Notes on Psycho

Mise En scene

Credits come in a stabbing motion, possibly symbolizing what is to come

closed- shows the secrecy of the relationship, relationship in the dark, not clear where they stand

Shows clearly location on a road sign- Phoenix, Arizona

In office Window is half open, can’t see clearly into room, Hitchcock likes to hide as much as he can from the audience.

policeman is talking to Marianne in office he is stood and she is sat and backed away, he seems like the dominant one

Marianne has the money she is stood and the policeman is sitting down shift of power once she has money

gas station the light is on the man while Marianne is in the darkness

As Marianne is driving in the dark she starts to look calm, and as this happens it starts to rain, taking away her power.

Man at hotel reaches for room 3, then room 2, then room 1, almost like a countdown to what is going to happen

In the room that the man takes Marianne to, in the mirrors you can only ever see Marianne in the mirrors, almost like he has the power and he is mysterious.

When talking about the birds he loves, he states ‘ Passive to begin with…’ which links to him as he seems very calm and timid to begin with

Man is out next to a dim candle while she is put next a bright lamp, contrast of light and dark, connotations to evil and good

Wings of bird above mans head, predator about to pounce on prey

The man seems insulted when she mentions mad house

Nude paintings in background, showing what he likes

Marianne signed Samuels in book but told her name was Crane to man, slipped up on her story.

Moves same nude painting to see Marianne

In the murder of Marianne scene the shower curtain is torn down, all privacy gone

Intruding on her while having her shower, at her most vulnerable

Shadow from person in background moving slowly, increases tension

When curtain swings open, murderer is in shadow, can’t tell who it is

panic in murderer, seems calm, possibly done it before

Newspaper shown by itself- significance of car- contemporary coffin

raining- her tension is now over

In shop Lila + Sam are lit up, shows they have replaced Marianne as the people the audience are supposed to side with

gone from situation- power struggle between Norman and Detective

A lights light up Norman quickly then go off, like the suspicion is there, but with no fact behind it

Detective sees same owl as was above Norman earlier, shows same fate is coming as Marianne

Doorframe- power struggle between Sam and Norman

Man explaining things is fully lit up- things are now full clear

Camera Angles/ Shots

Two shot of Sam and Marianne- intimacy

Zooms into the hotel window, not from Sam or Marianne’s POV, from an outsider, watching them.

When Sam leaves the flat it zooms straight into Marianne, showing the significance will be on her

Two shot in office of policeman and Marianne, Marianne lower than policeman, when money swaps, she stands and he sits, change of power

Pan across an aerial shot of wide open town , cityscape, sunlight, things still under control

When policeman is questioning her in car, starts on a close mid shot, moves to close up, then extreme close up, pressure is rising on Marianne

Two-shot Marianne in foreground and Policeman in background, watching her, pressure on her.

At garage, over shoulder shot of man, flags and an open sky behind him, showing how he is free, while Marianne has only darkness and barriers behind her, showing how she is trapped and her fate is decided.

All three men at garage watch Marianne drive off, she seems vulnerable while they all seem confident with a low angle shot of them.  

When in hotel Voyeurism, put into POV of Norman, makes us feel uncomfortable, dark ring around screen, his perspective

Moved to a shot following Norman around his house, putting suspicion on him, what will he do next, now the audience know what he is like

Camera moves very slowly from her to shadow, moving focus and increasing tension

Soon as she sees him moves from close up to extreme close up of her screaming,  signifying her terror.

Back view of him dragging her, awkward, left as witnesses, just him, no one to relate to, awkward.

Extreme close up of detective- suspicion

Birds eye view of killing detective, not as important as Marianne’s death, he just got in the way

Same birds eye shot when carrying mother. Mother linked to this birds eye shot, have not seen her face yet

Sound

Music very jolty, tense, slows as credits end. Non-diegetic sound harsh, high pitched, mirrors the stabbing motion

Sam opening blind- sharp dramatic diegetic sound

The second she starts driving the tense music starts up again

The music seems to link to her being in the car when she is left to her own thoughts and paranoid- links to when she put into boot of car later on

The noise of rain as she gets out of car- overpowering loud

Laughed at death of father- shows he does not take death seriously

Non- diegetic sound starts when she mentions old peoples home, he seems very insulted by this and the word ‘mad’

 ‘We all go a little mad sometime’ significant line

Music becomes faster, follows mans emotions, puts us as equals to him, uncomfortable for audience.

Non-diegetic + diegetic mix, sound of stabbing  + music which mirrors the stabbing motion.

High pitched orchestra music, sounds sad,  low notes mixed in, bad things happened

Noise from shower still gong on after she is killed, mirrors the sound of rain earlier on, shows that she was taken completely off guard.

Norman says ‘ Wouldn’t foul my mother’, she sounds powerful

Same jolty music just before the killer walks onto the top of the stage, audience knows what is coming.

When hits Sam, not the same music, out of panic, not under the pre-tense of ‘mother’

Editing

 Fading from one scene to the next at start- things seem calm and normal

Shot reverse shot- cutting between characters both on their own, cuts are short, tense

Jump cut- from her driving in day- cuts to scenery- back to her driving at night, shows how time has moved on

Cuts to policeman leaning on car, jolts does not fade, like she is panicking

Shows ‘Bates Motel-Vacancy’ very quickly as she glances then stays on it for a while, almost showing that it is her only option.

The camera fades into her moving at the motel- false sense of calm, confronts with the music- able to tell that the calm won’t last

When moved into office instead of fading, starts switching from one him, her, the birds, the light and the dark, showing the significance of each thing.

Fast fades but starts jolting from one to another when she mentions mad

Jolts from all different shots while being stabbed, increasing tension and to show the adrenalin and panic mixed with the fast paced music.

The blood  running into the drain fades into her eye, reminds us of the previous voyeurism.