9 Shot Analysis - Psycho

By Joynul

The title sequence of

the film psycho helps build suspense. We hear an orchestra playing music which sounds frightening, the colour black in contract with the plain white font may also suggest a dark scary atmosphere

Here we have an

established shot clearly used to show the environment and place where the film is set in which looks like 1960s America being built up.

The lighting used is broad day light

Here we see a close-up of

Marion driving being stalked by the policeman in the background. This helps build up tension and leaves the audience wondering why she is being followed, to add to this synchronous music is played along with the scene to help build up the tension.

Here we have a over

the shoulder shot, we can see that Marion looks very scared and anxious as the policeman is still stalking her on the other side of the road.

Here we have a medium shot

of Marion having a shower and someone creeping into the bathroom through the curtain, this helps build tension to who this might be and what they intend to do

The framing used in the shot is very quick, we see different things happening very fast which creates the illusion that she is being stabbed when in reality she is not

The curtain suddenly opens

and we have a close up of what looks like a old woman holding a knife, the audience immediately know that this person intends to harm Marion and feel more involved to see what happens next

The killers face is not very clear, the shot used creates a shadow effect making the character look more scary because we can not see who it is

Here we have an

extreme close up of Marion's hands steadily going down the wall suggesting she is losing the will to live and is dying

Here we have a two shot

of the detective and Norman Bates, the motel owner, we can see the detective as a very smart character.

The lighting used is a artificial lamp in the background which seems to be illuminating the room adequately

Here we have a long shot of

the house, the audience would see this as a spooky house, to add to this we hear music which helps build tension to suggest this idea that the house is spooky

The lighting used looks like natural darkness which has been used to cause tension because it creates a scary atmosphere