Unfortunately, part 1 isn’t available to embed, but you can watch it on YouTube here.
Adelaide Screenwriter : Screenwriting, Movies, Tuckshop & Charm School.
Saturday, 31 May 2014
The Hitchcock Techniques
How to turn your boring movie into a Hitchcock thriller: a look at the basic film techniques of Alfred Hitchcock, produced by Hitchcock scholar Jeffrey Michael Bays. Jeffrey holds an MA in Cinema from La Trobe University in Melbourne.
Unfortunately, part 1 isn’t available to embed, but you can watch it on YouTube here.
Unfortunately, part 1 isn’t available to embed, but you can watch it on YouTube here.
1 comment:
Alfred Hitchcock said we need to pay attention to the style and manner in which a story is told - that is the art of cinema. It doesn't really matter what the story is about so long as each moment is a tease for the audience.
He said you should use every possible technique to draw the audience in to what the characters care about. Use distance of camera from face to convey emotion. Use close-ups and wide shots to control the intensity of a scene. Dialogue is a last resort. Use the camera to reveal story with objects and emotions with eyes. A POV shot is where who show a person, show that he is looking at, cut back to the person to show his reaction. If the person moves forward, the POV shot also moves forward. Montage editing is where a scene is a series of close-ups shown in succession to provide emotional, not photographic, reality.
Use simplistic linear stories that the audience can follow, creating individuality through character. Put characters in motion, such as a helpless character pressured into fear. Ensure the villains are attractive. In a moment of crisis, have a character do something trivial. Drive tension with understatement - make something simple the focus of the scene while the important action is taking place.
Show the audience a danger that the character doesn't see. Have the characters chasing a Macguffin that is vitally important to them but not the plot. Use wit and humour. Remember we go to the theatre to have a good time.
Thanks for this, Henry.
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