Film Directing Fundamentals, 4th Edition

Chapter 6Camera in Notorious Patio Scene

Hitchcock “covers” the scene economically, using 13 camera setups to obtain 32 shots constituting the edited scene. We will discover that each shot has a specific function—from “merely” rendering the action to articulating it.

There are two camera setups in the first dramatic block (Figure 6-1): one to take Devlin to the Patio, the second to take Alicia. Looking at the film, it might seem as if the camera was in the same position for each shot because both end their panning with an almost similar frame. But if you look closely, the camera for Alicia has been moved to create an angle that supplies more energy to her entrance. She “bursts” into the living room, reflecting her enthusiastic expectation. This ...