Alfred Hitchcock On Evoking An Emotional Response

[turkey1126]

I knew he was a great filmmaker, but not that he was a complete badass

[spacejesusadventure]

Alfred Hitchcock. Genius. Storyteller. Director. Rapist. 

[sixamsedna]

Hitchcock was and IS a genius. What he's talking about makes perfect sense about his films. The apple analogy is a perfect example of this. It's like the scene in Psycho where the blonde is being followed by a car... It's just a scene of her being followed.. but the way it's told is so intense. Various shots, Herrmann's score. It all works in perfect harmony to create this incredible tension

[superkulmedkniv25]

"Who cares? I don't care myself."

Alfred Hitchcock.

[cheeriosinabowl]

Hitch was very skilled and talented at what he did. I often wonder how he would fare in today's upside-down world? Would his cinematic skills be appreciated in this day and age? Quantity has replaced quality in the 21st century.

Sidenote -- whenever I see a pic of Alfred Hitchcock, I immediately think of Sir Winston Churchill.

[lz2rini]

hitch was right. effective narrative is what is all about. new, 'important' subject matters do help in a p.r. sort of way, to publicize the movie. but that is marketing. what makes or breaks the film is how the story is handled. i don't mean adrenaline or cgi. hollywood gets that backwards b/c many people's jobs depend on these peripherals but it is the story, the characters and the way this is told that breaks the bank - or doesn't.

[DarkProphet94]

modern day example of what Hitchcock was talking about: Buried.

[silvpetros]

wanna be thrilled? browse in youtube for: the admirer - petros silvestros

good luck

[silverbud]

Obviously creating suspense makes one successful, but the best films for me contain more than that, because otherwise it is just entertainment.

By the way, Riefenstahl always said she was never interested in anything but good film making...

[futurestoryteller]

I don't subscribe to Hitchcock's philosophy, to be honest. But he's got so many awesome little 'I don't really give a crap' bits of knowledge that are just awesome to listen to. There's no definitive way to be a perfect film maker, but this stuff really works for him - and I can see why.

[TheDavelogan]

@futurestoryteller By saying you don't subscribe to his theory, are you stating that content is vital for you personally in a film as much as technique or more so?

[accebere]

@futurestoryteller that attitude CRACKS ME UP! XD

[dom902]

@futurestoryteller - I totally agree, substance over style everytime for me. But i suppose because Hitchcock only directed most his films thats why he has this point of view and to be fair, he was the master at this type of filmmaking. No 'non writer' director has came close since

[psyops1618]

the situation of the spectacle dependent on context

[smithhedgehog]

@psyops1618 who said this? :-)

[eggbertsmith]

Listening to him, one is reminded of Ridley Scott. Or perhaps, the other way round.

[Dekafirnated]

The Master has spoken!

[lz2rini]

he is saying that to make a good story is more important than anything else. a story about an important person or an important event is only as good as its execution.

[Jtp101z]

Alfred told them!

[wblackh]

I killed Michael Jackson.

[jugu1871]

How the story is told is more important than what the story is about.

[QualityControlTV]

@jugu1871 That's not true at all. The late, great James Brown said a person can be talking loud and not saying nothing.

Too many movies today look good but when you take away all of the "tricks" what do you have?

Great content should motivate great execution.

[jugu1871]

@QualityControlTV I believe you misunderstood me. I agree that many current films look pretty, but lack content. I simply meant that the topic is not as important as how the story is told. Great content is an implied necessity for great storytelling. A great storyteller can make a great story out of any topic.

If someone says, make a story about pickles. A great storyteller can use great content to tell a great story about pickles. Yet it is not the pickles that matter, it is the storytelling.

[tall32guy]

@jugu1871 Yup. You combine a really good way of telling the story and a great story on its own, and you have a VERY good combination! He married those two together many times, like any good director. :)

[TheAgwoodliffe]

@jugu1871 Probably best to have both ;)

[jugu1871]

@TheAgwoodliffe Indeed.

[impalabeeper]

@jugu1871

So true. For example The Birds, it is absurd when you think about it. Birds suddenly became aggressive towards humans but still the it became a classic masterpice of Hitchcock.

[Pirate7X]

@jugu1871 Excellent point. For example:

Storyteller #1--- ghost appeared and the family ran away screaming.

Storyteller #2 --- It was an eerie evening & the smell of wickedness scented the air...

What story would you rather hear?

[VisionFilms100]

@jugu1871 I think because the story can be great but you need to tell it in such a way that it is unique and entertains the audience and can really show the what the story is about

[ShareTheMike]

@jugu1871 The medium is the message????

[maidmoira]

i did not understand a thing he said

[slagcity]

read the plot

[eggbertsmith]

@maidmoira "I did not understand a thing he said" ----------

Dear sweet girl, that is because you are frightfully and overwhelmingly stupid, you naughty bird. However, what's more interesting, is your motivation to share that fact with the rest of the world.