Isobel Humphriss: Psycho - Opening scene analysis

Psycho - Opening scene analysis
Titles (in order of appearance)

Starring - Anthony Perkins ,Vera Miles, John Gavin,

Co Starring - Martin Balsam, John Mcintire, Simon Oakland, Vaughn Taylor, Frank Albertson, Lurene Tuttle, Pat Hitchcock, John Anderson, Mort miles and Janet Leigh.

Screenplay- Joseph Stefano

Director of photography- John L. Russell

Art Direction- Joseph Hurley & Robert Clatworthy

Set Director- George Milo

Unit Manager- Lew Leary

Titles designer- Saul Bass

Editer- George Tomasini

Costume Supervisor- Helen Colvig

Make-up Supervision- Jake Barron & Robert Dawn

Hairstylist- Florence Bush

Special Effects- Claerence Champagne

Sound Recording by- Walson O. Watson & William Russell

Assistant Director- Hilton A. Green

Pictorial Consultant- Saul Bass

Music by- Bernard Herrmann

Director- Alfred Hitchcock

Titles
A sans serif font is used to show that the film isn't fancy and happy but blunt and indicates to us that the film will have a level of sincerity to it. The important cast and crew members appear on screen by themselves where as the less important role appear together and this is to show who was most important when making the film. In between the titles, grey lines of different lengths appear covering all or sometimes half of the screen. They appear from all different angles of the screen and this shows that nothing is following a routine order and this prepares us for the unexpected in the rest of the film.

Camera
An establishing, panoramic clip is used as an opening shot to show the audience where the film is taking place and familiarize us with the general setting. By scanning across the city we aren't sure where exactly the action will be taking place and so keeps us wanting to watch more and find out. The shot zooms in on a window, opened only a few centimeters. The lighting inside the window is dark and so we can't see what is happening inside. As the shot zooms in slowly this builds tension as we don't know what to expect from inside the room and if something is suddenly going to happen.

Sound

The Sound throughout the title sequence and into the main feature is the sound of high pitched violins which don't seem to be playing a particular song but are used directly to create tension and let us know that the genre of the film is a thriller. There is no lower tones to the non-diagetic music and this high pitch is jumpy and creates suspense, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The ambient sound of cars is used to add to the verisimilitude. When the camera zooms into the room the music softens and this allows us to rest easy and signifys to us that there will be no high drama taking place in this first scene.

Mise En Scene
The first shot of the characters we see is of them in the bedroom. After having just listening to suspense building music throughout the title sequence, something is needed to transition the audience into knowing that this scene isn't a typical thriller scene and starts off in a softer way. A mid shot is used but the characters are positioned specifically so that you can't see the nature of their relationship, whether he is holding her captive or if they are intimate. We only see the bottom half of him and she is lying down. He is dressed in black, including hair and clothing which could suggest to us that he has a dark side and maybe isn't trusted. In contrast to this, she is blonde and is in white underwear which signifys she is good and more likely to be pure.

Editing

The main transition used in this extract is a fade. This links each clip together naturally and eases us in to the main feature of the film. As well as the text during the title sequence, the words 'Phoenix Arizona' and 'Friday, December The Eleventh' appear on screen to help set the scene and let us know where and when the film is taking place. It then, much like the titles wipes left off screen, leaving only the shot of the city in frame. This is effective because it helps us learn more about the context of the film and helps us to place ourselves within the extract.