Suspense With a Camera Read online

  “Bays has spent years studying and writing about the undisputed Master of Suspense. In this latest book, he takes his vast knowledge of Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense techniques and shows us how to make our scripts more suspenseful and how to increase tension and suspense in the editing room.”

  —PETER D. MARSHALL, filmmaker, author, Making the Magic Happen

  “Just as Jeffrey’s mother forced him to watch Rear Window as a teen, my mother said watch The Birds and I’m forever thankful to both mothers for doing so. Jeffrey Michael Bays is the ultimate expert regarding Hitchcock’s masterful filmmaking. Filmmakers, Hitchcock enthusiasts, film critics, and university media instructors like me need this book.”

  —LAURIE SCHEER, author, The Writer’s Advantage

  “Suspense with a Camera is the new filmmaking bible for any director who wants to gain access to Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful bag of tricks.”

  —ALEX FERRARI, Indie Film Hustle

  “An invaluable book for anyone looking to understand and master the fine art of filmmaking.”

  —STEVE LONGI, co-producer, Hacksaw Ridge

  “The insights provided are exemplary. Bays’ dissection and analysis of the Hitchcock craft should be mandatory reading for not just scholars of suspense, but for both aspiring and seasoned filmmakers hoping to hone their art by walking in the footsteps of the cinematic master.”

  —ADAM ROCHE, The Secret History of Hollywood podcast

  “Bays has written a great book. He understands suspense in all the ways many people gloss over. The camera, music, photography, how to use actors, and many more ways to create suspense are here. He digs deep, we come up rich.”

  —DAVE WATSON, author of Walkabout Undone; editor, “Movies Matter”

  “Bays has created a master class in suspense that is thorough, clear, and actionable. Suspense with a Camera is an essential read for modern filmmakers that reveals how to engage audiences through legendary director Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, time-tested techniques. By investigating cinema’s roots, the book serves as a powerful reminder of the wisdom that can be gained from studying the greats. It also suggests how the fundamentals of film could help chart a way forward for new forms of entertainment. There are valuable lessons here for every scholar and practitioner of film and future mediums.”

  —MICHAEL KOEHLER, founder, Lights Film School

  “Bays’ latest book deftly and confidently maneuvers between theory and craft—accomplishing the remarkable task of not only illustrating Hitchcock’s techniques but giving the reader a sense of how suspense works in general as well as the tools to implement it in their own films”

  —JOHN P. HESS, FilmmakerIQ

  “No one knows and understands Hitchcock’s train of thought better than Bays. Now that you are holding this book in your hands, walk to the front of the store and purchase this amazing resource. You will be very happy that you did.”

  —FORRIS DAY, JR., host, Rolling Tape

  “Whether you are making a no-budget film in your backyard or a huge studio blockbuster you need to read Suspense with a Camera first. Filled with practical information on shots, composition, movement, and story that is required reading no matter what your genre. An advanced college film course that fits in a backpack and you can take to set every day!”

  —WILLIAM C. MARTELL, writer, Hitchcock: Mastering Suspense

  “A manifesto for manipulating audiences. Bays makes the case for the essential nature of suspense as a filmmaking device, by positing a well-researched study that walks a tightrope between academia and practicality. Bays’ passion for Hitchcock and his techniques is so contagious, readers will have half a mind to set the book down and rush out to watch the entirety of Hitchcock’s catalog, so they may see for themselves all that is laid out here.”

  —CALEB HAMMOND, MovieMaker Magazine

  “Writers, directors, and editors of every genre can benefit from Jeffrey’s clear and practical breakdown of how to craft moments of suspense.”

