More ideas I have gathered about turning a film into a Hitchcock thriller

Mind the audience
- Nothing in the scene is more important than how it is going to effect the viewer
- The content must engage them and reel them in

Emotion
- Emotion is the ultimate goal in each scene
- This comes directly from the actors eyes
- the intensity depend on how close or faraway the camera is from the actors eyes
- A sudden cut from wide to close up can give the audiences a surprise

The Camera
- It should take on human qualities as if it is apart of the action
- It should roam around the room playfully looking for something suspicious

Dialogue means nothing
- One character must be preoccupied with something during a dialogue scene. Their eyes can then be distracted while the other person doesn't notice

POV editing
- Close up of actor
- cut to what they are seeing
- cut back to the actor to show response visually
- This explains emotions without using dialogue

Montage editing gives you control
- A careful selection of shots, often of hands, faces in close up or trivial objects to tell a story
- hide parts of the action so the minds of the audience are engaged
- Any time something important happens show it in close ups

Keep the story simple
- Use a simplistic linear story that audiences can easily follow
- Everything in your screen play must be streamlined to allow for maximum dramatic impact

Characters must break cliche
- Make your characters the opposite of what one expects in a film, if there is a dumb blond, make her hyper intelligent, if there is a cuban man, make him french

Use humour to add tension
- Pretend you are playing a practical joke on the main character in the movie
- give him the most ironic situations to deal with the worst possible thing that could go wrong

Two things happening at once
- These two things should be contrasting and causing the audience to follow the momentum of one and be distracted by the other
- The other should usually be a humorous distraction

Suspense is information
- Showing the audience what the characters don't see (something that is usually about to harm the characters)
- constant reminders of this looming danger will cause suspense

Surprise and twist
- Once you've built your audience into gripping suspense the story must never end the way they expect it to
- lead them in one direction then pull the rug out from beneath them

Use a Mcguffin