Alfred Hitchcock – An Auteur

Charlie Veitch

What is an auteur

A filmmaker who influences their movies so much that they rank as their author.

Style/ Techniques How to Turn Your Boring Movie Into a Hitchcock Thriller

Filmmakers and critics alike have rejoiced at this simplified encyclopaedia of film director Alfred Hitchcock's techniques. From his notorious sequences seen from the character's viewpoint, to the collage of the Psycho shower scene, and the linear simplicity of his plots, this list of his top 13 techniques is compiled directly from his interviews.

Humour: Hitchcock's Secret WeaponWith a balance of laughs and tension, Hitchcock was able to strike the perfect chord of suspense in his feature films. This article shines light on an often ignored aspect of his style: his directorial wit. It is his quirky characters, ironic situations, whimsical settings, and deliberate gags that raise his films to an unmatched Hitchcockian brilliance.

Message in a Booth: Arbogast's Last WordsOne scene in the 1960 thriller Psycho creates a forward momentum of suspense throughout the final Act. Here we explore the phone call Arbogast makes from a phone both in his final hours. The Telephone Booth Scene is a simple one of construction lasting less than two minutes of screen time and comprised of only two shots, but it becomes so much more.

Creating a Hitchcockian OpeningHitchcock could ignite our curiosity at the outset of each film in ways unlooked at until now. Here we explore the most striking moments from each opening sequence of his theatrical films and examine his strategies for pulling in the viewer. Trends emerge from his use of comical music score to his movement of camera through public space, and landscapes filled with caricatures.

The Definitive List of Hitchcock MacGuffinsWe are on a quest to compile the most definitive list of the MacGuffins used in Alfred Hitchcock's feature films and TV episodes. What's a MacGuffin? Find out what Hitchcock thought of this elusive plot device. From the weapons plans of Mr. Memory, to the goverment secrets being stolen by Van Damme, we've listed them all here.

Sound: Hitchcock's Third DimensionWith the production of his first sound film, Blackmail (1929), Hitchcock found new ways to manipulate the soundtrack in order to add new dimensions to the flat movie screen. Here we look at his instictive techniques of sound mixing in Blackmail as it laid the foundation for his use of sound in later works - from kept secrets to silent murders.

The Cameo: Appearing in Your Own FilmAs a part of an intense publicity effort, Hitchcock put his face on anything he could in order to shape an air of credibility that would permanently launch the Master of Suspense into the public consciousness. From scene transitions, crowd insertions, and a bond with the audience, here we look at what makes his film cameos tick.

Personality• Hitchcock is perhaps one of the most fascinating directors of all time. He has been trumpeted as one of the

"greatest inventors of form in the entire cinema" (Kirshner 511). Truffaut also said of Hitchcock that he is "universally acknowledged to be the world's foremost technician; even his detractors willingly concede him this title" (qtd. in Kirshner 511). Every aspect of Hitchcock's films, from his technical experimenting, to his dark themes, to his control of each aspect of a film allowed him to be the celebrated film-maker he is today. He did not rely heavily on dialogue, and instead let the camera tell the story. His humor, as well, has played an extremely important role in his popularity. Flint says that Hitchcock was great at "juxtaposing tension and relaxation, relieving horror with humor." Not only was he a fantastic director, but he was also fantastic at marketing himself. Without such things as his television show and books and magazines carrying his name, Hitchcock would not have become the common name it is today. His name supersedes all other popular film-makers of the time, including the likes of Chaplin, Hawks, von Sternberg, and Welles. None of these men matched Hitchcock's success (Peele 215).

• Not only was Hitchcock a great director in his time, but he is still regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time. His film-making spanned six different decades, each providing great success. In the 21st century, more than 30 years after Hitchcock's death, his contributions to film are still being studied. The way Hitchcock used the camera, manipulated an audience, and played on an audience's emotions were great uses of mass media which can still be looked at today in order to continue to improve the medium. Years after his death, Hitchcock films continue to generate tens of millions of dollars in sales and in rentals (Eder). Known as the "Master of Suspense," he was wildly popular in his day, and his contributions to film must be seen in order to be fully understood.

• Hitchcock, influenced by many elements of his childhood, quickly rose to the top in film-making, and stayed there. What he lacked in people skills, he made up for in communication through the lens of a camera. His films relied on his technical abilities, wit, use of suspense, and humor. He used each of these abilities in order to produce classic film which will continue to be studied for years to come. In addition to film, he also gave America a fabulous television series and an image of himself which is not easily forgotten. His contributions to film are still being put to use and built upon, including technical as well as psychological elements. Although I feel that Hitchcock created brilliant masterpieces in the history of film, the best part of studying him, in my opinion, is being able to probe his mind and understand his odd, but hilarious, sense of humor.