Psycho
Psycho is a 1998 American horror film produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Pictures, a remake of the 1960 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Both films are made from the novel by Robert Bloch, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.
This version is in colour and a complete different cast. Often copying Hitchcock's camera movements and editing. Some changes are introduced to account for advancements in technology since the original film and to make the content more explicit. Murder sequences are also well shot with surreal dream images.
Most of the camera work was very similar to the original psycho. The editing is also similar, especially in the murder scenes, ill be analyzing some shots from the 1998 remake. The murder scene in the shower is a very clever piece of filming. The camera work in that scene is very intense and has some clever shots in there too.
There is a close up of the shower head, it’s a low angle and it’s from the perspective of the woman in the shower. This shot is doing one thing and it is keeping your attention on the shower head, it’s a focused shot. I think it’s kind of an establishing shot as well even though it’s so close up because with the shot you are confident of the location.
This is a close up of what seems to be the murderer. This shot shocks you because it comes from nowhere and because of the danger involved with a knife. This adds to the mood, which of course is a horror thriller. This is a powerful shot because of the fact that you can’t see the attackers face and that they have a knife in a striking position. I think this shot has the rule of thirds because there are more than one focus points in this shot, the knife and the mysterious attackers face. But the viewers focus is obviously drawn to the knife.
The next shot is a close up of the knife in the attackers hand, this adds suspense because we know that the attacker will strike but we are just waiting for when they do. Golden mean is used in this shot because the knife is right in the centre and one of the only things in the shot which of course draws attention to it. The knife has switched from the corner of the shot to the middle of the next one, which means that something is about to happen. It’s a low angle and it’s in the perspective of the victim. With the shot being looking up, this adds power to the shot and the person holding it.
Next in the scene there is an extreme close up, the shot is of the victims mouth in horror of what she has seen and that she is about to be attacked. This shot shows the victims emotion and it takes up the whole frame. These last couple of shots have been suspense builders and there leading up to an event which will surely be there attack with the knife. This builds tension and adds to the horror aspect of the film.
There is a shot of the attacker actually stabbing the victim. We can see this because of the shot type, it is a bird’s eye view above the bath. The victim is actually being stabbed in this shot, you still don’t get to see the attackers face because of the camera angle so this again adds mystery who and why. There looks to be a struggle in this scene which adds suspense because you are waiting for the fight to be resolved.
The next shot I want to analyse is yet another close up, almost an extreme close up really of the victim’s almost lifeless hand up against the wall. The hand has blood on it and because of this and the fact that it is almost lifeless it slides down the wall, due to the blood. This shows that the scene is almost concluded.
The same hand that was talked about then reaches out and grabs the shower curtain. It looks like there is not much life left in the hand. This is another close up of the hand, you haven’t seen her face in a while since the stabbing which maybe adds to mystery on how she is doing after the attack. I think this shot shows the struggle to keep alive by how she is gripping the shower curtain.
The next two shots are similar the first one is of the drain hole, an extreme close up of the water and blood rushing down the drain. I believe that this is a powerful shot its almost summarising what has happened in a way because it’s saying that the attack is over. I think this because something like a drain hole being used is a signifier that something has ended, in this case the victim’s life.
Straight away after the plug hole it snaps to the eye of the victim’s eye, roughly the same size of the plug hole. I think this was done on purpose to almost symbolize the same thing that something has finished. The shower has finished with the plug hole and her life has finished with her eye. The pupil is lifeless and in the corner of the eye. This is definitely using the golden mean rule, the whole eye is the focus again in this shot.
The last shot of this sequence is a long establishing shot of the house/hotel. The building is surrounded by darkness and dark clouds. The camera angle is a low one and makes the building look really powerful. This shot is using the rule of thirds because of the way the camera is positioned, it makes the building look very long and large. The mis-en-scen is a very dark one, it almost promotes something bad has happened.
To conclude this scene, it is very quickly paced and lots and lots of shots. There are only one or two establishing shots because of the fact its all in one room really. The scene is made up of lots of quick close ups which I think adds tension. All of this adds to the genre of the film. Most of the shots involved are close ups or even extreme close ups, this means the viewer has to pay attention just a little bit more. A well put together piece of filming I think.
By Ryan Fleming.