  —ANGELA BOURASSA, founder, la-screenwriter.com

  SUSPENSE

  WITH A CAMERA

  - A FILMMAKER’S GUIDE TO -

  HITCHCOCK’S TECHNIQUES

  JEFFREY MICHAEL BAYS

  MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS

  Published by Michael Wiese Productions

  12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111

  Studio City, CA 91604

  (818) 379-8799, (818) 986-3408 (FAX)

  [email protected]

  www.mwp.com

  Cover design by Johnny Ink. www.johnnyink.com

  Interior design by William Morosi

  Copyediting by David Wright

  Printed by McNaughton & Gunn

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Copyright 2017 by Jeffrey Michael Bays

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Bays, Jeffrey Michael, 1977- author.

  Title: Suspense with the camera : A filmmaker’s guide to Hitchcock’s suspense techniques / Jeffrey Michael Bays.

  Description: Studio City : Michael Wiese Productions, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017012769 | ISBN 9781615932733

  Subjects: LCSH: Hitchcock, Alfred, 1899-1980--Criticism and interpretation. | Suspense in motion pictures, television, etc.

  Classification: LCC PN1998.3.H58 B38 2017 | DDC 791.4302/33092--dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017012769

  Printed on Recycled Stock

  CONTENTS

  FOREWORD

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

  INTRODUCTION

  PART ONE: DIGGING UP THE SUSPENSE

  1. Suspense

  2. The Triad of Secrets

  3. Suspense Models

  PART TWO: LEARNING THE VISUAL LANGUAGE

  4. Writing a Visual Sentence

  5. Syntax of Eyes, Hands & Feet

  6. Camera as a Musical Instrument

  PART THREE: THE DIRECTOR GAME

  7. Awakening the Storyteller

  8. Personified Shooting & Editing

  9. Lure Them with a Hitchcockian Opening

  PART FOUR: THE SOUND OF SUSPENSE

  10. Building a Soundscape

  11. The Role of Music in Suspense

  12. Inner Thoughts Aloud

  PART FIVE: SHARPEN THE CLARITY

  13. Carving a Clear Path of Audience Belief

  14. Clarity with Tension & Laughs

  15. Suspense Objects

  16. MacGuffin: The Side Effect of Suspense

  PART SIX: PLAYING WITH SPACE

  17. Locations that Push Story

  18. High Shots

  19. Building the Danger Off-Screen

  20. Characters that Catch Us Looking

  PART SEVEN: Q&A WITH FILM PRACTITIONERS

  21. “Bourne Identity” Editor Saar Klein

  22. “10 Cloverfield Lane” Director Dan Trachtenberg

  23. “Detour” Director William Dickerson

  24. “Captain Phillips” Director Paul Greengrass

  MAKING A LASTING IMPACT

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  APPENDIXES

  I. Hitchcock at a Glance

  II. The “Hitch 20”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

     FOREWORD

  BY FILM RIOT’S RYAN CONNOLLY

  MY FIRST HITCHCOCK EXPERIENCE was with Dial M for Murder (1954) during my early teenage years when a library card was like gold to me; not because I was an av
id reader, but because I discovered that you could borrow films for free! (Side note for anyone reading this: you still can.) Even at that age I loved classic cinema, but I was always grading on a curve considering the era in which they were made—until I discovered Hitchcock.

  Dial M completely blew me away. Here was this (at that time) forty-year-old film that still managed to hold me at the edge of my seat and pull me into the story just as much, if not more, than any film I had seen in recent memory. A classic film that was remarkable by any standard. After that, just like most, I faithfully worshiped at the cinematic alter of Hitchcock.

  I found a new education in film by reading about his methods, studying his films, and listening to his candid interviews. His outlook on cinema completely changed and molded how I see and approach filmmaking today. One of his biggest influences on me came from his extreme focus on crafting an experience for the audience. Hitchcock had an understanding of his audience like no one else, and a great respect for them too. That’s a characteristic summed up nicely in one of my favorite quotes of his: “A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it.”

