Monday, September 27, 2010
Hitchcock Lesson Plan
Hitchcock films are exciting to watch and fun to deconstruct. There are so many interesting techniques used in each film. For this lesson plan I would suggest finding 3 or 4 clips from different Hitchcock films and then ask students:
Why do you think these movies connected so well with audiences?
How was framing used to show the actors emotions?
How is the camera used to tell the story? Does it feel like the camera is us? Are we finding clues from this vantage point?
How is point of view editing important? In other words what is going on when we see an actor's expression, then see the object he is looking at and then see his expression again?
How is suspense built in this particular clip? How does the lighting, the camera angles, music and other techniques support the suspense?
These questions could work for most Hitchcock films, but I would suggest Psycho for suspense and Rear Window for point of view editing techniques.
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Jenna, you're right about the fact that Hitchcock certainly was a master of technique--he carefully planned all of his films with elaborate storyboards and planning. I really like how you define the use of certain techniques served to build suspense--central to his movies. You also nicely focus on aspects of perspectives and point of view in terms of how techniques are used to position audiences in certain ways--he's always dealing with "looking," like looking into other windows. Engaging activities.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, Jenna! Would you plan on doing this discussion as a class or in small groups? Or were you thinking of having the students do a worksheet? Just curious...
ReplyDeleteGreat article! One of my favorite techniques is the 'endless approach' trick. The main character spots a mystery object, then slowly moves towards it. The rest is just suspense... wrote an article about this a while ago http://thevrincent.blogspot.ro/2013/09/how-to-build-suspense-in-indie-film.html
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