Scene Analysis Over History- Murder Mystery

Movies

First Movie: Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock)

Blackmail - Alfred Hitchcock (1929)The film was intended as a silent but was converted into sound by strategic additions, including spoken dialogue, the murder victim’s piano-playing, with many others. One of the first Murder Mystery movies.Blackmail is a one of the first hybrid of silent and sound film. Having occasional silent sequences and some with additional sound on top. Also being a Film Noir with elements from Jack the Ripper, containing gothic horror.Despite being and experiment of using sound and dialogue together Alfred Hitchcock didn’t let the sound hamper the movies dialogue more than necessary.The greatest aspect of this movie that in an era where there is limitations in technological advances, Hitchcock use sounds and music with literal meaning , despite the sounds having static in the filming and sound.

Blackmail - Scene Analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3sOL_30nbw

The convention of this scene is the struggle of Alice who’s being raped by the actor, so to save herself, she stabs the actor (killing him). She leaves the body behind while trying erase possible clues to her being with the actor before his death.

The technical code are applied in this shot an example of this movie was the zoom in on Alice’s face too emphasis her shock of what she has done, showing her become scared. An example of using a symbolic code in the scene where Alice covers her name on the painting, showing that she’s thinking of covering up her involvement with the dead man.

In the beginning, an establishing shot is used to show the surroundings of the characters. Also to give the audience a feel of how the screen direction works; showing us where the characters are.

Continuity is shown by the maintenance of the 180 degree rule. Keeping the eye line of the characters, confirming that they are facing each other in the scene direction.

Shot reverse shot is applied to show who the character is talking to. This is emphasized by the dialogue inter-titles shown on screen, to show who’s talking and highlighting the crucial dialogue being said in the scene.

There are a lot of close up shots from the camera, to indicate the emotion of the character. It’s also used on the possible evidence of the murder, for example the name on the painting.

After starting production the British International pictures turning it into a sound film while filming. Both films where released together sound and silent. While the silent one went to theaters with no sound equipment.