Psycho Assessment

Camera shots

In the shower scene for psycho the camera shots mainly include close ups and midshots, these are most commonly used as they show the most detail and are easy to understand and follow what’s going on in the scene. The scene also uses a lot of POV shots to show the perspective of the killer to make the audience feel powerful and sympathise for the victim and we see from the POV of the victim which puts the audience in the vulnerable position and puts them in her shoes and adds a sense of fear.

 

After the killer has left the bathroom it cuts to a bird’s eye view of the victim and this denotes to the audience her injuries and also makes them aware of how uncomfortable she fell assuring that she is dead.  It also makes the audience aware of the destruction and chaos caused. The extreme close up of her eye justifies that she is dead as her pupil grows large and the shock to the audience entices them to know who the killer is.

 

 

Editing techniques

In the beginning of the shower scene cross cutting  is used effectively as it shows the woman having a shower at eye level view and then cuts to a low angle shot of the water running out of the shower head. This connotes that the shower is significant in the sequence. We learn that the victim in the shower is a huge part to the scene. The sequence has be edited fast through cross cutting as it does not stay on the same shot for more than 5 seconds. Throughout the scene as it builds tension and makes the audience grow more curious. The cuts go from the victim to the killer to the knife this is what makes the thriller thrilling as add the element of enigma to who the killer is and why is he doing it? It make the audience question the answers and want to find out the answers by watching it all.

 

 

Sound

The diegetic sound of the shower and toilet flushing create a sense of realism in the scene. If the noises were edited in or different the audience wouldn’t feel the authenticity of the film. The natural sounds mask the killer as the audience are lead to believe that the woman is going about the daily routine. However the action starts and the non-diegetic sound kicks in with the knife. The knife is emphasised and makes the stabbing more brutal and uneasy to listen to as the sound is so prominent and stands out as it’s louder than anything else. The woman’s scream when she initially see that killer is also non-diegetic as it creates the sense of emphasised terror for the victim.

 

Lastly the soundtrack is uneasy on the ears and makes the audience feel uncomfortable. The harsh out of toned violins mirrors the woman’s scream to display her terror and the murder weapon, the knife. As the sequence goes on and the woman dies the soundtrack crescendos but changes to a minor key to portray sadness.

 

Mise-en-scene

 

Lighting

 In the sequence the lighting is high key and harsh. This makes the scene uncomfortable to watch which adds to the uneasy feel. It too is realistic and makes the audience initially feel as though the woman is just living her life and not know what’s coming next. The high key lighting could also make you consider that the woman is being exposed to the killer and even the audience. The ideology of the woman being sexualised could be considered as she is having a shower which is private, she is naked which represents she is vulnerable.

 

 

Setting

The sequence is filmed in a bathroom, from the end of the extract we can see that the bathroom is actually a part of a hotel and the woman having a shower is checked in to the hotel as a guest. The bathroom is plain and all filmed within the hotel room. This implies that she may not even know who her killer is because it may just be another guest staying a hotel.

 

 

Costume

The sequence denotes the killer is disguised as a woman in a wig and a nightie. This connotes that the killer may be someone who the victim knows or they may work in the hotel. They are trying to hide their identity and may even be a man. This creates an eerie atmosphere and enigma as we don’t know who the killer is. The costume for the killer suggests that they won’t want to me found out.

 

On the other hand the victim of the scene is wearing nothing, this is realistic as it denotes she is about to go in to the shower and no one showers fully clothed. However the idea that the woman is the victim and she is naked automatically makes the audience feel vulnerable. In the sequence the killer is disguised. This connotes that the killer may be someone who the victim knows or they may work in the hotel. This creates an eerie atmosphere and enigma as we don’t know who the killer is. The costume for the killer suggests that they won’t want to me found out.

 

 

 

Props

The main prop in the scene is the knife, the knife is an everyday object as it is mainly used in the kitchen. This shows the audience that the object ordinary and not technically used to murder. It is a significant prop because the whole scene revolves around this object.