How is cinematography used to create atmosphere in the shower scene of Psycho?

How is cinematography used to create atmosphere in the shower scene of Psycho?

In the short clip of psycho there is a women who is seen to be sitting doing something which she becomes frustrated with and then in turn decides to stop what she is doing and rips up he paper she was writing on and disposes of it. She then decides to take a shower and little does she know there is an intruder in her house who then confronts her and kills her. Once she has been killed the perpetrator doesn’t stay around and instead leaves the scene.

There are a variety of editing techniques used in this short clip and they range quite widely. At the start of the scene the camera movement is relatively slow and this is due to there being no action occurring in the scene but as the women moves into the bathroom and gets into the shower the camera cuts and camera movement become quicker and this suggests to the viewer that something is going to happen as these quick camera cuts start to build up tension. Throughout the scene it is all straight cuts from one shot to another but there is one exception in this statement and that is when there is an editing technique which is used from the plug hole to the women's eye. The technique which is used to move between these two shots is the dissolve; this is an appropriate editing technique as the blood from the women's stab wounds is flowing down the plug hole meaning that her life is fading away hence why the dissolve is an appropriate edit to use.

The setting of the killing is quite unusual for the viewer and the reason for this is due to the fact that it takes place in a bathroom and the reason why this is slightly unusual for the viewer is because a bathroom is seen as quite a safe place and not somewhere where a killing is likely to take place like it does in this short clip.

Shot 1

 

This is shot of the killer is a close up of the subject helping to try and catch as much detail of the killer as possible. However the killers’ identity is concealed by the fact that the water from the shower is masking the killers face. The backlighting also doesn’t help to show the killer either as it causes a shadow to be cast over the perpetrators face. The clothes that killer is wearing and the hairstyle that they have suggests that the killer is in fact a women due to the long hair and top they are wearing. Using the golden mean in the shows the important points on this shot are firstly the knife being held by the killer and also the water from the shower as this is concealing the killers’ true identity as mentioned before. The knife is being held towards the victim and in a fashion that would be seen if it were to be used to attack someone. This helps to create tension for the viewer as this is just before the woman gets stabbed multiple times.

 

Shot 2

 

This shot is a close up but the victim of the attack is in the corner of the shot and instead the main focus is on the figure which can be seen slightly through the shower curtain. The fact that the shower curtain has a pattern to it which distorts anything behind it creates tension makes the viewer question who's behind the curtain. The killer behind the curtain has more attention drawn to them as the shot progresses and the reason for this is because the cameras main focus at the start of the shot is the women but as the killer behind the curtain comes into view the camera tracks the unknown figure as they move close and closer which helps to draw attention to them and also create even more tension as the viewer begins to wonder who the person behind the curtain is and also what's going to happen when the victim of the attack finds out or whether in fact the killer is just going to startle the victim and an attack is about to occur. The lighting used in the shot is directed onto the shower curtain and this helps to increase the tension and mystery to who's behind the shower curtain which engages and the viewer even more. The golden mean is used well in this shot and the reason for that is due to the fact that the victim of the attack and both the killer behind the shower curtain both fall on the golden mean and this helps to draw more attention to both of them as they are the two subjects which should stand out in the shot.

Shot 3

 

 

This shot of the knife is a close up of the knife which helps to highlight that it is a weapon which also appears to be aimed at the women in the shower. Having a close up of the knife suggests the viewer that the women in shower is about to be attacked and stabbed by the woman what this does for the audience is creates tension and the reason for this is because after seeing the close up they are thinking of what's going to happen next and whether the woman is going to be attacked and if she is going to be killed or just injured. This therefore leaves the viewer on a momentary cliff hanger which again creates tension. Before the shot of the knife becomes a still the camera starts at a zoomed out position and then zooms in on the knife further to emphasise to the viewer that the subject who crept up upon the woman in the shower is in fact wielding a knife. Whilst the knife is shown in a close up shot there is diegetic sound coming from the actor and that is in the form of screaming due to her seeing the knife that the killer is holding, this screaming could be seen to cause a scream for the viewer as it is sudden and is a loud scream which could cause the viewer to jump and feel slightly scared giving them a sense of how the victim of the attack is feeling. The lighting which is used is seen to be direct lighting onto the knife and this helps to make the knife stand out even more which creates tension for the viewer. In the corner of the shot a woman's hair and also clothes which look like they should be worn by a women can be seen and this therefore subconsciously makes the viewer think as to who the killer could be. This is however somewhat of a diversion later on in the fil helping to keep the viewer engaged to try and find out work out who the killer is before the film ends and the truth is revealed.

Shot 4

 

 

This shot is a high angle shot showing the killer stabbing the women in the shower. The overhead shot helps to show that the women being stabbed is weak and the reason for this is because it shows the whole of the women's body and perceiving her to look hurt and weak as possible this could make the viewer feel heartfelt and somewhat sorry for the victim. The high angle shot also helps to show the power that killer has as it looks to be that she is the one in control in this shot and she is stabbing the women in the shoulder mean whilst standing in a strong stance and not looking like she is being overrun by the victim. In the shot there is diegetic sound from the women who is heard to be crying out in distress due to the pain of being stabbed and this is reinforced by showing that she is being stabbed, this again makes the viewer feel somewhat sorry for the victim being stabbed as they can hear them crying out as well as seeing them in pain from the attack. The lighting in the shot is mostly directly on the victim of the attack and this highlights them as being the most important person in the shot the lighting is placed in the right place to help to shadow the killers face helping to add mystery to who the killer is as you can’t see their face, this again further leads the audience to try and work out who the killer is and the fact they are dressed and has the hair of a women misleads the audience in who they think the killer to be. The shot is set in the bathroom and shows all the bath and the water which is falling onto the victim. Showing the water falling on the victim and the shower curtain being in the shot emphasises the fact that this attack was not known by the victim as these were the two elements which meant that she didn’t know that the attacker was coming. When the attack is going on the cry from the victim is accompanied by non-diegetic sound which is stereotypical music to this type of thriller as it is high pitched violins playing very fast paced music which helps to create tension which can be felt by the viewer.

How the scene uses conventions of the thriller genre

The first way in which this scene in psycho uses conventions of the thriller genre is because it creates suspense and tension throughout in a number a ways for example when there is a tracking shot showing a figure appear behind the shower curtain getting closer and close to the unsuspecting victim suspense is created and the person behind the curtain cannot be seen and they are for some reason moving closer towards the shower which makes the audience wonder why they are doing this and in turn causing them to feel suspense as to what's going to happen.

Violence is a key part to thrillers and this scene encapsulates violence well and this is due to the fact that this scene contains the woman being killed within it. This is therefore an extreme form of violence helping to enforce the fact that another convention of the thriller genre is used in this scene. The fact that a weapon e.g. the knife is used makes the violence even more substantial.

When the action of the killer stabbing the victim is taking place there are quick cuts which adds tension to the scene and show and too add to this there is also music which is there to create tension and this is high pitched and quick music which fits in with the cuts to make the action and cuts stand out even more.

 

Shadows are also a key part of the thriller genre and this is used to great effect and this is to mask the killers’ identity and the way that this is done is by casting a shadow over the killers face and never revealing any of their true identity.

 

Finally the sound of someone suffering is used widely in the thriller genre and this is also used in this scene of Psycho helping to show that the scene uses conventions of the thriller genre. The way in which this is used is when the victim to the attack is getting stabbed and this helps to create more of a real effect to the attack on the victim in the shower and also shows their distress to the audience.