Bare es eee a HITCHCOCK’S TECHNIQUESToots, the book serves as a pow gained from studying the great of film could help ch; ‘erful reminder of the wisdom that can be is. It also suggests how the fandamentals 2 fart a way forward for new forms of entertainment. There are valuable lessons here for every scholar and future medium: : . —Micuart Korsuer, founder, Lights Film School “Bays’ latest book deftly and confidently maneuvers between theory and craft—accomplishing the remarkable task of not only illustrating Hitchcock's techniques but giving the reader a sense of how suspense works in general as well as the tools to implement it in their own films.” JOHN P. Hess, FilmmakerlQ No one knows and understands Hitchcock’ train of thought better than Bays. Now that you are holding this book in your hands, walk to the front of the store and purchase this amazing resource. You will be very happy that you did.” —Fonnis Day, Ja., host, Rolling Tape “Whether you are making a no-budget film in your backyard or a huge studio blockbuster you need to read Suspense with a Gamera first, Filled with practical information on shots, composition, movement, and story that is required reading no matter what your genre. An advanced college film course that fits in a backpack and you can take to set every day!” WILLIAM C, Manrext, writer, Hitchcock: Mastering Suspense “A manifesto for manipulating audiences, Bays makes the case for che essen- tial nature of suspense as a filmmaking device, by positing a well-researched seudy that walks a tightrope between academia and practiality. Bays’ pas- sion for Hitchcock and his techniques is so contagious, readers will have half a mind to set the book down and rush out to watch the entirety of Hitchcock's catalog, so they may see for themselves all that is laid out here” —Cates HAMMOND, MovieMaker Magazine “Writers, directors, and editors of every genre can benefit from Jefffey’s cleat and practical breakdown of how to craft moments of suspense!” —Anorta Bourassa, founder, la-screenwriter.com SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA - A FILMMAKER’S GUIDE TO - HITCHEOCK’S TECHNIQUES dEFFREY MICHAEL BAYSPublished by Michael Wiese Productions 12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111 Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 379-8755, 18) 986-3408 FAX) mv @nwncom CONTENTS ‘wowrmimp.com. (Cover design by Johnny Ink. wwa:johnnyink-com Interior design by William Moros! Copyediting by David Wright Printed by McNaughton & Gunn Manafsctred inthe United States of America FOREWORD « Copyright 2017 by Jelirey Michael Bays | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. . All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any | HOWTO USE THIS. BOOK: INTRODUCTION - ‘means without permision in writing fom the auchor exept for the inclusion of beet ‘quotations in a review Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publiation Data Names: Bay, Jeffiey Michael, 1977- sethor ‘idle: Suspense withthe camera :A filmmaker’ guide to Hitchcock's suspense techniques / Jeffrey Michael Bays Description: Saadio City : Michael Wiese Productions, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2017012769 | ISBN 9781615932733 Subjects: LCSH: Hitchcock, Alifed, 1899-1980--Critiism and interpretation. | Suspenie in motion pictures, television, ete (Chusifeation: LCC PN1998.3.H58 B38 2017 | DDC 791.4302/33092--de23 LLC record available at hteps://leen loc, gov/2017012769 Printed on Recycled Stock x ESS Feo corossSUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mmm pays PART FOUR: THE SOUND OF SUSPENSE eerie CE UU NAD SUSEEN SE, 1D. Building a Soundscape ..... 5 a “119, UL, The Role of Music in Suspense, 127 12, Inner Thoughts Aloud s Bere (58. PART FIVE: SHARPEN THE CLARITY 413. Carving a Clear Path of Audience Belief - . 147 44. Clarity with Tension & Laughs «2.20.0... . eevee eee 1156 15. Suspense Objects eear eth 16. MacGulfin:TThe Side Effect of Suspense. : Sit PART SIX: PLAYING WITH SPACE 17, Locations that Push Story... . 4 Sisko 18. High Shots a ees 18, ‘Building che Danger OfFSereen . i 190 20, Characters that Catch Us Looking. ee 195 PART SEVEN: Q&A WITH FILM PRACTITIONERS: 21. “Bourne Identity” Editor Saar Klein E 22, “10 Cloverfield Lane” Director Dan Trachtenberg 23, “Detour” Director William Dickerson 24, “Captain Phillips” Director Paul Greengrass MAKING A LASTING IMPACT Bee... 220 BIBLIOGRAPHY : _ ayaa APPENDIXES 205 1. Hitchcock at a Glance . 5 228 II. The “Hitch 20" : Risa ABOUT THE AUTHOR, oot il 234 uw FOREWORD SS BY FILM RIOT'S RYAN CONNOLLY ee My sinst HITCHCOCK EXPERIENCE was with Dial M for Murder (1954) during my early teenage years when a library card was like gold to me; not because I was an avid reader, but because I discovered that you could borrow films for fie! (Side note cect ni can.) Even ee jin ona curve considering the 7a n: 1 covered Hitchcock. 