Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was given the title of England's best director and producer after pioneering many techniques in the psychological thriller genre. After directing more than fifty films, he was regarded as the most influential filmmaker of all time that shaped modern cinema. He had a distinctive and recognisable style of directing which gained him a renowned position in the film industry. He was known as the 'Master of Suspense' due to his ability to put the viewers on edge through his use of characterisation, symbolism, surprise endings and twists. He was also known for the movement of the camera that reflected a character's gaze as well as many other techniques of editing.

Hitchcock’s films usually focus on murder with a frequent use of deception and mistaken identities that enliven the plot. Many of his plots involve a mistakenly suspected or accused of crime innocent man who must then clear his name. A few of his films also involve psychopathic murderers whose identity is not revealed instantly such as in 'Psycho', 'Shadow of a Doubt' and 'Rope'.

In order to create tension, he would use a variety of different shots such as the character's point of view alternating with long shots showing the character. The use of shadows can also be seen in his films 'Suspicion' and 'Saboteur' which then became a convention of thrillers by providing the audience with unsettling suspense. The characterisation seen in his films tends to be strong and effective, often able to  make the audience empathise with both the protagonist as well as the antagonist in scenes where the antagonist is in danger of being caught.

Hitchcock became a credible director due to his innovative camera viewpoints,editing techniques and effectual soundtrack music. However, his greatest ability was to evoke human emotions that gave his psychological thrillers great impact while maintaining their believability.His directing style is conveyed by  'There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it' which is what he once stated. This illustrates how he believed the build up of tension in thrillers is more effective than the climax. This idea was then developed and can be noticed in the current thriller genre where the suspense build up is prolonged throughout the entire film, keeping the audience on edge.

Researching a renowned director of the thriller-making industry allowed me gain information regarding the content of  a successful thriller.By learning about the techniques used by Alfred Hitch-cock, I was then able to use this when making my own production. Not only was this inspiring but it was also helpful when writing the narrative as I was aware of what was required i.e. putting viewers on edge. Analysing a thriller created by Hitchcock such as 'Psycho' also provided me with ideas such as a hidden identity of the psycho which is conventional of the thriller genre as it generates suspense.