HOMEWORK- Everyone watch a movie from the 1960s from anywhere in the world and be able to discuss it
- The 1960s were a time of great change and growth for American Film. POV and Narrative. Various shots, cuts and editing.
- What did the introduction of the “slasher” film do to change Horror films?
- How did the low-budget film affect the product created by Hollywood?
- How did the changing culture of America in the 1960s influence the aesthetic of American film?
A slasher film is a genre within a genre of horror films involving a psychopath stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed tools.
AH- https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/alfred-hitchcock
Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock, Mystery/thrasher (1960)
Psycho- directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Joseph Stefano. It stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Vera Miles, and Martin Balsam, and was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. It was filmed on a low budget, in black-and-white, and by a television crew.
Psycho notes-
Main characters played such a creepy role this film ruined his career bc no one wanted him in their films
Sequel called Bates Motel
Alfred Hitchhock often appeared in his own films, often portrays multiple characters to be creeps to build suspense (rich guy buying house, the cop,
Shots- pans, fades, titles, close ups, POV shots, angle shots-high- low= weakness low-high= power tracking shots(following the person)
Music- builds suspense
AH- “When watching a Hitchcock film, the audience is seeing things in ways that they are not likely to see them in other films. Hitchcock’s use of lighting and camera perspective stand out in particular in setting his films apart from others. Attributes like low-key and edge lighting create mood. Odd angles and voyeuristic perspectives and themes place the audience members in a place they don’t normally find themselves and alert them of what they may not have noticed otherwise.”
“Using darkness in visual mediums allows the artist to use many techniques to manipulate the audience’s viewing perspective. Often darkness will be used to set a mood. Where sunlight “epitomizes light and openness,” darkness is “concealing, and has overtones of mystery or treachery” (Millerson 247). The darkness in low-key lighting creates similar tones, conveying a “heavy, tragic quality,” or again tones of mystery and the sinister (239). Dark backgrounds can give a “closed-in effect” (250). Darkness allows the creator to “prevent the audience from seeing the surroundings clearly,” to “hide information” from the audience, “to intrigue,” “to mystify,” “to enhance” certain objects or characters, or to “threaten [or] create surroundings in which danger may lurk” (260, 261). Shadows as well can be used to great effect, creating environmental effects, but also often feelings of either comfort or unease (253). “
light=good
dark=evil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je0NhvAQ6fM
Vertigo- Dolly zoom- technique whereby the camera moves closer or further from the subject, while the zoom is simultaneously adjusted to keep the subject the same size in the frame.
Opening shots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZhFtd1QZWc
Various shots and how to analyze:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhWIDCnktwc
HOMEWORK- Everyone watch a movie from the 1960s from anywhere in the world and be able to discuss it