Alfred Hitchcock: The Master Of Suspense

Hitchcock Says… “If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.” – Alfred Hitchcock

Biographical Information Born: Alfred Joseph Hitchcock August 13, 1899, Leytonstone, England Died: April 28, 1980 from Liver Failure and Heart Problems

Biographical Information He began his filmmaking career in 1919 illustrating title cards for silent films. He made over 50 movies in his career, spanning over half a decade.

Hitchcock says… “There is no terror In the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” – Alfred Hitchcock Hitchcock was not a horror film maker. Hitchcock made suspense films. The difference is clear: suspense tells youall

Elements of Hitchcock: The MacGuffin A MacGuffin is nothing. Its only purpose is to create tension and suspense Its actual content is irrelevant

Examples of MacGuffins The government secrets in North by Northwest The money stolen in Psycho The briefcase in Pulp Fiction The rug in The Big Lebowski The rabbits foot in M:I:III

Elements of Hitchcock: The Simple Story Simple stories are easy to watch. Use elements people are interested in. Keep the story linear. “What is drama, after all, but life with the dull bits cut out…” Alfred Hitchcock

Elements of Hitchcock: Montage Use a series of close up shots to tell a story By adding or omitting things in this sequence you can “transferring the menace from the screen into the mind of the audience.” – Alfred Hitchcock

Elements of Hitchcock: Montage The shower scene from Psycho No violence is shown It happens in the mind of the viewer

Elements Of Hitchcock: Meaningless Dialog Having a character distracted by something without being noticed in the scene pulls the audience into the world of the character. The dialog simply serves to focus our attention on the things going on in the scene

Alfred Hitchcock Says… “a conversation may be quite trivial, but often the eyes will reveal what a person thinks or needs.” – Alfred Hitchcock

Conclusions Hitchcock was… a master of suspsense Great inspiration Over 50 movies to draw from for inspiration Innovator Many technique first used by Hitchcock still used today.

Questions? Comments?

Resources: http://www. imdb. com http://www. tcm. com http://www Resources: http://www.imdb.com http://www.tcm.com http://www.hitchcock.tv http://www.borgus.com/think/hitch.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock IMAGES: IMDB/MPTV.net http://imdb.com/name/nm0000033/photogallery-mptv-0 http://imdb.com/name/nm0000033/photogallery-mptv-12 http://imdb.com/name/nm0000033/photogallery-mptv-24