  With that focus on providing a worthwhile experience for his audience, he mastered the art of drawing us in and filling us with suspense. He prolonged tension for the audience instead of just surprising them. Hitch believed that you can turn an ordinary conversation into something fascinating just by giving your audience a single piece of information. His example was, reveal to the audience that there is a bomb under a table where the conversation is taking place. Suddenly, what was a trivial chat is now the subject of great suspense. A recent example of this exact idea in practice is during the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009). A mild-tempered discussion is turned much tenser after the reveal of what’s hiding below the floorboards.

  From how he used his camera to how he crafted his story, the lessons of Hitchcock are invaluable and completely approachable. His genius wasn’t in the expensive set pieces or locations—it was in the handling of information. It was how he would move the camera at just the right time to reveal a character’s motivation, or show us a sequence of images to give us all the backstory we needed in just a few seconds. It was in the way he would make his villains charming and relatable instead of snarling monsters, or simply just let the audience know about the bomb under the table to heighten tension amidst the mundane. These are all lessons we can put into practice right now. No budget needed, just passion and whatever camera you have on you.

  Of course, I’m not alone in this opinion. It’s virtually impossible to dispute the indelible influence Hitchcock has had on filmmakers. With an incredible catalogue of films that have stood the test of time—from Rebecca (1940) to Marnie (1964), The Birds (1963), Notorious (1946), and my personal favorites Rear Window (1954), Dial M for Murder, Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), and of course Psycho (1960)—Hitchcock’s incredible understanding of both the art form and his audience defined modern cinema. So many filmmakers have been deeply influenced by Hitchcock. For instance, without him we wouldn’t have the same Spielberg, Scorsese, Fincher or De Palma (just to name a few).

  We are all, in one way or another, made up of the masters that came before us, influencing how we create. But Hitchcock is the one nearly all of us have drawn from—and rightfully so, as he is undisputedly one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, with methods that should be studied and deciphered. Luckily for you, you are holding a solid key into unlocking much of what made him the genius he was … so it’s time for me to shut up and let you get on with it.

  —Ryan Connolly, Film Riot

     ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A NUMBER OF PEOPLE were invaluable in helping me complete this book.

  I would like to first thank the contributors to our Hitch20 docu-series, without whom this book wouldn’t be possible: John P. Hess, William C. Martell, Forris Day, Jr., Ron Dawson, Matthew Stubstad, William Dickerson, Ben Stirek, Michael Winokur, Jordan Stone, Parker Mott, Adam Roche, Joel Gunz, Dr. Susan Smith, Jan Olsson, Leslie Coffin, Tony Lee Moral. Thanks also to those who help the series behind the scenes: Sidney Gottlieb, Ken Mogg, Dan Auiler, Chris Stone, and Dave Pattern. A big thanks to our series sponsors: Glidecam, Paralinx, Azden, Production Minds, and Michael Wiese Productions for keeping it going when times were tough. My thanks also to Zack Sharf of IndieWire and Kelly Leow of MovieMaker Magazine for the publicity, without which nobody would see the series or learn from Hitchcock’s works of TV.

  I’m also immensely grateful to those who have watched Hitch20, liked and shared it on social media, and encouraged us to continue producing the series. You inspire me with your feedback, always.

  My thanks to Saar Klein, Dan Trachtenberg, William Dickerson and Paul Greengrass for providing their Q&A at the back of the book.

  Much of this research would not have been possible without the La Trobe University library—such a great resource for any film scholar. Thanks to Gabrielle Murray, Anna Dzenis, and all the Cinema Studies lecturers at La Trobe University who inspired me with their wisdom while I did my Masters there.

  Much appreciation to Laila Aznar for the cartoons used in chapters 14 and 20, and to Aikira Chan for the Gestalt giraffe drawing in chapter 19.

  A big thanks to Michael Wiese and Ken Lee for the great books at Michael Wiese Productions, and for believing in this one. My thanks as well to fellow authors Kathy Fong Yoneda, Matt Lohr, Rona Edwards, and Laurie Scheer for your amazing support and encouragement along the way.

