'Psycho' by Gus Van Sant - Opening Scene

The scene begins quite slow, without too many jumpy actions or fast cutting. The camera pans through the rooms following her and into the shower room. When in the shower, the camera focuses on a low angle shot, facing up to the shower head. This is a mysterious shot as it makes you think. It adds the mystery of what is going on when the camera is focusing on this. It gives the effect of if the camera is hiding something, or someone. It adds suspense to the scene.

Next, the cuts still continue at this point to be slow, and not much is going on, as it continues the scene by looking at her, then the shower head, repeating. Then it cuts to an incredibly composed shot. She situated on the left hand side of the screen and the rest is the shower curtain. The music starts to build at this point and it zooms in on what seems to be an object moving behind the shower curtain. As the zoom comes to an end, the curtain is ripped back and reveals the murderer. Because of the zoom it the killer takes up the whole of the screen. This is brilliant as it shows the power of the killer and also frightens you. It then turns to the women for an extreme close up on her mouth to show the scream she lets out.

As the scene progresses the cuts get extremely quick. The music becomes thicker textured and louder and the camera begins to use new angles. This is all to add to the effect of the killing, and to show chaos of the murder taking place.  There are many shots of the killer, yet things are always hiding the face, and never clear who it is. For example, the showers water, her hair, the angle of the shot. This is all to add to the mysteriousness of who the killer is. After many shots there is one from a high angle, where the women in the shower is being repeatedly stabbed. This angle is used to show she is hopeless, and nothing can help her. Also to show the power of the killer.

Near the end of the scene, there is a very unusual shot of the sky. This is to mirror the trauma that is happening inside the shower room. Also, the best shot of this scene I think, is when the blood is flowing down the drain. This mirrors life draining away. This then fades into an eye shot, were the camera is spinning, to then resemble the water. A brilliant shot as it is incredibly thought out.

Through out the whole scene, the music is very cliché for a thriller movie. Using the long notes on the violins for the build up, then a pulse for when the action is happening. Although very cliché, adds the perfect suspense.

This scene itself has over 70 shots within it. And for only about 45 seconds long, it is a masterpiece and very well thought out. The shots, the music, the angles and the editing all work well to put this scene of inspirational work together.