Textual Analysis 2: Voyeurism

SEE: 0.33 - 1.49 AND 1.58 - 2.07 AND 4.16 - 4.35 AND 4.58 - 5.55 - THESE ARE THE MOST NOTABLE SHOTS WHICH WILL INFLUENCE ME.

The above scenes, taken from 'Rear Window' by Alfred Hitchcock, feature extreme long shots, point of view shots as well as long shots and pans. These are all POV shots that put the audience as voyeur directors; watching people go about their daily lives from afar. Something that makes these scenes voyeuristic is the use of the extreme long shots, which place the audience and character a long distance away from the people being watched, and therefore we know that we or the character watching can be seen. We get pleasure out of this, also. This voyeuristic approach will be something that influences me as I wish to use extreme long shots, pans and POV shots, but in the opposite way: instead of the audience being the protagonist and watching the antagonist, I want the audience to see through the eyes of the antagonist as he stalks his victim, who is the protagonist in my short film. Another stylistic that I wish to use is the extreme long shot, previously mentioned, but used to have a different effect on the audience. The above clip of 'Rear Window' features extreme long shots, and what the audience are supposed to be looking at isn't clear. This makes the audience have to search through the frame, looking for the point of interest. This emphasises the voyeur-director of the audience as they are engaging with the film, looking for something which they're supposed to be looking at. In my short film, I will use this influence to make it hard for the audience to find the victim (after all, the killer is only human, and therefore can't magically suddenly spot his/her victim) and has to search the setting for his prey. In the same way as the example above, this will make the audience engage with the film by searching the diegesis for the victim, wanting to find her so we can kill her, put simply. This psychological feature highlights the genre, making the use of it correct for the genre as it is engaging with the audience on a psychological level, but more importantly it is turning the audience in to the killer. Another sequence from one of Alfred Hitchcock's other films will also influence me in the same way, as it too turns the audience in to the killer as well as the victim. This film is 'Psycho', one of the great psychological thriller films, and I will be focusing on the "pre-shower" sequence:

Psycho:

SEE: 00:42:20 - 00:42:50

This small sequence, taken from the film 'Psycho', Dir: Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1960, shows the antagonist watching, who we presume to be, the protagonist (due to the actor's star qualities (although she turns out to be a minor character as she dies quite near the beginning of the film)) through a peep hole. The first shot is a close-up of the peephole, although Norman Bates is seen in the shot, the focus is on the peephole due to it being critical to our voyeur-director experience. This then cuts to Norman Bates' face, at a close-up about to look through the peephole. This connotes that, because he is shown in profile, he is the antagonist, although throughout the film, apart from the various hints, the audience believe it is his mother committing the crimes. Following this is a cut to a female undressing in her hotel room (Marion Crane). This shot is a POV shot, at a mid-shot angle, as we are looking through Norman's eyes. This is enhanced through the use of an elliptical camera lense, with the corners of the shot rounded, as to resemble the edges of the hole Norman is looking through. This puts the audience in the shoes of Norman, and we have become voyeur directors, which is emphasised by another use of cuts. The next cut is to an extreme close up of Norman Bates' eye, looking through the hole. This draws the audience in further, and the use of non-diegetic sound, in the form of strings/violin music, seals this. As the sound, starting off quiet, gradually grows louder, adding this with the use of reverse syntax from a MCU to CU and then to ECU, draws the audience in, making their experience as voyeurs more natural, especially when we see Norman's eyes and the hole, making for an intense shot.

The non-diegetic sound, I believe, represents the heart rate of Norman as well as the audience. As the sound volume increases, and as we see Norman's eye in ECU, followed by the POV shot of Marion undressing, the scene also becomes more intense, an we can imagine Norman's heart rate go up, as well as most of the audience's as we spy on Marion in a private act. In addition to this, the music used allows the seamless flow from this scene to the next, as the staccato sounds found in the  shower scene, representing the cutting motion of the knife as 'Norman's mother' kills Marion, fits in with the sound scheme, as it flows from the previous scene. It is also worth noting that, when the camera brings the audience closer, as previously said, turns the audience in to voyeurs, when the camera cuts from the point of view shot to reveal Norman in a MCU angle, the audience un-become voyeurs because of the framing, with the peep hole no longer in shot.