5 alter of Hitchcock. | found a new education has films, and listeni completely changedSUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA sm Bays With that focus on providing a worthwhile experience for his audience, he mastered the art of drawing us in and filling us with suspense, He Prolonged tension for the audience instead of just surprising them, Hitch believed that you can turn an ordinary conversation into something fas- inating just by giving your audience a single piece of information. His example was, reveal to the audience that there is a bomb under a table where the conversation is taking place. Suddenly, what was a trivial chat is now the subject of great suspense. A recent example of this exact idea in practice is during the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino's Iuglouri= ous Basterds (2009). mild-tempered discussion is turned much tenser afier the reveal of what’ hiding below the floorboards From how he used his camera to how he crafted his story, the lessons of Hitchcock are invaluable and completely approachable. His genius wasn't in the expensive set pieces or locations—it was in the handling of information. It was how he would move the camera at just the right time to reveal a character's motivation, or show us a sequence of images to give us all the backstory we needed in just a few seconds. It was in the way he would make his villains charming and relatable instead of snarling monsters, or simply just let the audience know about the bomb under the table to heighten tension amidst the mundane. These are all lessons we can put into practice right now. No budget needed, just pas- sion and whatever camera you have on you. Of course, I'm not alone in this opinion. It virtually impossible to dis= pute the indelible influence Hitchcock has had on filmmakers. With an incredible catalogue of films that have stood the test of time—from. Rebecca (1940) to Marnie (1964), The Birds (1963), Notorious (1946), and my personal favorites Rear Window (1954), Dial M for Murder, Shadow of 4 Doubt (1943), Rope (1948), Strangers on a Tiain (1951), and of course Psycho (1960)—Hitchcock’s incredible understanding of both the art form and his audience defined modern cinema. So many filmmakers have been deeply influenced by Hitchcock. For instance, without him vm. FOREWORD ‘we wouldn't have the same Spielberg, Scorsese, Fincher or De Palma {just to mame a Few). We are all, in one way or another, made up of the masters that came before us, influencing how we create. But Hitchcack is the one nearly all of us have drawn from—and rightflly so, as he is undisputedly one ‘of the greatest filmmakers of all ime, with methods that should be stud ied and deciphered, Luckily for you, you are holding a sold key into unlocking much of Anat made him the genius he was . «so it’s time for me to shut up. you get on with it. —Ryan Connolly,ACKNOWLEOGMENTS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE were invaluable in helping me complete this book. 1 would like to first thank the contributors to our Hitch20 docu-series, without whom this book wouldn't be possible: John P. Hess, William C. ‘Martell, Forris Day,Jr., Ron Dawson, Matthew Stubstad, William Dick= erson, Ben Stirek, Michael Winokur, Jordan Stone, Parker Mott, Adam Roche, Joel Gunz, Dr. Susan Smith, Jan Olsson, Leslie Coffin, Tony Lee Moral. Thanks also to those who help the series behind the scenes: Sid ney Gottlieb, Ken Mogg, Dan Auiler, Chris Stone, and Dave Pattern, A big thanks co our series sponsors: Glidecam, Paralinx, Azden, Produc~ tion Minds, and Michael Wiese Productions for keeping it going when times were tough. My thanks also to Zack Sharf of IndieWire and Kelly Leow of MovieMaker Magazine for the publicity, without which nobody would sce the series or learn from Hitchcock’s works of TV. I'm also immensely grateful to those who have watched Hitch20, liked and shared it on social media, and encouraged us to continue produc= ing the series. You inspire me with your feedback, always ‘My thanks to Saar Klein, Dan Trachtenberg, William Dickerson and Paul Greengrass for providing their Q&A at the back of the book. Much of this research would not have been possible without the La Trobe University library—such a great resource for any film scholar. Thanks to Gabrielle Murray, Anna Dzenis, and all the Cinema Studies ACKNOWLEDBMENTS ecrurers at La Trobe University who inspired me with their wisdom awhile T did my Masters there ‘Much appreciation to Laila Aznar for the cartoons used in chapters 14 and 20, nd to Aikira Chan for the Gestalt giraffe drawing in chapter 19- ‘A big thanks to Michael Wiese and Ken Lee for the great books at ‘Michael Wiese Productions, and for believing in ehis one. My thanks as swell to fellow authors Kathy Fong Yoneda, Matt Lohr, Rona Edwards, and Laurie Scheer for your amazing support and encouragement along the way. Bternal gratitude (© my good friends Luke Zimbler, Terrell Hess, and [Josiah Scott for encouraging me to continue writing Hitchcock articles and making new YouTube videos. : ‘My love and thanks to my family for nourishing: and letting me set sail on this jo of co really didn’t want to—an act PERMISSIONS ‘The author acknowledges thCO en ne a. