I have been watching a film called 'The Birds' in Media Studies and this was by Alfred Hitchcock released in 1963. I didn't get to watch all of it and I only saw the ending, however I believe that the story line was quite good.
The sound of distant birds were used during silent parts to create tension and this is a diegetic sound but off screen.
This image shows that when the birds attacked her she was trapped in a room which causes us to become tense and unaware until they begin pecking away at her. This camera shot lets us view all of her with a bird in the corner and this shows us fully the damage they have done to her and gives us a warning that they haven't finished yet. There is also a shadow of a bird facing toward her which causes more tension to be built up as we don't know what is going to happen next, and this shadow may suggest another attack. The light she is holding suggests that the room she is in is dark and she is unable to see without it.
Alfred Hitchcock did not want this film to be colorful and used an area with low land, no mountains and not many trees in order to be able to shoot the birds through good camera angles. He subdued color in many of the scenes in order to get a good effect and this created a gloomy, tense atmosphere, which he desired.
The sound of children singing is normal in every day life. In the school scene, after an establishing shot of the birds in the sky and the normal sounds, and the camera shots are cut between Melanie (the main character) looking relaxed and the birds on the climbing frame, where there are five or more now perched. This creates suspense and a sense of danger. When Melanie rushes to the school, a high angle long shot is used and this makes her look very vulnerable.
Unnatural sounds are used in this film throughout, and the only diegetic sounds which are relevant to the goings on in the film are when the birds are squawking. Silence is also used to make the audience feel very uncomfortable and create tension.
Hitchcock used color through the fires flames to create a terrifying, fiery atmosphere through orange and yellow. The end of the film is mainly in black and white which creates yet again a gloomy atmosphere.
The sound of distant birds were used during silent parts to create tension and this is a diegetic sound but off screen.
This image shows that when the birds attacked her she was trapped in a room which causes us to become tense and unaware until they begin pecking away at her. This camera shot lets us view all of her with a bird in the corner and this shows us fully the damage they have done to her and gives us a warning that they haven't finished yet. There is also a shadow of a bird facing toward her which causes more tension to be built up as we don't know what is going to happen next, and this shadow may suggest another attack. The light she is holding suggests that the room she is in is dark and she is unable to see without it.
Alfred Hitchcock did not want this film to be colorful and used an area with low land, no mountains and not many trees in order to be able to shoot the birds through good camera angles. He subdued color in many of the scenes in order to get a good effect and this created a gloomy, tense atmosphere, which he desired.
The sound of children singing is normal in every day life. In the school scene, after an establishing shot of the birds in the sky and the normal sounds, and the camera shots are cut between Melanie (the main character) looking relaxed and the birds on the climbing frame, where there are five or more now perched. This creates suspense and a sense of danger. When Melanie rushes to the school, a high angle long shot is used and this makes her look very vulnerable.
Unnatural sounds are used in this film throughout, and the only diegetic sounds which are relevant to the goings on in the film are when the birds are squawking. Silence is also used to make the audience feel very uncomfortable and create tension.
Hitchcock used color through the fires flames to create a terrifying, fiery atmosphere through orange and yellow. The end of the film is mainly in black and white which creates yet again a gloomy atmosphere.
Thank you Lucie. I have enjoyed reading your blog. Don't forget the recipe for a thriller that we did first of all.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with "Unknown". Please blog it asap before you forget.
You can also include your own films you have seen.
Mr W