The mise en scene in Marion's bedroom is representative of Norman's nature as he is on the outside. He seems nice, and so the picture frames in the guest room were Marion is staying are of small, cute birds. Furthermore, playing on the infamy, which he must've knew he'd get, with the shower scene, the shower is seen in the background. As we see Marion in the private act of undressing, the use of binary opposition is found. Norman is wearing white, as we see him as an innocent, believing the murders to be down to his mother, and Marion's underwear (costume) being black. This latter point is because black is less seductive, and she is, at this point, an anti-hero. This is because she previously stole a large sum of money and is effectively on the run, but because she is played by Janet Leigh, a huge star who incidentally is printed on the DVD package as well as the theatrical release posters, even though she isn't the main character of the film, the audience assume that she is the protagonist. Furthermore, because black is seen as less-seductive and she is wearing respectable underwear, as well as Norman, a male, not being in the same room as her, the regulators such as the BBFC haven't censored the scene as it follows all of the regulations expected at the time of release and onward. Norman's room has effective mise en scene, also. The curtains are drawn in the shot with the profile shot of Norman, as well as the room being darkly-lit, connoting that he's up to no good. In addition to this, when the camera cuts to a MCU when he moves his head away from the peephole, we can see a stuffed eagle in the background. Eagle's are predators and the fact that the eagle is behind his back is like a comparison, connoting that he is a predator, and therefore the antagonist. We also see a stuffed eagle in the same shot of Norman in the previous scene were he and Marion are talking. I wish to achieve something like this in my short film, as well as turning the audience in to voyeur directors, by adding something subtle to it. As seen in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, I may add an ambient, diegetic sound of an eagle in the distance, when my antagonist is finally revealed, to have the same affect as the above clip has.

(The scene was watched on a DVD because the YouTube video I had was taken off, and another couldn't be found).

Textual Analysis 1: Flashbacks

SEE 1.09 - 1.40

This sequence, a "tribute" video to the popular TV show 'primeval', broadcast on ITV during the watershed, shows scenes from Episode 8 of Series 3 of Primeval, where the team find themselves in the future, fighting to survive an attack from "future beasts" and get back to the present day. You can see above that the mise en scene looks 'hot' and bleary, as well as post-apocalyptic. This use of edit reveals that they are not in the present day. This is something that will influence me as, during my flashback sequences, I want the audience to know that they are no longer in present time, but in the past. However, I didn't want to use black and white as the contrast of the colour to black and white wouldn't fit, so i wanted something 'post apocolyptic', not in the sense of bombed buildings and debris, but the use of the colour yellow, like in the sequence above. This will show the audience that it is the past, by being different and unconventional. I am also thinking of editing my flashback sequences in post-production to be sepia. However, I haven't fully set my idea on this and will have to be something that I test in post-production.

Genre Conventions:

Genre Conventions:

Psychological Thriller



Norman Bates looking through a hole.
Example of voyeurism

 Psychological thrillers are films of suspense. The audience can predict what is going to happen later in the film, or even in the next scene, as they become familiar themselves with the conventions of a thriller, however, the psychological thriller delays the action, leaving the audience in a state of suspense as they know what’s about to happen, but the victim doesn’t. This ultimately creates fear and apprehension in the audience. Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense as he built it up leaving the audience on the edge of their seat, waiting in anticipation for the murder to take place. In ‘Psycho’ (1960), for example, we, the audience, know that Marion Crane is going to die at the hands of Norman Bates, as we have been watching her, unseen, as we peep through the holes in the wall, alongside him. However, we don’t know when or how she is going to die. This voyeuristic shot exemplifies the conventional use of voyeurism in psychological thrillers, often featuring sequences of  Point of view shots of women, not knowing they are being watched, just like Marion Crane. The audience, when the murder has taken place (it is also worth noting that thrillers almost always feature a murder, especially with a female victim) feel a sense of relief as they have been watching the victim through the eyes of the murderer, know his thoughts, as we begin to have them ourselves put in the same situation as the attacker and victim, but we don’t know when or how it will take place, so when we are finally shown the murder taking place, the audience is no longer at the edge of their seat; they are relaxed.