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Titts nook 15 INTENDED for a wide range of people, including: 4 Aspiring filmmakers 4 University film, video, or other media instructors and students 4 Experienced filmmakers and screenwriters in search of clarity on “suspense making” “4 Hitchcock enthusiasts secking further appreciation of the master’s works and methods 14 Film critics with curiosity on what to look for in a suspense film While the book is written to those with a script or camera in hand, hoping for guidance on how to make their current project more sus- pensefil, it can provide eye-opening insights to others as well. Here are some stuggestions on how each group can utilize this book to the fullest: 4 Aspiring filmmakers: If you're just starting out, you should use this book in conjunction with other books on screenwriting and directing. And it doesn’t matter which genre your film fits into, i will benefit from suspense—as a way of luring the audience in and keeping them. I highly recommend Film Directing: Shot by Shot by Stephen Katz for his in-depth approach to shot selection and camera movement, as well as Directing Actors by Judith Weston for her advice on working with actors. I'm also a big fan of Robert McKee’s Story, which is a comprehensive and lucid approach to the craft of writing for the screen, as well as Story Is a Promise by Bill wow To USE THIS B00K Johnson Iv is assumed that you are already familiar with narrative terms like protagonist and antagonist, the basic three-act strscture “of modern scripts, and that you have a working knowledge of the differences between plot and ston: We won't spend a lot of time covering story in this book, so make sure you have a solid narra- tive before you start “4 University film, video, or other media instructors and stu- dents: Ifyou teach or study at a college level, this book refers to arcat film examples that can be viewed as a companion to the con~ cepts covered. Throughout you'll find lists of films for suggested viewing that correspond to the topic at hand. While this is not an academic textbook, it does bridge the gap betwcen film theory and film practice. You may find it refreshing to approach Hitch- eee ‘This book will guide students to incorporate into their next: Experienced filmmakers and filmmaker can find the tsk of directsxiv. SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mmm gays It’s not uncommon for Hitchcock enthusiasts to decide to become filmmakers themselves—I certainly did, This book might be a good jumping-off point to inspire your creativity A Film critics: Often films are branded by their distributors as “Hitchcockian” with very little understanding of what that even means. For a critic, this book can be a useful guide to knowing what to look for in a suspense film and to having a deeper appre ciation for the tricks of the trade that wind up feeling suspenseful ‘on the screen. More importantly, this book may make it easier for you to describe why a film doesn’t work. You may also find that my distinctions berween tension, suspense, and drama will be a usefal guide in writing about those weird feelings that audiences feel— without morphing them into interchangeable terms. Even if you are none of the above, conceivably there are tricks t0 be learned that can translate into comic books, children’s books, radio drama, presentations, theater, and even novels. While the aspects of sus pense covered in this book are primarily for the movie camera, these concepts could be utilized in almost any creative endeavor, ‘My hope is that you will have fan and make some awesome movies! P y INTRODUCTION eT ET ——— You've Gor 4 Movie CAMERA and you want to learn how to keep your viewers in suspense. That’ what this book is for, and naturally we're going to turn to the works of the si ‘of Suspense ey Acer all, when it comes right down fee cock is famous for—making. When I travel around with m of filmmakers asking me for advice able energy and desire outSS lll mR Ss SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mmm gays The reason for this book is simple—you want your video, short film, or feature film to grab your audience, hold their attention, and keep them on the edge of their seats. You want them so enthralled by your story that they forget about Facebook and desperately follow every turn of the plot But suspense is just for the horror gemre, isn’t it? Not at all. Many people have a misconception or a false association between the word “suspense” and knives, blood, and screaming. One reason I wrote this book was to get beyond this cliché. I even use examples from a film you wouldn't even expect contains suspense: You've Got Mail. Comedies like that can have just as much suspense as Psycho. Suspense for the camera is about luring the audience into a secret world and creating a close bond with the director. [es different from writing suspense for a novel, because you have the added advantage of the mobile camera, Since film is primarily a visual medium, you can move the camera toward something simple in a scene, and use the space around the actor to evoke emotion. With the camera, you can point out visual plot secrets, even those that contradict the dialogue. Once the audience is lured into these secrets, you tease them with missed opportunities, close calls, and twists. The camera creates a visual dance between storyteller and audience that allows for the audience to feel engaged on a deeper level. I fear that a lot of really talented screenwriters and directors are miss ing out on key storytelling techniques because they hear “suspense” and turn their mind off to what is offered. Suspense is all about the audi- ence’s engagement with the film. All films need to engage the audience, regardless of genre. ‘But aren't there already’ a lot of Hitcheock books out there? Yes, cere are many, but while their focus is on the past, mine is written purely for the mod- ern filmmaker. While we go back and look at old films, we make them: relevant to a modern context. I include examples from recent movies xv InrRooucTION ime Identity, 1 Know What You Did Last Summer, 10 as well, like The Bow Captain Phillips. Be sure to read the Q&A section ‘Cloverfield Lane, and related to these films at the end of this book. I do encourage you to read other Hitchcock books as resources. The jinerview book Hitchock / Trufant by Frangois Truffaut is a great one, vind it vas certainly an inspiration for me early on, Sid Gotlieb’ col- Iections of interviews and writings ftom Hitchcock himself are a must ‘ead for anyone trying to learn his methods Hitchcock on Hitchock and “Aled Hitdack Intervicws. Dan Auiler Hitched’ Notebooks is a stannins drchival resource for getting into the mind of the Master of Suspense through storyboards, production letters, and transcripts of Hitchcock's meetings with actors. “These books are all primary sources, straight from ‘They scratch the surface, but the whole picsure is ‘much of what Hitchcock ssid to the p real advice to filmmakers, My book essence of how suspense is bbe an inspiration for any fi their current movie projeSUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA em Bays on I suddenly realized, "Wow, I'm really into this!” Rear Window seemed so real and hyper-present in the moment, This fascinated me. How did Hitchcock do that? That question launched me on a lifelong journey to find the answers. What started as a little checklist | wrote for myself while directing Offing David turned into a video, a website, and eventually grew into my docu- series Hitch20, an ebook, and then a traveling seminar. The more I did with this material, the more people flocked to it-There was a time that iy little essays were getting three thousand readers per day, and when the videos went up, many times that. The eagerness for chis material may come from modern filmmakers’ need co hold viewers’ attention in such. a fast-paced media consumer environment. T encourage you to watch our Hitch20 docu-series on YouTube as a companion to this book because it ineludes clips from many of the examples mentioned, Many of the exciting new ideas explored here PART O| e out of that series. With Hitch20, our team of filmmakers and NI sete ; DIGGING UP THE SUSPENSE ————— academics picked apart each of the twenty episodes of television that Hitchcock directed. We found that each episode was a goldmine of new insights into the way Hitchcock operated. Just when I thought there ‘was nothing new to learn from Hitchcock, this series uncovered about eighty percent of the contents of this book So let's get started. Grab your seript, shot lists, storyboards, and eamera, and let’ dig out the hidden suspense. I'm eager to see the great films this book inspires you to create. Email me your links to info(@borgs.coms. —Jeffiey Michael Bays (October 2017) avi.EL CHAPTER 1 SUSPENSE ee A ae Stony ISN'T ENOUGH, With so much competition out there today, and an omnipresent Iand= scape of media outlets, filmmakers ‘worry about one thing: How do I ep vinwers (if they actually manage tart sacing) engaged in my material? ‘The answer everyone falls back on ‘can just come up with a compelling board with your film. But the simple Suspense has nothing to do with | jing, Instead, iS that ching that | outcome of your movie. ls abouSUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mm Bays Yes, I'm talking about Alfred Hitchcock. Most people call him Hitch for short. You'll be hearing a lot about him in this book All age sem o love Hlich, whether tbe the lena ln eats ssuying fl in colge ore bby Boorse eae ; ie up with his TV show as a kid. 6 Most all of his works of film and television still hold up today for one reason: suspense, Suspense transcends time and era, and captures that raw universal human nature in all of us, Once you learn how to use it, you'll never look at storytelling quite the same again. LURING THE AUDIENCE AND KEEPING THEM Before getting the audience to feel suspense, you have to start by Turing them in and keeping them. I have boiled this down to three key ele- ments that all films must have in order to resonate with an audience. As a director setting sail on your new project, these are the three primary things you must consider: mood, momentum, and manipulation. wooo Firstly, a good film captures and delivers a mood, or a series of moods, As you may have read in my book Between the Scenes, shifting moods gives the audience a satisfying emotional change as a film progresses, Tr occurs to me that a great deal of film students and amateue filmmak- ers are driven to make films of their own because they're chasing after something—a vague feeling or aesthetic—that they enjoyed in their favorite movies. Fan fiction, afterall, is about recapturing the essence of a film you liked, say, about Star Wars or any classic film noir