Socio-Cultural Influences in Psycho

"David Thomson, author of The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder, has said [the shower scene] still ranks 'legitimately among the most violent scenes ever shot for an American film'" (BBC News Magazine). This film was a reflection of the era of the late 1950s. The film's dark tone, mystery, non-linear narrative, and its theme playing around with the concept of multiple identity appealed to the mass audiences. One of the film's primary theme included that challenges of the "American way of life" (Hitchcock's America). During this era, America was getting closer and closer to war with Russia. This was the beginning of the prime years of the Col War. In the film, Hitchcock expresses this issue through the character of Marion Crane. Crane is a character who appears to have good morals, but inside she surrenders to the voice that tells her to take the $40,000 and start her live over. She gives up reputation to get the chance to live the American dream. Although, that does come with consequences. Her death, in a way, symbolizes the shock in society. It's Hitchcock's statement that no matter how sane society may same, when the opportunity arises, a second persona comes alive that makes quick irrational decisions that can haunt your world. When Marion is running away with the money, the voices in her head are her second persona that creates events that have not occurred yet. The echo of those voices signify that they keep coming back no matter how much Marion tries to ignore them.

Psycho takes place in Phoenix Arizona and someplace near California or Nevada is where the Bates Motel should be. I feel that the geographical area itself did not have any significance to the story or any underlying message. However, the isolated location of the Bates Motel and Marion Crane's drive on the isolated freeway illustrates the loneliness she feels. She is trying to fulfilled that emptiness with the money and the thoughts of being with her boyfriend, yet she realizes that that can never be.

One question that the film addresses is that do we all have the potential to become mentally unstable and turn into a psycho? Obviously the inspiration of this question was Ed Gein. This American murderer and body snatcher eventually led to the creation of the character of Norman Bates. Bates, who is introduced as a kind, simple young man actually turns out to be a disturbed murderer. Even though the audience suspects him for killing Marion Crane, he still remains a sympathetic character. For example, Bates cleans up any sign of Marion's murder in the shower, puts her in trunk of her car, and goes to sink it in the swamp. While the car is sinking, there is a small halt in its movement. It feel, just for a moment, that it is not going to sink and we see that through Bates' reaction. This moment is a clear indication that we want that car to sink. The audience begins to feel sympathetic towards Bates and want to see him get away with this. Although this is a manipulation by Hitchcock, it is an indication that there is an evil side to everyone. The fact that Norman looks so normal is another commentary on how crazy doesn't have a face. It can be inside any and all of us.


Psycho is considered a "classic" in the evolution of genre. The reason it is a classic is because it borrowed primitive techniques from past films, but it managed to tell a story like no one had seen come together before. The reason people look back at the film today not only for study of its structure, but also for enjoyment clearly states that Psycho is indeed a "classic."


Although the themes of Psycho applies to almost every human being on the planet, it is specific to the American culture. This is mainly because it takes place in America. Psycho can be predicted to have the estimated audience of both males and females above the age of 13. It was believed that showing that the film has a female lead would attract more female viewers and for the most part it did work. Although the audience number grew, it grew mainly due to the fascination with the story and the character more than the talk about the stars who played those roles.


Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8593508.stm

http://chs.schoolloop.com/file/1093918504865/7649502902666512995.pdf

Historical and Institutional Influences - Hitchcock and "Psycho"

Ever since the success of first feature-length "talkie" (The Jazz Singer), Hollywood became obsessed with making more and more films with sound. Although the directors and cinematographers were opposed to the idea, the studio heads were more interested in making money by providing a new experience that the audience was fascinated by. Although Hitchcock was walking these "talkies" since 1929, he too was not for the idea. Film was only a visual medium, but with the introduction of sound films began to get boring because of the little effort needed to be put into a "talkie." "Most films, once they could rely on the microphone, became what he called 'pictures of people talking.' Hitchcock stalwartly resisted this development. Throughout his career, he preferred to convey information wordlessly..." (461). In his films he relied on using the camera to tell the story rather than the actors who he did not exactly have a good relationship. Hitchcock treated actors as his puppets unlike other directors who depended on their actors to give a good performance and possibly even improv. Hitchcock was one of the first kind of directors who wanted full control of their productions. For this reason as well, he decided to produce Psycho on his own and with his own money. This sort of investment in his new creation gave him all of the authority he could ask for. He became the master artist. "After all, the film screen, like the canvas of a painting, is flat. But just as a slow walk around a piece of sculpture will reveal its volume, the movement of the camera, or of actors, makes us aware of space" (464). Just like any art mediums, he got the final call to make the creative decisions for the better of the film. For example, he decided to shoot completely in Black and White not only for the cost, but also to get away from the new censorship being placed on movie. He could make the movie as gory as he pleased while still being cost-effective and still having Paramount Pictures distribute the film.

