Originally Posted by greatdarkwing

RIP Janet...

She was part of one of the most inventive and genius movie scenes in American Cinematography's history.

~Alex

Originally Posted by Lux

One of the greatest shots in cinema for me is the very end in the watch house. I think it's a track in, it's been so long since I've seen it, but I always remember the voice over. One of the only times when voice over is truly effective. I think Norman is slightly off-centre in the frame and his darting eyes just give me the chills, then of course the voice over says:

....I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..."

Straight after that there's a subliminal fade-in/fade-out superimposition. Before it cuts to her car being pulled out of the dam, it fades to a skull over Norman's face. Hitchcock couldn't leave his audience alone. They were already creeped out as it was, but just before the left the cinema he subliminally left them a message and I would theorise that this is the most lasting chill of them all, even though most don't notice it. A skull isn't necessarily as creepy as someone being stabbed to death, but the audience can't exactly place that final impact. Superimposition is a terrible technique in film, but of course, he could get away with it, and use it to his advantage.

Oh wait, this was about Janet Leigh. Yes, death is sad, but as Graham Chapman said, it's entirely overrated.

Originally Posted by Lux

Oh it's too easy. Anyone can shove in a dissolve or superimposition. It can be used in a clever way, and I obviously appreciated Hitchcock's use of it, but it's so cheap and easy. What's difficult is to make a clean cut transition. The superimposition, it's used in such a cheap way to represent what's happening in the mind usually. For me the best example of how a clean cut is so much more effective is in Easyrider (of course European cinema was using it this way long before but this is a great example). Particularly the flash forward to the helicopter shot, when they were in the whore house. Well the whole use of editing in the film really.

I could crap on but I just suddenly got tired and entirely lost interest in analysing, sorry.

Originally Posted by Lux

I did a bit of editing but had no patience for the software. Of course I never got so far as film editing, just straight digital from the deck. I enjoyed editing when I could actually edit but every other minute there'd be some sort of error so I promptly gave up. I prefer editing footage but actually sound design was quite interesting. The first time I ever did sound, I had 3 sessions in which to do it. The first two were spent trying to open the damn video, the second trying to figure out how to use the freakin patch bay and why the hell I was getting no sound through the microphone (one sneaky little setting and the whole session is wasted). But on the final session I had it all sorted out and went crazy. Ok maybe I went overboard but I seriously couldn't stop perfecting it. I must have been ok at it because it was apparently one of the better sound designs and I ended up only having about 4 hours to do it in.

Still, like every other person at film school I wanted to direct. Unlike every other person at film school I kicked out just before graduation having somehow been shoved into producing for most of the course. Freakin law degree almost. Actually I've directed since and the little doco was allegedly going to air, but it looked less and less likely. Now I got a callback giving me an airing date next month, so crisps and crackers all around.

Jesus Christ! Ahhh! I completely forgot. Thankyou. It's being compiled today and I need to provide credit lists and legal documents. F*ck I'm an idiot. You realise you just saved me from possibly having it withdrawn. Well thanks for the reminder. Irrationality is rampant. Cheerio!