There's something romantic about re-creating that feeling you get when a detective in a fedora hat walks down a dark alley with a cigarette, You hear a voice-over with a sarcastic macho voice telling you about how his days of crime fighting are giving him the blues. Thats not story! But that ‘mood-setting effect has a profound impact on us, We're already hooked: 4 SUSPENSE logical studies have demonstrated that when we sit ‘ch a movie, our emotional state changes #0 emu= \d is a huge factor to consider tobea Recent psyehs down and wate Jace what's on the sere when designing your mood setter Jen. So yes, moot film. Your job as a storyteller is, first, MOMENTUM ‘plished a mood, you must propel things forward and (Once you've eval ‘ generate momentum. You may assume this means tory but chacs not the only way to get shings moving forward, [Nobody ever gets onto a zller coaster and asks,"OK. what the stony?” Of course not. There is no story on a roller coaster, but this doesnt stop tu from enjoying the ride, being jostled around safely at high speeds and Jecring gravity pull us forward. In movies, momentum—that forward feeling of anticipation —is gen- ‘erated by various things.Here aresome:Fa SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mmm ayy MANIPULATION Card tricks and magic acts work Audiences love being fooled! take it their ultimate goal. You k because we enjoy the art of tricks y twickery Moviemakers, too, must grasp this art and must manipulte your audience’ expects. proverbial trap doors, mirrors, sleights of hand, an audience to think, “I've been tricked, and [ ike je!” tions. Use red herrings, other gags to get your First manipulate what they know, and provoke them into w wonderin about whit they dont know Give your audience net an that the characters don't Know, let one character withhold a secret fom anoteor mead the audience with ae infomation Then clevesyreveng thi sce drama ay you ene aso ah Asa director you must play with the basic psychological need for clo- sure—that compelling itch to solve a puzzle. Just one more move and it will be solved. The audience—like a mouse—when trapped in a come pelling mental maze, must feel like they're on the cusp of the exit. But then, you have to give them a surprising new way out before they reach that exit, They will love the feeling that they've discovered a secret door or a cheat code to get past the expected outcome, Audiences want to be playfully manipulated and rricked. They need to feel thee ehe movie isn't just meandering randomly, that the events aren't just happening “because:” Audiences need the satisfaction that someone has an intelligent plan, that there's something profound to be learned from these events, and that the director bas found a way (0 outwit out skepticisnz aac! make us feel it unexpectedly. Ifyour film doesn’t manip- ulate, no amount of story is going to compensate. WHAT IS SUSPENSE? _WHAT IS SUSPENSEF susrense combines those basic elements of sings us to suspense. Suspense eat a ee entam, and manipulation ad set up gtpping i ood, momentum, that make audiences squir™. ringythe exact way cinema suspense works has been fin aanrmoint Saar Klein, editor of The Bourne Identity), "building aoanyyan intuitive proces thats hard to verbalize” Dan Taehrenbens, ee di tell when suspense s ‘ctor of 10 Cloverfield Lane, says it difficult to a fing during production. “When yee making one ofthese moy- sennone oft is sicy or suspensefil while you're shooting nor editing” jes none of ts soa (Gee our interviews in Patt Seven.) American film scholar Noél Carroll, slong with cognitive psychologists has long believed that suspense is dependent on a feeling of “uncer zy about che outcome of events. Film scholar Aaron Smuts seems to have debunked the whole idea, proving that uncertainty really isnt 2 part of ar all, He and film scholar David Bordwell became skep= tical while tying to solve the Paradox of Suspense by examining the fact chat repeated viewings dont have a duninihed {ngs of suspense. In some instances suspense eve time a film is watched. The motel office sc instance, between Marion Crane and the outcome (Smuts). ‘But Bordwell postulates that susp {in our autonomic systems—that instinee rather ehaet out hiSUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mmm pays moments of a game are enjoyed on repeat viewings simply because of their uniqueness, not based on knowledge of the final score. The fact that these unique moments will never occur again in future games in quite the same way makes them special enough to watch over and So if irs not about uncertainty then what is it about? Aaron Smuts says there's more to it, thae suspense is actually a frustration in the viewer, frustration that we can’t change the outcome, We can’t step in and help when things are going down dhe wrong path, Back to faothall—all you can do is cheer or yell atthe TV. “This explains why the most suspensefll Hitchcock scenes are moments where no one helps, and the audience is reminded that they are also unable to help. We're forced to watch and wait—in suspense, 4 A nextby policeman doesn’t try to rescue Alice while she’s being raped in Blackmail (1929). 