psycho notes

Fast stringed instruments, that’s sounds sinister, to create suspense.
The opening titles use black backgrounds and white font.
The first shot is an establishing shot to show the city, music dies down to create a sense that everything’s ok.
They show the time and date so that the audience an relate to it, shows realism.
The female character is shown as vulnerable, because she’s small and shown in her underwear.
The male character tells us he has loads of debts and once he’s paid them they will go away and marry.
Male character says how he is going away, telling us that she’s going to be vulnerable, alone at home.
Most of the shots are medium long shots, so that it captures the scene and creates atmosphere.
She is told to put the money in the safety deposit box, which she doesn’t, instead she intends to run away.
She has a head ache, makes her seem more vulnerable.
The music shows her intent.
The mirrors are like her conscience , and they are also important because people can appear in them e.g. psycho.
Boss thinks she’ at home, but sees her, the music enhances the suspense, quick loud music, stringed, she’ running away and it reflects that.
The establishing shot shows her location.
She seems anxious when speaking to the police officer, wanting to leave, makes her look suspicious.
The officer is wearing dark glasses to make him slightly disturbing, and is made to look powerful, using camera angles.
When she drives away the music makes it sound as though she is being chased/followed to create more suspense, but changes dramatically to a slower pace, that’s gentle, but still sounds sinister and edgy.
Slow long stringed notes, makes it sound sinister, creates the atmosphere.
Another shot of mirrors
The police officer pulls up, so she gets in the car, as she’s driving away she is stopped because she forgot her stuff, the police officer gets closer and closer building suspense.
When she’s driving, you can always see a car in her back window.
Non-diegetic dialogue of what’s happened, as if she’s replaying the memories over in her head. Time passes faster.
The rain makes it hard for us to see, as well as the darkness and the positioning on the lighting on her face, we can only see her and nothing around her, so something could be lurking in the darkness.
When she looks up at the only 2 light windows, you see someone walk past, a silhouette.
The man at the hotel, asks her to join him for dinner.
The camera is positioned so that you can see a mirror behind them.
You can hear ranting, it is the mans mother and the man, in the house, she stares out of the window at it, the man then shouts at the mother to shut up, then the scene is eerily quiet.
The man brings her food, then asks if he wants to come into his office, as if he’s luring her from safety, he seems kind but at the same time sinister
He says he’s not hungry, but tells her to eat, which is suspicious
The camera shows birds behind him, then he says has a hobby of stuffing birds.
He tells us that he does jobs for his mother and that his mother is his best friend.
Little things like that make him seem a bit strange, but nice at the same time, but underneath seems suspicious.
The camera shot of the man and the bird behind him high on the wall, the bird seems a lot higher than him and looks like its attacking.
“Cold and damp like a grave” … “ I hate what she has become”.
He describes a psychiatric ward as cruel, but that says his mother is gentle and harmless, he says how she needs him.
“ she just goes a little mad sometimes, we all go a little mad sometimes”. Suggests that he and his mother are a bit crazy.
Tries to get her to stay when she wants to go to bed. Making her uneasy
When she leaves he stares at her signature in the book, strangely.
Lighting effects make him look creepy in his office.
Then he goes to a wall and stares through a hole in it to stare at her. He knows that she is just about to go and have a shower.
A shot of the house, standing high … makes it more sinister.
Psychological corridors.
She’s enjoying the shower as is its washing everything away. Makes her vulnerable.
We see the door open, and a silhouette approach the shower.
When the person is stabbing her we never see the knife near the women, just the thrusting, and her screaming.