With the release of Psycho, the world saw the rise and popularization of the slasher genre. Hitchcock was a visionary. "So fruitful was he that a single film could spawn an entire genre, as Psycho helped create the
modern horror film" (458). Although the killer's kill-count is not too great, the way it is presented is what makes Psycho a slasher. First of all, the plot revolves around the audience questioning who actually committed the crime. At some times the audience feels like the killer is evident, but then Hitchcock throws a curve ball and therefore making the audience ponder even more. Secondly, from the shower scene we see that the killer's murder weapon is a large knife, which would not only kill the victim but assure that the victim feels the pain. Also, some characters (Norman Bates) seem to have some sort of psychological issues. Not only that, but the ending of the film is a twist. These were some of the early formulas to create a film that can be considered a slasher film. Hitchcock also set the bar for slashers with his visual story telling. He became the master of suspense because he knew how to build tension with merely the music and what is not shown to the audience. Today, where movies would use the cliched "jump scare" Hitchcock would let the tension build up and keep the audience on their toes, never giving them a moment to relax because he wanted the audience to get inside the characters' heads. Today and even a decade after the film's release, Psycho  serves as a great example of visual masterpieces for film students and the average audience as well.


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film
hitchcock_canonical_hitchcock.pdf

Hitchcock- Genre and Audience

Before you read this, it is important to know that I have not seen Psycho. Every information in this post is from other sources.

Psycho is a psychological thriller produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. Although it is mainly a psychological thriller, Psycho falls under the slasher sub-genre. Although quite a few people (including me) have not seen the movie, they are familiar with the classic shower scene which has been parodied in modern culture several times.This scene not only illustrates the slasher genre, but also in a way reflect the psychological thriller genre. The slasher in this scene is silhouetted throughout the entire video. This further emphasizes the thriller aspect because the audience is always wondering who this killer is and why he/she would kill this woman.

It is believed that the character of Norman Bates was inspired by Ed Gein. Ed Gein was an American murderer and a body snatcher. He became notorious for his crimes. After the police found body parts at his house in 1957, he was trialed and put into a mental institution. Many psychological thrillers are focused around one character. That character's internal struggle is as important as the external struggle he or she faces.

This movie was directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. He made this movie as somewhat a response to the studio system. He made Psycho because he wanted to make something gritty, dark, and just different yet all as inexpensive as possible. He was able to keep the budget at $806,947 which is fairly low for a major motion picture, especially the ones intended to be a major blockbuster. He did not have the backing of a major studio, which is part of the reason he went low budget on this.

By looking the film, we can tell the creators were daring. This is seen through the decision of making the film in black and white. Psycho was one of the only Black and White movies made in 1960. This was a time of the rise of colored films. The audience at this point was more interested in watching colored film than Black and White. Making a Black and White movie showed the confidence the filmmakers had in their creation. Making a Black and White movie was and still is seen as an artistic choice, and it was an artistic choice. By shooting in Black and White, Hitchcock saved money on shooting with film. This also meant that making blood would be cheaper because it would require less detail and some other material could be used.

Hitchcock was not simply known for his work on Psycho. He was known as the "master of suspense" for a reason. He had mastered the art of creating suspense and tension to shock the audience with his earlier films like Dial M for Murder and Spellbound. These both were thrillers, much like many of his previous movies. He was used using dramatic lighting and sound. Everything from sound design to the movement of the camera added to the lighting added a little something to creating a suspenseful mood.

Hitchcock's "target audience was near enough equally split in gender as it can be regarded as a date movie therefore both sexes would be going to see the film," (megsmcg.wordpress.com). The men were attracted to the audience while the women would be interested by the female star. It was believed that women would be able to relate to the female star more and also enjoy the relationship scenes.

From Silents to Studios

Part 1: Explore how the inclusion of sound in the movie pictures impacted the Movie Industry. Detail how it happened, who was effected, what was lost. 

By mid-1920s, the technology to incorporate sound is films had been developed and ready to use. However, major studios were doubtful of this new investment. Firstly, they were not sure if the audience would like sound in films. Also, including sound would mean more money being invested and change of established actors who did not fit the big screen because they accents or their voice didn't match their structure. Overall, including sound would mean a loss for studios who had invested so much in actors and it would also mean more effort would be needed to put into film making. At the time however, a studio by the name of Warner Brothers took the chance on a sound in film. Although executives of Warner Brothers didn't see a future for sound in film, they were struggling to survive and had to try something different from what every studio was currently doing. This meant experimenting with sound eve though most cinemas were not equipped with the appropriate technology. But those that did have sound installed in their cinemas were able to experience the first feature film with sound and dialogue, The Jazz Singer (1927) [the film seen in the clip]. Although only a total of 354 words were spoken and the film consisted mostly of background music, the film captured the public attention and the people were lining up from morning until night to get a glimpse of this new phenomenon. Seeing the success of the Jazz Singer and its successor The Singing Fool, both staring Al Jolson under Warner Brothers, other major studios started building sound stages and creating films known as "talkies."  

The "talkies" sadly ended careers of highly established actors and musicians. Many actors were unable to make the transition in favor of the "talkies." To save themselves, many took voice and diction lessons in hopes to continue their career. Many of the musicians who played the background music in local film theaters  were no longer needed and thus they lost their jobs as well. 