4 We can't stop the brakeless car from speeding down the winding bill in Family Plt (1976) 4 We can't help Bruno pick up the lighter he’s dropped down the scorm drain in Strangers on a Tain (1951) That last one is especially interesting, because we fecl suspense even when the antagonist (the bad gay) needs help succeeding, Hitchcock \was able to call upon our rescue instinct and create situations where we are helpless to intervene. This feeling of frustration is big part of sus- pense, and of our enjoyment of it. Somehow ies entertaining for us to have these feelings provoked while watching a movie, So, in essence, suspense is about provoking that rescie instngt in all of us. When we see someone stepping in front of a bus, 9 @ child chasing 4 ball in front of a car, or a dog trapped in a river—we want to reach ‘out and save them: I take this a step farther in my docu-series Hiteh20, saying that the key to suspense is to set up secrets within che story that mustn't be a SUSPENSE characters. Pisting these characters against ‘revealing ehe secret—that’s where WE Bet s definition of suspense found out by the other che cusp of each other on ¢ cn foe. Vil have more things to add t© th ni about the difference betwee ee jut first, a work as-we go on. BI ijrama, and susPense TENSION & DRAMA VS. SUSPENSE Cec serpt you's wring oi youte proancing aed Ys 398 of vom and drana, maybe sill mising suspense: There ar€ mpOrAN! don ei erion- dana ad spent tb porn We ed aarrste sare we delineate dhe élferenee betwen hers became Hd vo coen used interchangeably and this ean get confusing: Lets pretend you're on a phone call with a cose fiend. the Line, oF there's something abnor bet ‘to focus on the inal goiig on that requires you to wank extra hard a eg ger are ‘wma isi your friend is telling you juiey gossip or getting psex WA ‘you about something. ‘That’ suspense. fe provokes alot if and when this will be resolve TENSION Tension is smaller and aimed right at your! ‘pense is that nagging « is he going to leti eprara SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA EE pays Another way to look at che difference is with a tightrope walker, Imagine the long rope stretched tight, creating enough tension 4g keep the wal dle and going to fa + secured and balanced. As he walks toward the mid. gins co wobble, suspense is that perpetual question: “Is he SUSPENSE ) La TENSION Figo 1.1 Suspense ian ovr queion shout the outcome made p of aller moments of easion, But, again, its not that uncertainty that generates suspense. Instead, its the fact that we can't reach in and catch him before he falls. It makes ‘our muscles freeze; our breath stops and we wait with our mouths open to see what happens, Ina film, tension (fig. 1.1) is the moment-by-moment feeling, of inten- sity created by the audiovisual artifice. Tension is created by the shot selection, the editing thythm, the music, the sounds, and every other artistic element that goes into a scene to make it feel bold and tactile. Tension is synthesized and imposed onto the narrative through the choice of camera placement/movement and editing. Constricting space and time in the shots and pacing of the edits can increase tension. See chapters 6 and 14 for more about this. DRAMA Drama is different from suspense and tension because it is an emo- tion that derives from conflict between characters and environment. 40. SUSPENSE to easily jdsay drama isa form of tension as well, but we need ‘You could say dra it for the purposes of this discussion. ‘Drama is made ee oe character conflict, and all of those narrative elements thafoge Beats 1d to learning in film school ye are Use ve. When the actors debate with cama is generated through the narrative = Drama F fhis takes on the drama of the stage, relieved by plot revel Sa changes, and surprise twists. Dramatic tension js inc scene chat ! Foe ee cetoech of the desired relief delayed or complicated by when the approack plor points or antagonistic Forces am Constricting space and ae en ones ot for example,a ticking clock count an explosio ae sae wed to ineresse drama, Thats not atomatcally sospense, but you can turn that ticking clock into suspense in the way is weted. More on that tee, ; ‘Tension, rama and suspense are easy to confuse Because they a similar feelings and they do work her’ They are all present at d= ferent times throughout rr we'll be focusing primarily thing for other books to tSUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mm pays Here are the basic steps for creating suspense in your film, 1. Plant secrets 2. Build close calls 3. Sleight of hand Suspense in film is about planting a secret within your story-world, and then building in some close-call moments to tease the audience about that secret getting ous, At the end of te suspense sequence, which my bbea short scene or span across an entire film, you'll want to pull a magi- cian’s sleight of hand in a surprise twist. That ticking bomb scenario only becomes suspense ifsomeone doesn't know about it. If everyone in the film knows about the timer and is just racing quickly to beat it—that’s not suspense. The distinction is in whether the bomb itself is a secret that must be discovered before STEP 1: START PLANTING SECRETS In order to start constructing a framework for suspense in your film, you must