How the camera and mise-en-scene create meaning and help propel the narrative?
The Psycho (A. Hitchcock, 1960) parlor scene opens with a low angle shot of Norman as he enters his room. He is positioned in front of his taxidermied bird of prey on the wall with his face covering the bird’s face. Additionally, this shot is split in the middle, the left side is bathed in light and the right is covered in shadow, where Norman is positioned. The low angle clearly implies Norman has more control over Marion as she is now in his space and him being in shadow indicates he is an evil person. Norman being in front of the bird implies to the audience that there is a deeper connection between and the birds other than him just liking them.
The next shot is the only shot in the scene where Marion and Norman are in the same frame. In the shot we can see that Norman is sat in the shadow, even though there is a candle next to him implying that he is more comfortable in the dark. Whereas Marion is on the other side of the frame, surrounded in light and positioned closer to the audience. This shot is significant as it highlights what kind of people the two of them are, Norman being a lurking creature of darkness and Marion a beacon of light.
Then it cuts between many medium shots of Norman and Marion as they have their conversation, the same light/dark motif being used throughout the scene. During the start of their exchange not much changes and there is no tension, indicating the two of them are comfortable. The only unnerving parts are implied to the audience through dialogue, for example Norman compares Marion to a bird as the room is filled with birds he has killed. Also, Norman explains that he does not stuff “beasts” and stuffs birds because they are passive, indicating that he likes to prey on things that are weak.
As they continue talking with no issues, we can see that Norman is surrounded by his calm birds. Then as Norman is talking, he leans back further into the darkness and begins to subconsciously stroke one of his taxidermied birds. Norman seems to do this without realizing which shows us that he finds comfort in death.
Then as they start a negative discussion about “Mother”, it cuts to a low angle, tiled shot of Norman now in front of aggressive birds of prey. This new angle is a visual signifier that something has now changed with Norman and the tilt implies something is wrong. Norman being positioned in front of aggressive birds indicates that this is the moment something in him as switched and he has decided he is going to kill Marion.
Once Marion makes another comment about mother, there is a close-up of Norman, he then leans in even more as a way of intimidating Marion as well as the audience.
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