Hanna Vance

ART 1010
Deborah Amend
North by Northwest (Hitchcock)
How has the creator of this film used light and cast shadow to move your eye?
The director Alfred Hitchcock uses his light and shadow brilliantly throughout the movie.

In the crop duster scene he uses the light to accentuate the hot sun and the shadows help

to define those lines. You can see the shadows of the cars, Thornhill, and also the shadow

of the plane which tells us that the plane is getting closer and closer. In the last major

scene in the movie, the monument chase scene, there is hardly any light and that is used

to create the setting. Hitchcock wants us to know that is its night time. The way the light

shines is coming from straight down and because it is so dim it tells us it’s coming from

the moon above. The darkness also creates intensity and scares us to see the dark space

below that they could possibly fall into as they are being chased.

Where is the center of interest found as the story moves from scene to scene?
The center of interest is found changing from different viewpoints and perspectives.

Hitchcock does a good job by using a lot of different cameras and editing them in a way

that flows and isn't boring. The scene in the fields looks dry and boring like there is not a

lot going on but by switching the center of interest in every scene it keeps the viewer

interested. Hitchcock also does this in the monument scene because he has Thornhill and

Elise in one corner running and then he shows the villains chasing them but as they get

closer and closer the center of interest becomes the saem rather than in different areas of

the frame.

Does the focal point move from one place to another to create a sense of tension or mystery?
 Yes, the focal point in both scenes changes for example by changing the points of views

of the cameras. By doing this you can create interest and perspective of the scene. In the

book it says that this technique is called “narrative editing”.(ch.8 pg.166) The shorts are

from different vantage points whether that be far away or close oup, both they draw your

attention to the focal points. When the crop duster scene occurs, the scenes switch from

Thornhills face to the plane coming towards him, then to the plane making it suspenseful

as he thinks if the plane is coming at him. In the monument scene Hitchcock switches the

scenes from all different angles to create tension. He flashes forth between the villains,

Elise and Thornhill, and the statues and ground below.

Where does the director want you to look?

Alfred Hitchcock is very good at directing and what you can notice is that he is very good

at making the audience look at specific things in the frame. At times he uses the rule of

thirds to focus the viewers attention to specific things in the frames. The first example is

when Thornhill gets off of the bus and is waiting on the side of the road for Kaplan. He is

on the left side of the frame and this draws attention to him in this scene. Then when the

other man is waiting on the other side of the road he is on the right side of the rule of

thirds and the negative space is what is in between them. For the scenes of them being

chased on the monument, the birds eye shots and the close up shots of his hands and their

faces creates an intense scene that makes you want to look at the characters and how

amazing it is that they escaped.

What occupies the negative space?

The negative space in the first scene with the crop duster is occupied by the fields and the

sky, and everything around him is dry land. The road sign, the fences, dirt roads, and corn

stalks all occupy this space. So when the cars and buses drive by they become the

positive space as well as Roger and the bystanders of the crash. The negative space in the

scene where they are being chased by the villains they are surrounded by the rushmore

faces and the negative space is the sky, the rocks, and they cliff blow them.

If it's a color film, ask yourself how color is used, and what it can tell you about the characters or

about the story.

Color is one of the varieties in which you can use cinematographic techniques to help

create life to your film. In the book it says that “color film is more complex than black

and white film, but similar with principle”.(ch.8 pg.152) The crop dusting scene using

dark colors in contrast to the lighter negative space to tell the viewer that they are

important. The woman is always wearing red, and in the last scene she is wearing red and

he is wearing white which helps draw attention to them as they are climbing down Mt.

Rushmore. I think that red is a good color for her because she plays the seductive flirty

character and Thornhill is always wearing white and grey because before he was involved

he was just a simple guy, so they use simple colors to describe his character.
References:

Fichner-Rathus Lois. (2013). Understanding Art 10th edition. Wadsworth Cengage

Learning.

Lehman E. Hitchcock. (1959). North by Northwest. [Film]. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.