Film Directing Fundamentals, 4th Edition

Chapter 15Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious

Overview of Style and Design

Alfred Hitchock’s Notorious, used for examples of various principles and techniques in previous chapters, bears further analysis in regard to the overall design of a complete film.

Camera as Active Narrator

Hitchcock’s design calls for an active narrator: a camera that can move away from the “ordinary” 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 comprehended 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—in the ...