Hitchcock uses a number of techniques to create tension in the parlour scene. He uses framing to create a barrier between Marian and Norman because they are never in the same shot together. This creates tension between the audience and the characters because you are unaware of what the other person is doing in the scene. The use of framing becomes apparent as soon as they go into the parlour because from then on you don’t see them in the same shot. That physical barrier between them makes you feel distant from the characters that are not in shot because you find yourself searching for them and trying to figure out what they are doing and whether or not they are in danger or planning something. You are never quite sure what the other person is doing and this makes the audience feel uneasy also it makes the characters a bit mysterious. This also makes the scene more intense.
The lighting that Hitchcock uses is very interesting in this scene. You can see that there is only on source of light and that is from the tiny lamp on the side table. The shadows that are created make the room look more cramped and more claustrophobic than normal. You notice the shadows the most on the characters faces than anywhere else. On Marian, there is no shadow. This shows her as being more innocent and that she only has one side. But we know that she is not 100% innocent because of the money she stole. However, Norman has a large shadow running across his face. This makes us feel anxious because he almost has another side to him that we can’t see; a darker side almost. This makes us feel threatened by him because he has a different side to him that we don’t know about which could also say to us that he is not innocent like Marian and could possibly have a dark past.
The shot types that Hitchcock uses don’t really change throughout this scene however when they start talking about Norman’s mother the shots drastically change into a close up and suddenly everything gets really tense because Norman also leans forward. The reason this makes us feel uneasy is because you feel like Norman is getting in your face and he is at an uncomfortable position in front of the camera. This also makes Norman the dominant figure in the shot because when it cuts back to Marian she is intimidated by him and is still in the same shot and in the same position. His tone changes too, its sharper and to the point. The fact that Hitchcock uses a close up shot shows the emotion on Normans face and also it makes his face the main focus in the shot because there is not a lot else in frame at that point. Also the light on the shadowed side of his face gets a lot darker which shows he is more intense and that his darker side is coming out. The tone in his voice changes too and this makes him sound aggressive towards Marian. However when he sits back in the chair again the shadow grows less intense which shows that he is back to his normal self again.
The composition in this scene matter a lot because they all play a part in making the tension build. One of the more dominant objects in the scene is the owl in the top left had corner of the frame. The reason for it being one of the more dominant objects is because the owl has its wings fully extended which show us its size and already makes us feel intimidated. This shows that the shot is being dominated by a predator. However you also see that the owl is looking directly into the camera. This makes the audience feel like they are being watched at all times and makes them feel intimidated because they are being over powered by the owl because it looks a lot bigger than them on screen. It is also the second biggest thing in shot, the first being Normans head. However there is not much in it which shows us that there are two dominant figures in the shot. Also in the shot there are two picture frames. The pictures that are on them are of two naked ladies and fully clothed men. This could possibly foreshadow the upcoming events of the shower scene.
The camera angles don’t really change that much in this scene. However when Norman gets angry with Marian the angle only slightly changes. It goes from a pretty neutral to a very slight high angle shot. The reason that Hitchcock did this was because he wanted to make Marian look intimidated and vulnerable to the audience. Also this would make the audience feel more like the dominant figure as they are looking down on her. This shot creates tension without the audience realising what has happened because the way the shot changes is almost unnoticeable. I think that this was a good decision to only have a small change in shot because it wouldn’t look right if both of them had really elaborate shot changes because it would make it too dramatic. Using different angels makes it visually more interesting for the audience because it keeps them interested for longer and it engrosses them deeper into the story and also makes them feel more intimidated and overwhelmed by the shots.
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