Psycho Post-Screening Reflection Day #1 The film Psycho was directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. It is a horror film, and stars Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. In one scene in the beginning half of the film, Marion and Norman are eating dinner in the parlor. They are talking about different things, and Norman says some things that strike as disturbing to Marion. The viewer can tell that he is easily upset by certain topics such as his mother by his change in demeanor. It was important that this scene be filmed right because it marks a point where the viewer sees a disturbed side of Norman that suggests something suspicious. Hitchcock does an excellent job of enhancing Norman’s bizarre behavior with his filming techniques. He does this by using a low angle shot on Norman when he speaks harshly and becomes visibly upset about the questioning of his mother’s health. This makes Norman appear more menacing, and larger. The viewers can see him as a threat, and are forced to take notice in his change of behavior because of the startling change of the camera angle. While Norman is portrayed as a threat, Marion is filmed with the regular medium shot, making her look normal or rather small in comparison to Norman. The viewers get the idea that Norman could be harmful to Marion. Overall the scene contributes to the viewers growing suspicion of Norman and his mother.
Psycho Post-Screening Reflection Day #2 In the second half of the film Psycho, there is a scene of Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, sitting in the police station, in the state of mind of his late mother. He, or rather, “she”, is talking to herself about how she condemned her own son for the murders. She says how she would show the police that she was harmless, not even swatting at the fly that was on her hand. This scene is significant because we are finally viewing Norman as his “mother” and they way that she thinks. It allows the viewers to understand how evil she is, even in Norman’s mind. The viewers can also observe how disturbed Norman is to have the mind of an old woman and to condemn himself. Hitchcock uses the zooming technique as well as the overlay of images to communicate the significance of the scene. As Norman thinks to himself, the camera moves closer and closer, giving the sense that mother lives in Norman’s mind and Norman lives wrapped up in her thoughts. He also has a ghost of an image at the end of the scene where the viewers barely see the mother’s skull in the image of Norman’s face, enforcing the concept that she lives inside of him. The scene contributes to the whole film by way of explaining the wickedness of the mother and Norman’s disturbingly ill mental state.
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Psycho Responses
Psycho Post-Screening Reflection Day #1
The film Psycho was directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. It is a horror film, and stars Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. In one scene in the beginning half of the film, Marion and Norman are eating dinner in the parlor. They are talking about different things, and Norman says some things that strike as disturbing to Marion. The viewer can tell that he is easily upset by certain topics such as his mother by his change in demeanor. It was important that this scene be filmed right because it marks a point where the viewer sees a disturbed side of Norman that suggests something suspicious. Hitchcock does an excellent job of enhancing Norman’s bizarre behavior with his filming techniques. He does this by using a low angle shot on Norman when he speaks harshly and becomes visibly upset about the questioning of his mother’s health. This makes Norman appear more menacing, and larger. The viewers can see him as a threat, and are forced to take notice in his change of behavior because of the startling change of the camera angle. While Norman is portrayed as a threat, Marion is filmed with the regular medium shot, making her look normal or rather small in comparison to Norman. The viewers get the idea that Norman could be harmful to Marion. Overall the scene contributes to the viewers growing suspicion of Norman and his mother.
Psycho Post-Screening Reflection Day #2
In the second half of the film Psycho, there is a scene of Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, sitting in the police station, in the state of mind of his late mother. He, or rather, “she”, is talking to herself about how she condemned her own son for the murders. She says how she would show the police that she was harmless, not even swatting at the fly that was on her hand. This scene is significant because we are finally viewing Norman as his “mother” and they way that she thinks. It allows the viewers to understand how evil she is, even in Norman’s mind. The viewers can also observe how disturbed Norman is to have the mind of an old woman and to condemn himself. Hitchcock uses the zooming technique as well as the overlay of images to communicate the significance of the scene. As Norman thinks to himself, the camera moves closer and closer, giving the sense that mother lives in Norman’s mind and Norman lives wrapped up in her thoughts. He also has a ghost of an image at the end of the scene where the viewers barely see the mother’s skull in the image of Norman’s face, enforcing the concept that she lives inside of him. The scene contributes to the whole film by way of explaining the wickedness of the mother and Norman’s disturbingly ill mental state.