Examine and Compare the Use of Film Language In 'Psycho' and Another Film Of Your Choice.

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Examine and Compare the Use of Film Language In ‘Psycho’ and Another Film Of Your Choice By Ajay Clare 12M1

In this essay I will be examining and comparing the use of film language in the two films ‘Psycho’ and ‘The Blair Witch Project’.  ‘Psycho’ is about a young female who arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.  ‘The Blair Witch Project’ is about three student filmmakers who disappeared in the woods near Burkittesville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary.  One year later, their footage was found.  Both films are of the thriller genre, however differ in film language to each other in some ways.  

The first thing that I am going to look at in these two films is lighting and colour.  ‘Psycho’ is a black and white movie.  I noticed that there was a change in lighting during ‘Psycho’, which could have been related to the mood of the film.  During the first half of the film the lighting was bright, mainly because most of the clips were in daylight.  However once we had been introduced to the Bates Motel, the lighting became darker creating a mysterious and almost spooky atmosphere.  This could have been done to give the audience the feeling of ‘fear’.  The long shadows, and dark rooms make us uneasy about the place and told us something may happen in this place.

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        In ‘The Blair Witch Project’ the colour of the film is dim and indistinct.  This is because it helps gives the effect that the audience isn’t actually watching a film but the ‘real’ accounts of the three filmmakers who were making a low budget documentary.  The lighting of the film is very dark, and at some times the clips are in pitch black.  This low key and pitch black lighting helps keep the audience caught up in the moment of the film and provides the suspense needed to keep them on the edge of their seats.

        Throughout the film ‘Psycho’ ...

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