Discuss about the film Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock and his film techniques.

1. General Facts:
a. Film title, Director, Year, Country
2. Write a Thesis Statement:
a. What unique insights can you bring forth?
b. Thesis statement should be introduced in the first paragraph.
c. Formulate a thesis statement – a central idea to discuss, supported with direct film observations.
d. A strong, clear thesis statement moves your writing beyond plot summary and into film criticism.
e. Ask yourself?
i. Does the film comment, directly or indirectly, on a past/current event or contemporary issue?
Is it part of a larger conversation? Look for ways to relate the content of the film to our class
objectives and to other class screenings.
ii. What message do you think the director is trying to get across? Does it attempt to elicit a
specific response or emotion from the audience? You may choose to discuss whether or not
it achieved its goals.
iii. How does the film connect with you on a personal level? To make it more interesting,
you might want to write an analysis stemming from your own experiences, weaving in
some personal stories.
3. Introductory Paragraph:
a. Your introduction or opening paragraph should give the reader an idea of what they’ll be in for,
if they decided to see the film you are analyzing.
b. Here is where you can (if you insist) add a very brief plot summary – which could consist of
identifying the main characters, describing the setting… – all while providing a good sense of the
central conflict or main point of the film.
c. Sometimes, a direct film quote is a good way to grab attention and interest.
4. Film Analysis:
a. Write several paragraphs discussing interesting elements of the film that support your thesis.
If relevant, you might want to discuss acting, music, sound, direction, cinematography, setting,
intended audience, and so on…
b. Try to present both facts and personal opinions (for example, you might state something such as,
“For those few scenes, the choice of background music was a jarring contrast to the moments of
silence that were prevalent throughout the film.” That is more insightful that saying, “The music
was a strange choice for the few scenes where it was used.”
5. Use Specific Examples From the Film:
a. Now that you have made a statement about the film, you will need to support it with descriptive
examples. Choose a few scenes from the film (maybe 2 or 3) as examples to support your thesis.
b. You might want to discuss the way a scene looks, the way a certain character acted, camera
angles, scene duration, what is within the frame or what has been omitted…
c. You can always quote dialogue to help make your point – By quoting dialogue you help your
reader feel for the film while continuing to express your critique at the same time.
6. Conclusion:
a. Your conclusion should tie back to your original thesis.
b. Make your conclusion compelling or entertaining, since it’s the end of your piece of writing.
* You might want to watch the film more than once. You’ll be surprised how much more you get after a 2 nd viewing.