Main Argument: Using the first scene in Norman Bates’ parlor from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) as an example, I believe that the Formalist Approach to be the most effective method of studying film because it considers all aspects of the scene in context rather than simply the shots independently.
Background:
Ideological Approach:
- Claim: In an ideological approach to film analysis, Eisenstein believed that meaning was derived from the relationship between successive shots, rather than from the shots in relation to the rest of the film.
- Support: Sergei Eisenstein article "The Dramaturgy of Film Form"
Formalist Approach:
- Claim: In a synthetic approach to film analysis, V.F. Perkins argues that it is important to look at all the contents of a moment or scene within the context of the entire film.
- Support: V.F. Perkins article
Which one?- Formalist Approach
- Claim: While it may elicit emotions from the spectator, simply analyzing the "collision" of shots in a montage disregards the context of the scene in relation to the narrative and the rest of the film. I believe the Formalist Approach to be the more effective method of studying film because it is important to consider the moment or scene of a film not just in relation to the outside world, but within the context of the film in which it resides.
- Support: V.F. Perkins article and detailed scene analysis from film
Film Analysis: Psycho
- Claim: I believe the Formalist Approach is more effective when analyzing the first scene in Norman Bates' parlor from the film.
- Support: detailed analysis from film
Good organization and progression from claim to claim. I know from your other blog posts that your essay will be engaging and well thought-out. I especially like your claim, "While it may elicit emotions from the spectator, simply analyzing the "collision" of shots in a montage disregards the context of the scene in relation to the narrative and the rest of the film." Keep working on this...I think it will prove to be interesting!
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