Psycho Scene Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

Screenshot from the point at which the audience can
see the figure of the murderer in the shower curtain.

Most noticeable is the effective use of non-deigetic sound for this scene i.e. the backing track which characters cannot hear.  To begin with the sound is calm and in a state of equilibrium when the woman is writing a letter. This then starts to change and distort when she enters the shower, it continues to change as the viewer can begin to see the shadow of the murderer in the shower curtain. The sound completely changes when the curtain opens and villain is shown, it goes to a sharp high pitched striking sound, it is the audio representation of the knife which the murderer is using. The use of this non-diegetic sound is to keep the audience in suspense for the whole scene making them feel unsettled and convey a sense of disequilibrium (Todorov's Narrative Theory). Once the murderer had killed the victim and left the apartment the music then begins to return to the original state of equilibrium as the tension has passed. Since there is no dialogue in the scene the clip relies totally on sounds & it's famous backing track.

The use of the weapon (knife) adds to the effect of the scene. With it being a manual weapon it gives more effect to the scene by adding suspense, 'will the character manage to fight back?' It also gives us the silhouette of the murder from when he opens the shower curtain, shocking the audience, this would not have the same dramatic climax if the weapon of choice was a gun.

Close up shot of the villain, his face is hidden in
the shadows to add mystery to the scene.

There is also a use of black and white to connotate who is good and evil. It is clear from the use of shadows who is the villain character (according to Propp's Character Types). It is clear from the scene that the woman is the victim. Even when he pulls the shower curtain you cannot see his true identity as his face is hidden from the light, by doing this is gives him an element of mystery,  it allows the viewers to be held in suspense as to who he could be.

Close up shot typically used to convey emotion of
the character.

The use of camera angles is additionally a key aspect of the scene. The use of the high angle of the woman when she is in the shower signifies her as the victim. A high angle shot is used to make the character in view appear vulnerable, it can also foreshadow that there will be a disturbance of the narrative. The other camera angle which is significant is towards the end of the scene where there is a use of an extreme close up as the camera then pans away to show her face. This use of a close up is to convey emotion (i.e. fear) to the audience, it suggests to them that the character is dead without actually saying or showing any gore.