Analysis of Psycho

Analysis of “Psycho” shower scene, explaining how film techniques are used to create effects.

The shower scene from Psycho uses many different film techniques to create different effects. This scene follows the female character around to build up tension and this makes the audience curious about what might happen to her. At the beginning of this scene there aren’t as many camera shots, this has been done to make the audience keep watching her and what she is doing. There are many different camera shots used in this scene when the murder is taking place such as close-ups of the female actor and the plughole at the end of the scene, this creates tension and makes the audience want to keep watching to see what’s going to happen next. At the start of the scene the pace of the editing is slow this is to show that something is going to happen. The sound builds up as the villain becomes more visible, this is to create tension and also to make the audience worry about the female actor and what might happen to her. Diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used a lot in this scene; diegetic sound is used when the water is running in the shower this is the only sound that is used up until when the murder is happening. Non-diegetic sound is used when the murder is happening, the soundtrack makes the audience feel scared, the high pitch of the music heightens the audiences emotions making them feel apprehensive.  

In this screenshot you can see the shadow of the villain on the shower curtain, this makes the audience frightened and want to keep watching to see what is going to happen to her. In this shot the soundtrack hasn’t started playing the only sound you can hear is the sound of the running water. Although the after this shot the sound of the shower curtain being pulled back by the villain is played and then the soundtrack starts. The main points of interest in this shot are the shadow of the villain and the female actor, the shadow is a main point of interest because it makes the audience curious about what is going to happen and whose shadow it is. The female actor is a main point of interest because she is the most important person in the shot as we know that something is going to happen to her. The female actor has her back to the shower curtain; this shows that she doesn’t know what is going to happen as she can’t see the shadow on the curtain. The lighting in this screenshot is dark but you can tell that the light coming from behind her is the bathroom light, this could mean that the directors want the lighting to be darker so that the audience can’t see who the killer is and then it becomes a mystery to who the killer is. 

This is a close-up of the killer holding the murder weapon. The running water hides the villain’s face, this has been done to keep the identity of the killer hidden so that it keeps the audience guessing and makes them curious about who the killer could be. The murder weapon is clearly shown, this clearly shows the killers intentions and makes the audience frightened of what is about to happen. This shot follows the golden mean with the knife being the main point of interest. The knife is the main point of interest because you can see it clearly and also the way it is being held tells the audience that it’s going to be the murder weapon. Therefore it is a significant prop that is used in this scene. The running water isn’t clear and is obscuring the killer’s face this makes the knife stand out. This has been done to create a sense of mystery and also makes the object/ prop stand out more so that the audience can clearly see what it is. In this shot the high pitched music starts to play, this makes the audience feel sacred and also it creates tension.

This shot is a close-up of the murder weapon; this shows that it’s a knife that is used to commit the murder in the next shot. The directors have chosen to leave the killer out of this shot because they wanted to focus more on the murder weapon and show its significance in this scene. This shot does not follow the rule of thirds or the golden mean but it does show the murder weapon clearly and it is in the middle of the shot, which suggests that it is important. The way the prop is being held tells the audience that it’s going to be the murder weapon. This shot shows the weapon clearly but doesn’t show much more in the shot, this is so that the main focus is on the knife and nothing else. In this shot the pace of editing starts to increase and get faster, this makes the audience feel scared as we know that something is going to happen to the victim.

This screenshot is a high angle shot; this shows that the victim is weak and vulnerable.  This shot also shows the whole of the shower and both the victim and the killer clearly, this is to show the audience what is happening in the shot and also make them think if she will survive or not. In this shot you can see more of the victim then the killer; this is so that the killer stays a mystery. The shot follows the rule of thirds with the victim’s hands on the killer and the shower being the main points of interest. The victim’s hand holding the killer is a main point of interest because it shows that she is trying to fight back and try and stop him from hurting her in any way. The shower is a main point of interest because it shows the setting of where the murder is taking place. In this part of the scene there are many different shots, this is so that the audience can see clearly what is happening to the victim. There is also the high pitch music that is playing; this tells the audience that something will happen to the victim and also it creates tension and makes the audience feel sacred.

This is an extreme close-up, showing the victim’s blood going down the plughole. This shot and another extreme close-up of the victim’s eye is a graphic match. This shot has been shown after the murder has happened and at the end of the scene. This shot follows the rule of thirds with the plughole and the blood being the main points of interest. The plughole is a main point of interest because it links to the 360 motion of the victims face and creates a graphic match. This has been done to create a relationship between the two shots.  The blood is a main point of interest because we can tell that the blood is fresh from the bright red colour and with amount of blood going down the plughole we can tell that the victim wouldn’t survive such an attack and leaves the audience wondering if the victim survived. The effect of this shot would be that it makes the audience think about what has happened before and after this shot and also makes them want to know who the killer is.