Psycho analysis

This an extreme long shot of the setting in which the murder occurred. This shot is used at the end of the shower scene to establish the setting; establishing the area while excluding any other area except from the house, creates tension as it allows the audience to realise the isolation of the victim and how vulnerable and unreachable she is from the outer world. The editing has influenced the feel of darkness and hopelessness as it shows low key lighting, as well as emphasising an eerie and uneasy feel towards the scene. The low angled shot shown symbolises weakness but also gives the house a larger look, reinforcing the idea that the size of the house reflects the isolation of the victim, and how she cannot be heard as she screams for help. The silence given off at this point may reflect the death of the victim; at peace, but also giving off an eerie feel. The weather shown in this shot seems to be dark and gloomy, projecting a sinister feel towards the area, increasing tension as it makes the audience slightly uncomfortable.

 

A lot of close ups are used in this film to build tension as it allows the audience to be on the ‘edge of their seats’ from its uncomfortable closeness. This shot shows a close up of the antagonist holding a knife. The rule of thirds are used in this film to outline important aspects of this shot, the knife being one of them connotes pain and anguish that may soon arrive and giving the antagonist a dominant role in this scene. The shower is also cleverly used as it allows to hide the identity of the killer, causing a tension build as the audience get a sense of enigma, the low key lighting also supports the covering of identity and gives the murderer a more brutal status as we suggest that they have no emotion as we cannot visualise one as we see them firmly grasping onto the knife. The antagonist taking up the whole frame dramatizes the scene as it exaggerates the dominance of the individual and how at this point the victim would be ridden from her freedom. Overall the use of non-diegetic sounds such as the high pitched soundtrack supports the quickness of this scene as it accompanies the strikes of the knife (synchronous sound) and we also see later a montage of shots, rising tension through the murders brutal strikes.

The extreme close up on the drain with the editing of graphically matching this shot with the eye of the individual, we can see close relation between them. The draining of the murky blood filled water may symbolise the draining of life in which the murderer had took. The cascading darkness within emphasises the darkness of the murder as it was done so fast as the murder was so unhesitant. The diegetic sound of just the water draining marks the end of the stabbing as we hear nothing else. Relating it to the dilating eye (graphic match), we can see it is a clear representation of death, as the eye dilates and the water drains we see life just fade away. The extreme close up of both excludes any other aspects of the scene and it is shown directly in the middle of the frame, increasing tension through its uncomfortable closeness and directs all attention to the elements shown.