talk's about his past life (fears) about an institute

  • Word count: 722
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

The Greek Theatre

The amphitheatres of Ancient Greece were located on hillsides. A bowl shape was dug into a north facing slope for maximum sunlight. The amphitheatre complex contained the koilon, orchestra, proscenium, skene and parados. The koilon was the semi-circular, stacked seating area for the audience and was split into two sections; upper and lower diazoma. The area closest to the stage of the lower diazoma was reserved for priests, members of the council and officials. The upper diazoma operated under a free seating scheme. This communicated to the audience that official people should be respected and have certain perks. This might have made ordinary people work harder and aspire to hold a position of power. In front of the koilon was the orchestra: a circular piece of land approximately 60m in diameter. The orchestra was used by the chorus for their choral odes and stasimons. The chorus were a group of fifteen amateur performers who acted as a united group. The chorus entered at the beginning of a play chanting a song and marching at a slow pace. The acting then commenced from professional actors. After a section of acting had taken place the chorus performed a stasimon; commenting on what has just been seen. Stasimons included singing and dancing which added movement and spectacle to the play. For example in the first stasimon "ode to man" the language is mostly in the verb form

  • Word count: 1787
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

Analyse how the trailer for the "Moulin Rouge" persuades the viewer to go and see the film.

Amy Candiano Miss Graham 34763 Upton Hall School FCJ Media Assignment Moving Image Analyse how the trailer for the "Moulin Rouge" persuades the viewer to go and see the film. The purpose of a trailer is to persuade the viewers to go and see a specific film that it is advertising. A trailer is an overview of a forthcoming movie due for release at a cinema, DVD or video, which attracts the audience's attention. The trailer for "Moulin Rouge" is targeted at audiences over 12. This age certificate is set by the British Film Censors Board. It persuades people to go to watch the film as awarding actors, actresses and film director are in this movie. For example Baz Luhrmann the director has directed many other accredited movies including "Rome & Juliet" and "Strictly Ballroom", therefore "Moulin Rouge" will appeal to Baz Luhrmann fans (synergy). The genre of this film is a musical love story set in late 19th century Paris at the "Moulin Rouge", meaning it is a fast and exciting trailer which creates tension and suspense for the audience. The main characters in the trailer for "Moulin Rouge" are Satine (played by Nicole Kidman) the courtesan and main protagonist for both the passionate filled playwright Christian (played by Ewer McGregor) and the lovelorn Duke (played by Richard Roxburgh). Another character shown in the film is Zidler (played by Jim Broadbent)

  • Word count: 3447
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

Through close analysis of the restaurant scene and the scene where Dr Crow is in the house with both Cole and Cole's mother, discus the techniques used to make the audience believe Dr Crow is alive.

Through close analysis of the restaurant scene and the scene where Dr Crow is in the house with both Cole and Cole's mother, discus the techniques used to make the audience believe Dr Crow is alive. The sixth sense impressed film critics when it was released in 1999. The film uses the assumption of the audience that Dr Crow is alive to feed the story line and shock the viewers at the end. M. Night Shyamalan the director uses many different techniques to achieve this varying from colours to camera angles; in this essay I am going to analyse two important scenes from early on in the film that play a key part in the audiences belief that Dr Crow is alive. These scenes are: the restaurant scene and the scene where Dr Cole is in the house with Cole's mother. We see Dr Crow in different ways in the two scenes; in the scene with Cole's mother he seems professional and in control. While Cole's Mother is talking to him we get several medium close ups of Dr Crow he is smiling to himself. We take this as an air of professionalism; we think he is observing their relationship. He is smiling to himself we think he might be happy as earlier in the film Dr Crow discovers scratches on Cole's arms which could have been caused by the mother but on observing their obviously loving relationship he realises he is wrong. However the way we perceive him in the restaurant scene is different.

  • Word count: 1629
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

For this particular piece of coursework I will be comparing the 'Club 18-30', 'Superfamily' and 'Forever Young' brochures and seeing how they attract their target audience by using various linguistic and presentation devices.

Media is the means of communicating news and information to the public via printed and visual media. In contemporary society printed media has become an essential way to advertise a product to its target audience, as it is a cheap and accessible form of communication. Furthermore, examples of printed media can be seen in many different ways as they are varied forms such as leaflets, newspapers and brochures. For this particular piece of coursework I will be comparing the 'Club 18-30', 'Superfamily' and 'Forever Young' brochures and seeing how they attract their target audience by using various linguistic and presentation devices. The Club 18-30 brochure appears to be aimed towards a younger and more outgoing audience who are partygoers. This can be seen through its choice of layout and organization. Although its layout might appear rushed and erratic to the older and untargeted section of society, it actually provides the younger generation with all the qualities needed in a good club brochure. The layout and organization can also be seen to be enticing as it engages the younger audience because of its simplistic form. However through the choice of layout and organization of the 'Superfamily' brochure the audience immediately realises that the brochure's target audience is families with young children as shown by the childish qualities of the presentation: bubbles,

  • Word count: 1317
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Look at the presentation of the play within the play by the Mechanicals in Act 5: 1 What is there in this performance that will interest and amuse the audience?

