The opening credits of Psycho establish the tension and unease that permeates the film. Sharp music plays over animation of bars moving quickly across the screen, symbolizing something trapped. The bold font against a black background makes the text stand out. The date is shown in sans serif font to set the scene. As the camera pans and zooms into a window, the audience feels they are seeing something private. It introduces Marion, a young, vulnerable woman signaling she will be the protagonist. Shots move around the room with the characters, making the audience feel present in the scene.

1. Psycho Essay (Extract)
Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho opens with the film institutions logo this is paramount pictures, by
the logo of the institution an audience recognise that this is going to be a big high budget
movie (in its time). The opening credits of the film begin with sharp, high tempo non
diegetic music this immediately reflect the genre of the film which is horror/thriller and
straight away builds tension and creates an atmosphere. The music is very disorientating
and makes the film begin at the disequlibrium. The animation then begins in the opening
credits, it creates the effect of bars going across the screen this in itself is also very harsh
and is symbolic for something being trapped and unable to escape which mirrors Marion
and how she is trapped at the Bates Motel. The font is bold sans serif backed onto a black
background which makes the white font stand out, white is also a bold fresh colour which
can symbolise purity which contrasts Marion. The transitions of the bars moving are
extremely fast reflecting the tempo of the movie contrasted to the upcoming establishing
shot.
The opening camera shot is pans across an establishing shot of a city, the date is given in a
sans serif bold white font to set the scene along with the establishing shot. The non diegetic
sound is now much softer and not harsh creating an anti climax. (Equilibrium is restored). As
the camera pans across the shot it zooms across to focus on a window the camera then
zooms into the window and a slightly canted angle, this camera shot makes the audience
feel as if they are not supposed to be going through the window and therefore effectively
looking into someone or something’s life. As the camera then goes through the window we
are introduced to a female who is half dressed which would have shocked an audience of
1960 dressed in this way also gives the impression that this female is vulnerable therefore
linking with the codes and conventions of the horror thriller genre. This is that a killer’s
victim is usually a female who is good looking, young and vulnerable, this then signals to the
audience she is most likely to be our protagonist. Marion is wearing white clothing which is
symbolic for purity which is ironic as she is being intimate with a man whom we find out she
is not married to and also when we discover she steals money from her employer. The
camera moves with the two actors around the room with shot reverse shots showing the
conversation they are having, however the way the camera moves around the room gives us
(the audience) the feeling that we are in the room with the actors/actresses. Both actors are
in the shot together until they disagree on something then they are in separate shots
signalling that things are going to start going wrong for the couple.