Iconic scene from 'Psycho';
the killer using a knife

The psychological thriller plays on our very own fears by drawing on infantile, and therefore mostly repressed, fantasies, which are voyeuristic and sexual in nature. This is the reason behind the conventional use of the attacker having sexual motivations, and therefore often strangles their victim to death. However, in some instances a knife is also a prime example of a murder weapon in a psychological thriller. The main underlying themes of a conventional psychological thriller is based around voyeurism and fetishism. In most psychological thrillers, we view the film through the perspective of the killer, stalking the victim, mentioned above. However, the strange thing about this is the additional fetishism. The audience enjoy watching the victim, knowing that they don’t know they’re being watched, however, we project ourselves on the victim, so when they are eventually murdered, we feel remorse. We become the killer, and then we become the victim.



Norman Bates' mother -
The source of his madness.



Other common themes in psychological thrillers include sadomasochism, madness and, again, voyeurism, mixed together to form a deadly antagonist. For example, the killer often spies or stalks and then ensnares his victim in a series of intricate and sadistic moves, waiting to strike. Of course, when he does strike, he is quite often successful. This of course sounds extremely strange, but even Alfred Hitchcock’s antagonists had sexual motivation, often strangling the victim as a means to kill them, and it is commonly well-acknowledged that this was one of his motifs. Conventionally, the killer is often psychotic and his madness is his motivation. Were the madness came from, however, is quite often the result of bad parenting, as seen in many iconic psychological thrillers such as Michael Powell’s ‘Peeping Tom’ (1960). This film positions the audience as voyeur-directors and also as the victim, aforementioned above, and the antagonist ‘Mark Lewis’ as well as Norman Bates (the antagonist in ‘Psycho’) both had bad parents. Norman Bates had an overbearing mother, which is reflected in the narrative as, when she dies, he can’t cope and develops an alternate personality, that of his mothers. Mark Lewis, similarly, has an overbearing dad which led to his insanity. Sibling rivalry has also been the cause of the madness, as well as previous bad relationships.



The killer in 'Disturbia' is
the next door neighbour...






Shot taken from Alfred Hitchcock's 'Frenzy'
showing murders in
London, UK: It's scary because it's supposed
to be safe.

Thrillers represent fantasy more so than real life. However, what makes them scary is the fact they have an aura of ‘the possible’ about them. The audience go to see horror films and psychological thrillers with the intention of getting scared. Of course the psychological thriller is dissimilar from a horror film as it is scary in a different way. Horror films, especially at the beginning of the popularisation of the psychological thriller, feature monsters such as vampires and werewolves as well as modern creations which are destined to frighten the audience. However the psychological thriller frightens the audience by featuring an average normal person, who could quite easily be the spectator’s next door neighbour, as the antagonist/murdered. This creates a sense of realism about the genre as the audience will go home thinking that they could be killed at any moment, being stalked without them even knowing, as they just saw it happen right in front of them, even though they know it’s not real. This is achieved through the use of mise en scene; the settings being ordinary, such as a motel on an American motorway, or even the city of London, in a market. This is shown in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Frenzy’, were the setting is London, and the female victims (conventional of a psychological thriller) are being murdered by someone as ordinary as a fruiterer. It is also worth mentioning that psychological thrillers, due to the voyeuristic approach, feature the extensive use of extreme long-shots as well as close-ups, the latter limiting the visibility of the surroundings for the audience and the former representing a point of view shot from afar.

