Famous American actress Linda Florentine once said – “In the end, it is about the work and not the award you get for the work.” Alfred Hitchcock might have had a similar outlook on awards. The British American director, editor, screenwriter, producer, and actor Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock is undeniably one of the finest filmmakers of the past century. However, while going through his life and work history to Write My Essay, I was shocked to find his contribution to films all over 53 golden years was never acknowledged through Oscar or Academy awards. Born on August 13, 1899, the English American film director directed and produced over 50 feature films before leaving for the heavenly adobe in 1980.
Many may fail to appreciate these astonishing film directions Alfred Hitchcock has contributed but this research why Hitchcock’s work is immeasurable through awards might help in acknowledging his work.
Visual Storytelling
Hitchcock began his work as a silent film director, so he always searched for paths to put the material into his films. This exercise led to the regular novelty of storytelling – a north star Hitchcock followed throughout his 5 decades of a film career.
Mise-en-scène
A mise-en-scène is a technical term that denotes a flock of components that create a shot. The viewers may not keep an eye on all the components in a specific shot. However, amalgamating them can direct the audience to take the perspective of the film’s story in the way the director wants and engage with the content. For example, Hitchcock used mise-en-scène to develop the story’s suspense, climax, inquisitiveness and the image of his characters.
Subjects
Hitchcock preferred to center on subjects that orbit obsession and morale. As a result, Hitchcock’s movies were ruled by sub-topics like voyeurism, authority, death, sexuality, guilt, and family. The effect is quite similar to what spices and condiments have on Indian cooking or wine has in French jus – add depth. Additionally, it also helped him build an invisible bond with his audience.
Scripts
Through ground-breaking script-writing, Hitchcock could take control over the viewers. He often focused on the psychological description of his leading and secondary characters. For example – Voice took charge of the opening sequences in the movies “Rebecca” and “Shadow of a Doubt” to spread a depressing and mysterious shadow over the entire film.
Music
It isn’t easy to find other noteworthy filmmakers who have used music to set the scene’s emotion as Hitchcock. Many essay writers have studied the filmmaker’s concrete attention to music and its employment to build excitement, heighten tension, or create a climax. If one pays attention, it will become evident that the music enthrals almost all his film characters. Yet, as Edward Roth-stein of the New York Times highlight, it will not be wrong to say that even Hitchcock’s music is also an unmentioned character in his films.
Editing
Hitchcock believed that editing had a high effect on the film. For example, if one could use music at the right juncture to cut the film, it can set the mood of the scene or the entire film. A true example of editing can be observed in many titles – “Rope,” “Under Capricorn,” and “Sabotage” is just a few.
Acting
Undoubtedly Hitchcock was a very controlling director and hardly changed his vision on the set. Thus, there was the slightest opportunity for any actor to share inputs. However, he had high regard for an actor’s performance. However, though he often collaborated with the same actors on multiple projects, he led them in a tight reign providing no scope for improvisation or method acting.
Simple Stories
If one follows the lineage of films, one can observe that Hitchcock keeps his stories simple and linear with crisp scenes. Redundant, confusing or abstract stories are never a part of Hitchcock’s films. He knew that these elements would bore the audience. So instead, he rationalized his films to take full advantage of suspense.
Divergent Situations
One of the distinguishing features of Hitchcock’s films is his use of contrasting situations to stem tension in the film. He used two unrelated things simultaneously, one to build momentum and the other to interrupt it. For example, in Hitchcock’s 1956 film, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day can be seen amidst a tense phone call when guests arrive while smiling and teasing. However, the appearance of the carefree guests thwarts and complicates the natural momentum of the scene.
Camera Panning
Camera movement is one element that ropes visual storytelling, but it’s significant to consider why Hitchcock treasured it so much. First, he assumed that the camera should employ human qualities: it should travel and mischievously surf the room for anything significant.
By roaming a room and presenting object close-ups, the camera allowed the audience to observe convincing plot elements and appear to be a part of discovering the story. The significance of camera movement started in Hitchcock’s days of dealing with silent films, where he used to tell the story to the audience visually without using any sound.
To wrap up,
Awards are always motivational but do not validate the work the creator leaves behind. Alfred Hitchcock was an exemplary film-maker whose works were unnoticed by the presenters of various awards, even the Oscars and Academy. However, researching his film reels continues to provide new essay writers learning experiences and help learners discover a new element to film-making even after 30 years of his death.