Alfred Hitchcock On Evoking An Emotional Response

Alfred Hitchcock explains that when looking for material, he doesn't care about the content as much as he does about how how to handle the material to evoke an emotional response. (1970)

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[jugu1871]

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

[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.

[ShareTheMike]

@jugu1871 The medium is the message????

[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

[turkey1126]

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

[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

[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.

[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?

[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.