Hitchcock Genre and Audience

Hitchcock Genre and Audience

1. What tradition or genre is it in?
2. What are the features determining genre or elements that tell us what type of film this is?
3. What other work might it be connected to?
4. Who made this? Why?
5. What can we tell about its’ creators?
6. How does it fit within the director’s other work?
a. Does it share significant narrative or thematic concerns?
b. Does it share particular visual or technical elements?
7. What is the film’s theme?
8. What is the target audience? How does it address its audience?

The film Psycho was a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960. The film was a suspense thriller and horror film. The genre it would belong to is known as the slasher genre that revolved around violence and gruesome events. The features in this film that determine genre or elements that highlight the type of film it is are highlighting the characters roles, music, relating events, sound effects, chase sequences, motifs, and lighting. Music can add a sense of suspense and drama especially when dealing with films of this genre. Sound effects also add to the nature of the film. The chase sequence when the woman is being chased, or is escaping, to flee to Arizona is very well thought out. In this scene she is being very worried and cautious about her actions. Motifs such as the blade or knife and also birds can add a sense of the genre because we associate them with the type of film being made. Lighting is extremely key in films of this genre although it does not have color and is only black and white. Low lighting can create a mood or tone or even atmosphere by adding an aspect of fear or something of that sort as a build up to scenes in the future. Symbols such as the birds (birds are in the first hotel scene and represent the womans name which is Crane and also talk about other characters in the story) also help to propel the plot and provide backstory if used correctly. These elements are definitely connected to other works of the same genre. The music and tone and suspense leads to a dramatic conclusion and it impacts the feeling of the film. Hitchcock was known to incorporate many suspenseful techniques in his films. He was always wanting to show the audience what he wanted to show in his thrillers and really bring them into the story to captivate them. But to fully appreciate all of his tricks and clues and hints in the story the viewer must see the movie more than just one viewing but many so they can notice all it has to bring in terms of foreshadowing and hinting and what may come in the future. Hitchcock was truly a pioneer in the industry and he incorporated his own ideas and tactics to the films he made while also respecting the techniques that were already being used in other films of the same genre. The target audience would be anyone that could handle the slasher type of films as there are many scenes involving violence and bloodshed. Younger audiences might not have had the ability to enjoy the film because it is in the horror genre. It was mainly made for young adult audiences.