Outline for Essay 1- Formalist or Ideological Theory?

Main Argument:
In the 1960s, two very different approaches to film theory evolved. In the United States, Ideological Film Theory was mainly used, by focusing on the overall film in its entirety and by comparing it to issues in the real world. The British utilized the Formalist Approach by viewing films one scene or shot at a time and analyzing the film’s effects, such as lighting, editing, and camera angles, to describe how this scene would relate to the rest of the film. By looking inward first, then towards the overall picture, the Formalist Theory to me this is the most effective way to study film.


Claim 1:
In Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the scene where Norman and Marion eat dinner and talk depicts a strong mise-en-scene and decoupage in the camera placement and props, such as the birds in the scene. These attribute to the Formalist Theory and help us analyze the small scenes of the film first.
Example: The camera looks up at Norman as we look up to a bird that is sitting or soaring above us, while when focused on Marion, the camera is directly in front of her with no angle at all.

Support: An article analyzing mise-en-scene and Psycho

Claim 2:
There are many instances of repetition in this scene, which is common in the Formalist Approach.
Example: As Norman keeps mentioning his work with birds, we begin to see a correlation with how he perceives Marion. At one point he states that she eats like a bird.

Support: Analysis of Psycho

Claim 3:
In all Formalist Approaches, there lies a deeper meaning to the film’s effects and sends the audience clues and hints for the rest of the movie.
Example: The way in which Norman talks about how everyone goes insane at some point in their lives and how people would perceive his mother in an insane institution gives the insight that Norman had lost his mind and drifted away from reality before this scene

Support: Perkins’ Film as Film and Wood’s article