1. Psycho – Hitchcock Case Study
The opening sequence is unusual yet you would expect some things since it is a
thriller. Psycho belongs to a psychological thriller subgenre, and so there are slight
things that suggest this due to the playing on the mind.
As soon the opening starts there are high pitch violins playing which builds tension.
As you become to feel tense and uptight, you are open to the unexpected happening
and that makes the audience anxious. These names are coming from both sides of the
screen, vertically and horizontally, after a set of names have come up on the screen
they fade and lines come up on the screen moving quite randomly making it quite
jumpy, Hence setting the mood for the film. But the fact that it I a Hitchcock film the
audience expectations of what is to come can be felt.
Once all these names have come on the music becomes slightly more subtle like it has
calmed down, at this point we have been placed in an unknown city with lots of
buildings however as the music as fades it could imply to the audience that we are
now being placed in a calmer environment however we still don’t know the location
we are in, this is the establishing shot.
The view we are seeing by the camera angle is like we are on top of a roof meaning it
a bird eye view shot is being used, as we are looking down and around the whole city.
The place we are in is full of building yet the music is quieter which is relatively
ironic and could show juxtaposition, due to the fact cities are usually live and hectic
whereas the music is softer and mellow. The audience are still eager to find out the
setting of this plot.
We get a good look around the location, and then we become zoomed into a particular
building moving up the building then zooms in further into a certain window.
However the blinds closed yet we notice there is a gap, and so the camera zooms in
upon this gap and we seem to be able to make out figures, this is when the camera
becomes focused ad we and clearly identify a man and woman. As the audience can
interpret that they are possibly partners. The man is had just his trousers on whereas
the woman is in her lingerie. They then exchange slight conversation not saying much
and go and lie upon the bed which could again imply they are partners.
They then notice what the time is and so the woman gets up ad starts to get dressed
whilst this is going on, the woman say to the man that she isn’t to impressed in
meeting up at their break in a cheap hotel, and that she would much rather him meet
her sisters and this would show a bit more respect. Her tone of her voice sound
serious yet trying to get her point across. The man then come out with a joke however
this don’t go down to well with the woman as she was being totally serious and so he
just goes onto shrugging his shoulders and agrees with her. By doing this is could
suggest to the audience that although he is happy to meeting up in a cheap hotel he
don’t want to lose her and so agrees however this is playing upon her mind which is
exactly what the conventions are of this particular thriller.
Throughout the opening sequence of Psycho although there is a slight sense of the
thriller genre there isn’t much and so the audience is still wondering what’s going to
happen next. So if you just watched the opening sequence you left on a cliff-hanger
and you aren’t really sure where the story is going to go which is a convention of the

2. thriller genre as you left wanting more however some people could just give up on the
film and turn the film off.