  Eternal gratitude to my good friends Luke Zimbler, Terrell Hess, and Josiah Scott for encouraging me to continue writing Hitchcock articles and making new YouTube videos.

  My love and thanks to my family for nourishing my passion for film, and letting me set sail on this journey. And of course, a special thanks to my mother for forcing me to watch Rear Window as a teen when I really didn’t want to—an act of fate that started it all.

  PERMISSIONS

  The author acknowledges the copyright owners of the motion pictures from which single frames have been used in this book for purposes of commentary, criticism, and scholarship under the Fair Use Doctrine.

     HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

  THIS BOOK IS INTENDED for a wide range of people, including:

    Aspiring filmmakers

    University film, video, or other media instructors and students

    Experienced filmmakers and screenwriters in search of clarity on “suspense making”

    Hitchcock enthusiasts seeking further appreciation of the master’s works and methods

    Film critics with curiosity on what to look for in a suspense film

  While the book is written to those with a script or camera in hand, hoping for guidance on how to make their current project more suspenseful, it can provide eye-opening insights to others as well. Here are some suggestions on how each group can utilize this book to the fullest:

    Aspiring filmmakers: If you’re just starting out, you should use this book in conjunction with other books on screenwriting and directing. And it doesn’t matter which genre your film fits into, it will benefit from suspense—as a way of luring the audience in and keeping them. I highly recommend Film Directing: Shot by Shot by Stephen Katz for his in-depth approach to shot selection and camera movement, as well as Directing Actors by Judith Weston for her advice on working with actors. I’m also a big fan of Robert McKee’s Story, which is a comprehensive and lucid approach to the craft of writing for the screen, as well as Story Is a Promise by Bill Johnson. It is assumed that you are already familiar with narrative terms like protagonist and antagonist, the basic three-act structure of modern scripts, and that you have a working knowledge of the differences between plot and story. We won’t spend a lot of time covering story in this book, so make sure you have a solid narrative before you start.

    University film, video, or other media instructors and studen
ts: If you teach or study at a college level, this book refers to great film examples that can be viewed as a companion to the concepts covered. Throughout you’ll find lists of films for suggested viewing that correspond to the topic at hand. While this is not an academic textbook, it does bridge the gap between film theory and film practice. You may find it refreshing to approach Hitchcock from a practitioner’s viewpoint rather than the typical auteur theories and scopophilic analysis commonly covered in academia. This book will guide students with concepts and techniques easy to incorporate into their next project.

    Experienced filmmakers and screenwriters: Even the seasoned filmmaker can find the task of directing a suspense film a bit daunting. In the interview at the end of this book, The Bourne Identity’s editor Saar Klein says, “much of Bourne was discovered in the editing room, which led to some reshoots, re-editing and some more reshoots.” It is common for films like The Bourne Identity to go through substantial transformations from the script to the editing phase. Tension and suspense tend to require a lot of experimentation and finesse in the editing room. With this book, you’ll be able to increase your confidence early, and put emotion-based ideas into a more concrete form, and therefore find it easier to work with in scripts, storyboards, and shot lists before the edit even happens.

    Hitchcock enthusiasts: Since this book is about suspense, naturally we turn to a lot of Alfred Hitchcock’s works. You’ll find seeing his works from a filmmaker’s perspective is an electrifying experience that will allow you to appreciate his genius that much more. It’s not uncommon for Hitchcock enthusiasts to decide to become filmmakers themselves—I certainly did. This book might be a good jumping-off point to inspire your creativity.

    Film critics: Often films are branded by their distributors as “Hitchcockian” with very little understanding of what that even means. For a critic, this book can be a useful guide to knowing what to look for in a suspense film and to having a deeper appreciation for the tricks of the trade that wind up feeling suspenseful on the screen. More importantly, this book may make it easier for you to describe why a film doesn’t work. You may also find that my distinctions between tension, suspense, and drama will be a useful guide in writing about those weird feelings that audiences feel—without morphing them into interchangeable terms.