first have a hidden secret. Person A is hiding something. This secret is an essential piece of information in your story that you use to manipulate the audience, First, reveal the secret to the audience, and then create a moment with. another character from whom the secret must be concealed. The most basic form of this is: Person A lies to Person B A lie primes the audience. Once the lie is told to another character it immediately piques ous attention, We think, “Oh, she just lied to him!” This calls upon our basic human instincts to make judgments about both the person lying and the person being lied to. It sets up an open chasm in your storytelling ride that demands closure. SUSPENSE the seeret knowledge makes the audience feel special, to this secret that no one else knows. leasure of receiving gossip, importantly been given access that basic human pl Most that they have ‘This activates ‘example, when the lie i t audience and Person A. oesn’t have to be the protagonist either, In Hitchcock’ agonist,a German captain, lies about lies about having extra In the above jl to Pesson B, a bond is formed bpeeween the ‘And Person A ‘joa (1944), for example, the a ‘or of things. He lies about having a compass iyater fies about the course they vamera moves onto his compass, watel dc, Hitcheock shows us these secrets be! We ako get incressed enjoyment through the "These are secrets that only awe know about, shift the entire plot in another direction. ‘As the audience, we a Jead the protagonists into eF that hell do che sight thi ofthe audience. should take. Through special obviows hing him secretly drinking water, ore the captain lies about them. captain's poker-faced grin. and if they get out could Once the audience is Tu ‘out (fig. 1.2). That is, want to happen, but of special dua en}SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA mmm BAYS Close-call moments are the : y to suspense and activating our frustrated rescue instinct. As Bordwell «aid, in the moment of suspense our auto~ omic nervous system is activated. In a way, we feel a close-call moment asa live event happening in real time. In J, Confess (1953) an innocene priest is on trial for murder, He knows who the real killer is and could reveal it at any time to save his own hide, Bur the priest must protect this secret because it was revealed to him in the confessional box. By the time we get to the tral, Hitchcock has buile up such momentum around this secret thar we desperately want the priest to spill the beans during the trial and save himself The scene action shots of the killer, anticipating, exposure at any moment. Ie never happens, and the close call is thwarted, for now. o & tit Figure 1.2.4 cance wits asecethies he sore rm oser charters Suspene eigen = is filled with nervous the sere gt cloner and loser to expose. By creating entertaining scenes that set up delicious opportunities for the secret to be exposed, you heighten the suspense. Going back to the tightrope analogy, a man is balancing on a high wits and the suspense question is: Will he fall? The next thing you want ‘© ddo as the storyteller is to begin to answer this question but withhold the answer at the last minute, thus teasing the audience. m4. SUSPENSE and he struggles to keep his balance on the ‘The man begins to wobble and iigaiwtasThe questions Ben provoked and intensified as seas nan wobbles farther, Within moments, the man recovers his bal- lance. Boy, that was close! sment is essential in increasing suspense. It kept “Acthat was close!” mor ‘har nagging fea alive, plus it gave the audience the enjoyment of a near-miss In the gambling world, there’ a thing psychologists have discovered ‘where a gambler will become addicted after an almost-win (Reid). “When three lemons come up on the slot machine, but not the winning fourth, the player perceives this almost-win asa lucky streak. He contin= ues playing even more intently, believing that he is closer to winning on the next round. This near-miss effect leads te addiction. New- determine that of the brain,errs anaes SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA sm pays Bere an Music onl I patir cam be desired by the brain, it mus play hand to get ites us when males our aulitoy carte: srg 0 uncover If the music 100 obvious, if ie patterns are alas present, i is ingly boing Ths is why compovers introduce the toni ote the Begin thn sudionsly avoid t until the end The longer we are denied the pattern we expec, the greater the emotional release when the pate d sound. (Wited 2010) That’ a lot like how good suspense works in the movies, t00.TThe film suggests a pattern of events that play “hard to get” teasing us with close 1g closure. The longer we are denied the closure we e when it finally resolves. calls, yer de expect, the g STEP 3: SLEIGHT OF HAND Creating suspense isn’t fn for the viewer unless its resolved and real closure is provided. Once the suspense has been maximized in your film, you actually should provide closure to reward the audience for hanging on for so long, Otherwise the suspense will be wasted and they prob- ably won't want to watch the film again, Closure should never turn out the way that’s expected. The sur prise twist is the best way to satisfy this closure, just