Film Directing Fundamentals, 2nd Edition

Chapter 13

Alfred Hitchcock'S Notorious

Overview of Style and Design

Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious, used for the purpose of examples of various principles and techniques in previous chapters, bears inspection in regard to many aspects of filmmaking.

Camera as Active Narrator

Hitchcock's design calls for an active narrator: a camera that can move away from the “ordinary” in order to draw our attention to the essence of the moment — to what is vital to the audience's appreciation of the story. This is often the case in films that have crucial plot points that absolutely must be apprehended by the audience.

Hitchcock introduces the camera (narrator) that can go off on its own — needing no motivation other than the fact that it knows what is important ...