A Midsummer Night's Dream Look at the presentation of the play within the play by the Mechanicals in Act 5: 1 What is there in this performance that will interest and amuse the audience? In the second scene that completes Act I, we are introduced to an extraordinary group of familiar but outlandish comical characters that have been enlightened with the possibility of performing a stage interlude as part of the entertainment at the quick approaching marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. The Mechanicals are not only thought of as the 'rude mechanicals', they are also thought of as sweet and gentle folk who have had no promoting purpose in their lives until now. Peter Quince play as one of the mechanicals as the Playwright for the amateurs. We are able to tell that he is more experienced in writing as Shakespeare makes him present his prologue which is a masterpiece of writing deliberately ruined to give the play a comical beginning. Shakespeare does this by making Quince seem like a very smart man, the smartest out of the mechanicals and we know this because he is directing the play and not actually featuring it. This shows us the audience that he has a shy character although he seems very excited and open towards the beginning of the play when actually he seems to have Stage fright. Nick Bottom the Weaver seems however to be very enthusiastic and wants to play all the

  • Word count: 2633
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

The original stimulus to our original ideas was the way in which children of different religions and races unite to create a harmonious society within our school. We discussed the situation within a small area, such as a school

Portfolio Inspiration, Aims and Techniques Colourblind is the story of three young women whose lives are all very different. They are introduced to the audience at their first meeting, when friendship seems unlikely. However, they overcome obstacles such as religion and race to embark on a friendship, which teaches them about life, love and loss. Each character struggles with their own personal antagonist. For this piece, we drew upon many different sources of inspiration, some being course content, the works of theatrical practitioners such as Stanislavski, to outside sources such as films and newspapers. We have been inspired by many parts of everyday life, from religion and oppression to sexuality and love. We have used both personal experiences and external influences. The original stimulus to our original ideas was the way in which children of different religions and races unite to create a harmonious society within our school. We discussed the situation within a small area, such as a school and it was agreed that this could be viewed as a microcosm of society. We also felt this subject, due to educational value, could be beneficial to both ourselves and the audience due to its large coverage in the media recently. We were inspired by other performances, such as Three Sisters by Chekhov. We studied this particular play for several reasons. Firstly, the style that

  • Word count: 3495
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

The theme of our devised piece, 'childhood', gave us a base on which to explore different ideas and research possible acts. Our researched topic possibilities include extracts from: "Invisible Friends" written by Alan Ayckbourn.

Written response to practical work The theme of our devised piece, 'childhood', gave us a base on which to explore different ideas and research possible acts. Our researched topic possibilities include extracts from: "Invisible Friends" written by Alan Ayckbourn. These have elements that are beneficial such as a teenage girl living with her parents, and an interaction with the audience, which is an important principle in our play. We acquired ideas for characters from the television series, "The Royle Family" written by Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash and Henry Normal. Although the characters never leave the confines of their home in Manchester (with most of the "action" taking place in the living room), other locations are sometimes referred to - "The Feathers" - a grimy local pub which often has "lock-ins", or Nanna's sheltered accommodation housing. None of the characters have ever been to London. Much of the humour is depicted through the cast's ignorance of the world beyond their estate. Nanna claims that a girl she knows has got a job working for an airline. "Which one?" asks Barbara. "Oh, Heathrow I think", says Nanna, who confesses she's never been on a plane; these quotes reinforce the ignorance of the family. In researching the idea of childhood we thought of having an invisible friend of a child in the play, we thought this would enhance the plot and give us more

  • Word count: 1172
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

How does Mike Leigh use mise en scene to create meaning in the barbeque scene at the end of 'Secrets And Lies'?

'Secrets And Lies' How does Mike Leigh use mise en scene to create meaning in the barbeque scene at the end of 'Secrets And Lies'? As the narrative unfolds in Mike Leigh's 'Secrets And Lies' we reach the dramatic climax of the film, the barbeque scene. This has significance to the title of the film, 'Secrets and Lies' as all the hidden secrets, such as Monica's inability to have children, and Cynthia's secret daughter, Hortense are revealed to their families. In the opening sequence the first view of Monica is one of her hovering and stencilling with aggression, connoting to the audience her obsessive nature and how she wrongly prioritises materialistic things to disguise the fact she is incapable to conceive. The opening shot of the barbeque scene is of Monica preparing the table, which heightens the view that she is overly concerned with appearance. Typically of Monica it is perfectly laid out however it is telling that the chairs are mismatching which connotes she is not used to having family gatherings or certainly not Maurices family. The mise en scene of Monica's trophy house conveys Monica's misplaced values, the living room is all shades of subtle greens with pretty matching floral patterns on the lampshade, sofa and wallpaper which are obviously Monica's creations. However although the house is spotless there is no homeliness or warmth to it which

  • Word count: 1201
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay

The play I am analysing is Passing Places, by Stephen Greenhorn. Passing places is a contemporary Scottish play, and is a comedy.

The play I am analysing is Passing Places, by Stephen Greenhorn. Passing places is a contemporary Scottish play, and is a comedy. There are some serious points in the play, but overall Stephen Greenhorn used the comedic element to good effect. The play is set in Motherwell, in the late 1990's, early 2000's. The reason I know it was set in this period, is because it mentions Motherwell Football Club's Scottish Cup win as a past event, and this was in the mid 1990's. I believe the author wrote this play to show the varied and beautiful places in Scotland, as well as showing a satirical image of west of Scotland hard men. Because the play is about a journey to the extreme North of Scotland, he has been able to mention the names of some of the remotest, but most stunning areas in Scotland. When I watched, and read the play, it made me want to visit some of the towns, and villages he wrote about. The message I thought he tried to convey however was more of a spiritual message. Throughout the play, Stephen Greenhorn continually makes references about letting go, and letting it happen. The characters of Iona and Serge, who are very basic, spiritual people, he shows that you don't need lots of money, or gadgets to be happy. Plato himself once said, "The way to increase happiness is not to increase money, it's to decrease wants". The change in Alex's behaviour from beginning to end

  • Word count: 965
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
Access this essay