Psycho Analysis

Psycho Analysis

The clip begins with Norman, who is the main character of the film, leading Marion into his small apartment attached to his office, were the scene is set. The room is filled with stuffed, dead animals (mostly birds) because taxidermy is Norman's hobby. It gives the sense of a creepy, dark edge to him as he surrounds himself with death but he comes across as a nice guy. 

One of the first camera technique's that is used, is a low angled shot of Norman which shows that he is in control and more dominant than Marion. In this shot, a bird with it's wings spread out, is directly placed behind Norman's head; birds of prey are mostly known for hunting which suggests another side to Norman. The furniture in his room is quite old fashioned which shows that he doesn't get many visitors and that he doesn't like change. The furniture also fills the room so that there's very little space to maneuver, which gives it the sense of isolation. 

Norman and Marion then sit down for supper, and whilst Marion eats, Norman studies her and compares her to a bird, 'you eat like a bird' which suggests that he might actually kill her - as he is interested in stuffing dead birds. In this part of the clip, the rule of thirds is used which enhances the distance between them both. The use of lighting is also important in this clip because it shows Marion sitting next to a lamp which shows that she is a positive person, but it shows Norman lurking in the shadows which suggests their is two sides to him, a nice, friendly Norman and a dark and shady Norman. Marion is also turned away from Norman, which shows that she is a bit weary of him and is uncomfortable. She soon becomes relaxed and at ease when they begin conversing with each other.

In the next part of the clip, we see Norman smiling at a bird that he stuffed which suggests that he is smiling at death. The bird and Norman are facing each other which instantly draws a connection between the two of them. There is a shadow on one side of his face which highlights the fact that he is schizophrenic and his body posture is uncomfortable as he has closed his hands, this could mean that he is hiding something. 

Norman's nice guy routine then drastically changes, as Marion brings up the topic of his mother, who he is very protective over. A low angled shot of Norman is used to show that he is in the dominant position, and also so that we can see the bird of prey in the background, this could represent how Norman is feeling at the time, which is killing Marion. The director then uses a close up on Norman's face to give the sense of being trapped and uncomfortable. A close up of Marion is then used, which shows that she is afraid and intimidated by Norman as he leans forward and invades her space, it also gives the sense of feeling trapped and worried.  

Marion then takes control, as she stands up to leave. A low angled shot of her shows that she has gained dominance and has the upper hand over Norman. In the background, there is a raven, which is a bird that symbolises death, that looks like it is on Marion's shoulder about to strike and kill Marion by attacking her neck. This is a visual signifier that Norman has decided to kill her.