like a magician’s sleight of hand. A magician makes you think he has put the coin into his left hand, even though it is still in his right hand. He pays so much attention to the empty left hand that he convinces you that the coin is there, Dur ing this distraction, his right hand can do nearly anything unnoticed. Even the most hard-nosed skeptic will be surprised when the magician opens his left hand co reveal it is empty, and then opens his right hand to reveal the coin Magic works because audiences love being fooled. They know this going in, There is an unspoken agreement between audience and magi- cian that he will fool them. The pleasure his audience members gain 16. SUSPENSE Jan will outwit their mes through the clever ways the magician fo a ei gyal ser oomentexgecttins of the aan mind: isa form of trickery. When a cenit comes right down to it, suspense is @ ica Fra iyo sight of and, you tend 0 gig Even Hy ab theres some tick, Youre sil impressed that e was able fo pull jean front of your eyes without you noticing, That feling of sur~ prise when you find out you've Deen fooled —thats classic storytelling. so in the previous example, the tightrope walker wobbles and begins i last minute the cam- to fill, Ie looks like it all over for him. Ac the ‘ca seveals that this entire time the rope has only been two feet off the sind, He stumbles onto the ground unharmed. We get a simultane= a sigh ae we've been fooled.SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA m= BAYS the audience knows more than the characters do, it creates an entertain ing frustration that they can't affect the outcome: ‘Take these two examples and decide which one is more suspensefil Example 1:A toddler has just learned to walk and his parents have pur him on a moving treadmill as a joke, The child gleefully steps along at the right pace to stay on. Then he gets a litte too brave and walks backwards. This slows him down and he nearly falls off the of the treadmill, Just at the last minute he spins back walks quickly to catch up. Example 2:A woman cteeps up 2 dark staircase. Her feet soffly and clegantly step, her trembling hand steadies herself on the railing, If only she had a flashlight, she could see. A wolf howls in the dis continues to climb until she gets to the top of the staits tance. SI and slowly peers around the corner. Nov I think a lot of people would buy into all the dark imagery of Example 2 and believe thac it was the more suspensefl of the two, Most likely, howeve dler in Example 1.Why? the audience is going to be more invested in the tod- all, we know nothing about the woman. There's no story, no he’s walking into a dark unknown, First of y, and nothing is revealed. S empath « exercise of synthetic tension but does noth- Its a very flat, meaning! fing to tell us why we should care. The toddler, on the other hand, has an obvious close call: We know hhis parents have set him up on this treadmill, and that it probably isn 4 good idea, Even though he is successful at walking on the ereadall there is a‘“thae was close!” moment. He alos falls off, and most ikely sd when he doesn't fall, but he could have gotten injured, We are relieves could still fll at any moment, His safety is uncertain. 1B, SUSPENSE stain, oo, but we don’t know what the dan= 1d set by howling wolves, dark lighting, and salb her? Will a serial killer pop out ‘more, there's no real “the woman’ safer i unce ger It jst a vague moos Bird noises, Is a ghost going 10 gi 1 knife? Is she delusional? Until we find out od setting in place of suspense building. ‘ene makes no mention of lighting. There are situation, swith suspense. This is mo Notice that the toddler se Jo wolves oF shadows. The suspense is there because of the in spite of the mood. tn onder to build real suspense into the staircase scenario, you'd want te show the audience whats around the corner. Plant the seed ofa real threat that is unbeknownst co the woman. Then have the woman noncha~ lantly walk up the stairs without a care in the world. This now becomes and then build in some “ ence about that secret gel hheightened suspense, you! surprise twist that leaves tl come didn’t occur5 are | a SUSPENSE SUSPENSE WITH A CAMERA comm gays SUGGESTED VIEWING 4 Lifeboat (1944) 4 1, Confess (1953) FURTHER READING Auiler, Dan 2001. Hichoock’s Notebooks: An Authorized and Illusrated Look Inside the Creative Mind of Alfred Hitchcock, Harper Collins, NewYork, Bays, Jeffrey 2015. “Filmmakers: Does Story Really Matter?” Medium.com blog. Bordwell, David 2007. “This Is Your Brain on Movies, Maybe,” David Bordwells Website on Cinema, wu davidborduell net Cleland, Jane 2016. Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot, EXW Media, Ohio. Lehrer, Jonah 2010. “The Science of Eavesdropping,” Wired (9/10/10) Reid, R.L. 1986." The Psychology of the Near Miss,” Journal of Gam= bling Behaviour, 2 , 32-39. University of Exeter, England, Schickel, Richard 1973. The Men Who Made the Movies: Hitchock, The ‘American Cinematheque TV series ‘Smuts, Aaron, “The Paradox of Suspense,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Wulff, Hans J. & Jenzowsky, Stefan 2000. “Suspense/Tension Research of the Film,” Mediensvissenschafi: Rezensionen (13,1, 1996, pp. 12-21). 20.