Word Count: 931





Todorov and Synopsis:

 Todorov Narrative Structure:



Synopsis:

Holly, an  unpopular, 'geeky' school girl, is on a school trip at Black Creek Wood, a seemingly safe environment. She is in a group of three, with nobody she knows, and her eye is caught, whilst observing nature, by a shiny object in the midst of the trees. She goes to investigate. However, there is no sign of this shining object, and in the rush to reach it, Holly becomes lost. She begins to panic as she tries to make her way back to civilization, or at least her group, but when she begins to suspect she’s being followed, she panics. She stumbles upon numerous items that she once had lost, triggering flashbacks about her previous failed, horrible relationship. She comes to a clearing, after gathering all of the items, only to be confronted by a hooded stranger, holding a knife and threatening to kill her. Holly, not a coward, manoeuvres and pushes the antagonist down a cliff, where it is revealed that the antagonist, John, was in fact her ex-boyfriend, hinted at by the flashbacks, and he followed her on the trip, with the intention to kill her. When Holly looks down the cliff, there is a blood soaked shoe, but no sign of a body, suggesting that he is injured, but still alive…

Word Count: 216

Aims and Context:

Aims:

My aim is to create a short film, called ‘The Hunt’, of the psychological thriller genre, using the stylistic conventions of already established films of that genre. I will be aiming to put the audience in to a state of suspense, as seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, through the use of cinematography and editing techniques which turn the audience in to voyeurs. This will be achieved through POV shots and extreme long shots, as well as quick-cut editing and the sound of heavy breathing, dubbed over the extreme long-shots, to emphasise the POV of the stalker. This will, hopefully, help me to achieve my final goal of turning the audience in to 'voyeur-directors', which will turn the audience in to the killer by subjecting them to the antagonist's point of view.

Context:

I will be undertaking the role of director, editor, producer and cinematographer, etc. to create my short film. I will be targeting a mainstream audience, of ages 16-24. This is because people under the age of 16 wont understand the genre, and people over the age of 24 will spend money on more compulsory items and not luxury items (cinema tickets and DVD’s fall under the luxury item category) and so the criteria doesn’t expand to attract them. Also, a mainstream audience will spend the most amount of money on luxury items as they will not need to pay the expenses of living, such as paying taxes, buying food and paying the bills.

Word Count: 253

Genre and Story Type:

Genre:
PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER


Story Type: (in reference to the theories by Kate Domaille (2001))
Circe (The Chase): The spider and the fly:
This is the antagonist (the spider) chasing the fly (the protagonist) and after an intricate design of events and traps, the spider eventually catches the fly. The fly often "gets eaten", in other words, it dies.

Audience:

My target audience will be a mainstream audience, of ages 16-24. This is because people aged 16-24 spend the most money on luxury items, such as cinema atickets, CD's and DVD's as well as merchandise. Targeting this audience would mean, if I were in a real-life situation, that I would gain more profits and a larger audience. My audience criteria begins at the age of 16 for the simple fact that people under the age of 16 are significantly less-likely to understand my short film, due to the complexity of the genre. On the other hand, people above the age of 24 would get the film,  however, the target audience criteria doesn't expand to accomodate them as these people are adults, possibly moving in to a new home (out of their parent's houses etc.) and therefore will spend significantly less money on luxury items than the mainstream audience. This is because over 24's will need to buy compulsive items such as homes, wedding rings, holidays, just to name a few possibilities.

Planning:

My film will feature the binary opposition (Claude Lévi-Strauss (1958)) of good vs. bad. The idea of this is that a complicated world is reduced to a simple structure, and so I believe, with this, that my target audience would easily be able to follow the narrative.

Brief:

It is comprised of three elements:


Aims and context
The aims and context must be made clear. Aim of the extract/short film and the context of the production


A creative product (a short film or film extract) (45 marks)
This is a film extract or a complete short film (3-5 minutes) which engages with the issues raised in the production of meaning and the study of film stylistics and theory


And a reflective analysis (15 marks including aims and context)
The reflective analysis should select key features of the creative product and reflect critically on both the creative process and the product