The addition of sound can be considered a step backwards in its early days. Although it appealed to an another sense, it created limitations for the film makers that they had to work around. One of them being the immobilization of cameras. Because the cameras made too much noise, they had to be put in soundproof enclosure. This way the microphones were not able to pick up the noise coming form the camera, but it also meant that it became almost impossible to add camera movements. This resulted in bland shots where and boring films. 


Part 2: The 20 years between 1930 and 1950 are generally recognized as the studio years. Describe what the pros and cons were of this factory system.

The studio/factory system was a type of control after the NPPA guild was ended by the government antitrust action. Studios such as 20th Century FOX, RKO, Warner Brothers, MGM, Paramount, Columbia, and many others created complex sound stages and tuned hundred of acres of land in CA into movie sets. Studio created films in this era just like factory workers made a product. Less time was put into each film and studios demanded more and more films to be made. In this system, a major studio hired a group of stars and a crew to complete films they were assigned. Because of their contract, they were not allowed to work for any other studio.

Although those were hard times for the cast and crew, the Studios became known for the type of films they were constantly distributing. For example, Warner Brother became known for its gangster films while 20th Century Fox became known for its historical and adventure films.

Writing About Film

Article - Writing about Film

A Trip To the Moon (1902) was well known for its use of
innovative animation and special effects 

In this article, Karen Gocsik discusses the important distinctions of analyzing a film from reviewing a film. She talks about the difficulties that doesn't let the audience "see" the film from a technical aspect; rather, audiences are presented with a perfect version of a product that clouds their true view of the film. Because the normal audiences can't "see" the film very well, it is difficult to write a critical film analysis. As mentioned in the article, there are five types of writings. One of the five mentioned is formal analysis. In the formal analysis, the viewers break down the film into small parts and analyze them. In the is analysis, the viewers talks about how those specific sections contribute to the film as a whole. They try to understand the purpose of those parts and determine how successful they were at fulfilling their purpose to the film.

Toy Story was the first feature-length computer-animated film

In addition to the formal analysis, there is an another style of analyzing film known as film history. In this, films are treated as part of our culture's ongoing history where they can contribute to historical events. Films can be seen as reflecting on the time period they were made and go on to influence viewers into believing the ideals of the film; therefore, they can play major role in influencing events. This can also focus on the production histories which often involve production problems' effects on the final product. Additional, it mentions the location or generations of audiences the film was distributed for, and how it contributed to making history or reflected the historical culture it was set in.


The third type of writing is known as the ideological papers. This style analyzes the film to look for underlying themes and messages. These can be the values the filmmakers most likely hold dear to themselves. The messages don't always have to be promoting political beliefs; they can also be trying to promote social and economic beliefs. Such messages can be seen hidden in modern media. Many times the viewer is unaware of the fact that he/she has been manipulated by the filmmakers to feel a certain way about a specific topic he/she may never have thought about before. Discovering these messages can add a whole new level to watching films.

In Cartoon Network's Adventure Time, Finn, a human boy who was found in the wild and adopted by a dog family, is passionate about being a hero. He spends his time rescuing princesses and battling evil monsters and wizards. As far as we know, Finn is the only human in the Land of Ooo." (herocomplex.latimes.com) This is one of many examples of the story being taken place in a post apocalyptic future where Earth has been destroyed after a nuclear war. Click here for more examples 

Another type of writing is cultural studies/national cinemas. In this, films reflect the nation that made them. Films can be analyzed in a way that sets them apart from all the other cultures and nations in the world. It shows the contribution to cinema by the nation that created the film. The stories told might even only apply to that specific region of the world.

Old Bollywood movies and even many, MANY South Indian Films choreographed fight scenes in a way that they might seems comical to us. However, this is an example of cultural differences. Although this is hilarious to us, this is what was (and sadly still is in some films) a standard  for choreographic fight scenes. 

Finally, the fifth kind of writing described in the article is discussion of the auteur. This is based on the auteur theory because in this, the auteur, most often the director, is criticized or praised for the failures or successes of the film. However, the error in this is the creating of a film is a collaborative process. Although the director maybe the most important person on the set, he/she is nothing without the rest of the effort put forth by the cast and crew. Films cannot be treated like books where one author dictates everything in the story. Most often, auteur criticism is used to reflect back on the themes of the previous films by the same director.

Christopher Nolan (director) on the set of The Dark Knight 

Annotating a film sequence involves labeling the technical term of each shot in a sequence using a system of abbreviations. These terms include short terms such as establishing shot and dolly shot to short notes on what the viewer sees such as medium close-up fades into a montage. The benefit of this is that it can help the viewer reflect back on the sequence and pick up on any patterns of camera shots and movements that the filmmakers might have used to tell the story. This allows the viewer to understand how the film was crafted and the effect of the shots on the audience.

To "Think Beyond the Frame" simply means to simply look at aspects of the film and its production that had a lasting impact on you. Thinking beyond the frame makes you not just analyze the film, but the work that went into it. Try thinking of the director who made this film, the time period was set in and the time period it was made and how they might be connected. Wondering the contribution to the modern culture through its theme(s) or source material and why it became popular are two of many ways thinking beyond the frame.