J: So if you had shown an establishing shot of the mud slide from above at the beginning, that would have dissipated all the suspense? You would have shown the Mud Monster too early?
W: I believe that’s correct.
J: The very last shot of the film is the establishing shot, essentially.
W: Exactly!
J: You’ve done many things to make Jackson likeable as a protagonist, including his mock news report from the future and a rant against California weather. How important was humor to the sustainability of this story?
W: Humor is incredibly important for both the audience and the character. The audience needs the relief and the character needs a self-defense mechanism. There is a lot of truth to that cliché, when things are bad we don’t know “whether to laugh or cry.” Well, sometimes, we need to laugh, to make light of the darkness, in order to keep our heads above water. This is exactly what Jackson does. In order to think clearly, he must not sink into despair—and the way he does that is with humor, making jokes to himself, etc.
J: It reminds me of Cast Away where Tom Hanks is trapped on an island. Any influence?
W: Of course. That was the benchmark—how to make one guy in a car as engaging as one guy on an island. The way the filmmakers personified the volleyball, “Wilson,” into a character was a wonderful device through which the main character was able to channel his thoughts and emotions. In a different, but also similar, way, we used the iPhone as Jackson’s outlet through which to channel his thoughts and emotions. When the iPhone dies near the end of the film, and he’s forced to leave it behind, that was a significantly difficult moment for his character—it was incredibly emotional.
J: At least in Cast Away there was beautiful tropical scenery! Detour is just full of brown, intrusive dirt.
W: Indeed. Not even Tom Hanks himself could withstand that kind of situation for more than a couple of days!
J: Lastly, I want to ask about music in your film. The score was quite effective in adding emotional depth in the opening scenes. Then it’s used more sparingly as time goes on. What was your strategy for using music?
W: I think sound design and score go hand in hand. I wanted the design—the manifestation of the “Mud Monster” sound—to merge with the score. For instance, some creaks and crunches sound musical, and at times, the music transforms into creaks and crunches. I worked closely with both the sound designer and composer to merge these two worlds, and as a result, enhance and fatten up the sonic landscape. The situation in which Jackson finds himself is overwhelming, and I wanted the sound to do the heavy lifting to convey that.
J: Were there moments in the film you definitely didn’t want to use music at all?
W: I did not start out limiting myself in that regard. I knew there would be a pretty wall-to-wall soundscape throughout, but I didn’t know where I would have design vs. where I would have score until it was cut together.
J: At the end, the recorded song played as he decides to dig his way out—very powerful.
W: I always knew that I wanted to use Look at Them by Guided by Voices for the end credits. Even when writing the script. The minimalistic and repetitious chord progression and sparse lyrics are lonely and overwhelming, and you can’t beat the opening line: “It’s crippling never really knowing …”
J: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk about Detour.
W: The pleasure is all mine, Jeffrey. Cheers!
CHAPTER 24
“CAPTAIN PHILLIPS” DIRECTOR PAUL GREENGRASS
PAUL GREENGRASS is a British director, screenwriter, and producer. His films include three of the “Bourne” thrillers—Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum and most recently Jason Bourne—all starring Matt Damon. He also directed Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks; United 93, based on the events of 9/11; the Iraq-war film Green Zone, also starring Matt Damon; and Bloody Sunday, depicting the 1972 civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland, in which thirteen unarmed civilians were shot dead by British soldiers. He also directed the TV films The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, The Fix, The One That Got Away, and Open Fire.
The success of the “Bourne” franchise is due in large part to Paul Greengrass, who directed three of the films. I’m always amazed by those films, in their intricate detail among the chaos, and how they’re able to pull the audience along. They’re so captivating that you forget you’re watching a movie! I was able to ask Greengrass about his approach to shot selection, editing rhythms, and Hitchcock.
JEFFREY: Thanks so much for sharing your insights on directing suspense. Among today’s directors I think you’ve most skillfully mastered the art of tension and release. How important are moments of calm in a thriller?
PAUL: Very important. It’s like a piece of music. There need to be moments where you build, and moments where you subside. The storm and the calm. And there has to be an inner architecture to the piece that governs when you push and when you hold back.
J: Studies show that today’s films are framed much closer, and the shots are on screen for a much shorter time than, say, fifty years ago…
P: Well, the birth of the Avid, the ability to manipulate a digital image rather than cut a piece of film on a bench—that’s probably the key reason. Plus I’d say there’s been a general fashion for distressed images, linked to the use of personal cell phones. People, especially young people, want images that feel like those they’re used to making, sending and receiving of their own accord.
J: Much of your Bourne films involve cat and mouse chases. How much of a typical chase scene is actually detailed in the script? What’s your process for putting a chase together in terms of shot selection?
P: Well, a lot of it has to be planned. The sequences are so long, so detailed, that you have to spend months planning them. But as with filming generally, there comes a time when planning gives way to the reality of shooting. And then of course you’re looking for those moments, those details that just happen—they’re gold dust!
J: Would you say that your work is influenced by Alfred Hitchcock? What was your first experience watching a Hitchcock film?
P: Well, I’d say there’s no director alive that hasn’t been influenced to some degree by Hitchcock. His mastery of suspense, his joyous command of techniques, his subtle integration of shot, performance, sound and editing is astonishing, no matter how many times you watch them. I first watched The Birds, then The 39 Steps, and then … and still love them today!
J: Hitchcock often said that suspense is heightened when the audience knows more than the characters on screen. Captain Phillips has great moments like this—in the opening sequence the audience knows about the pirates’ plans well before Phillips (Tom Hanks) does. That makes the first attack tremendously engaging. Do you consciously calculate the audience’s point of view when directing, or is it instinct?
P: Well, yes, you do. But to be honest not in a calculating way, if that makes sense. What I mean is, understanding point of view, who has it and why and what that means, is something that is inherent in film language. So you’re always aware of it, and using it. But hopefully it’s so part of your literacy that it becomes second nature and instinctive … if that makes sense.
J: Lastly, what advice do you have for first-time directors making a suspense film? If you could go back in time and give advice to the thirty-year-old Paul …
P: Study the masters. Always study the masters. They’re the master because they invented the craft.
J: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk about your work! Much appreciated.
P: Thank you!
MAKING A LASTING IMPACT
THINK OF THAT MOVIE CAMERA you have sitting on your shelf. For such a small little box it contains so much power. Your camera has the power to move audiences, to make them laugh and sweat and go on epic adventures. All you need is a few actors, some objects, and an interesting location and you can create suspenseful content that audiences will never forget.
Wh
ile many of Hitchcock’s suspense techniques have trickled down through new generations of filmmakers, there’s a real risk of them being lost. Even though his films still resonate today, as time goes on, I fear younger filmmakers will lose sight of the brilliant craftsmanship behind his works. They may feel an arrogant sense that it’s all out of date. His ideas about suspense, humor, and camera orchestration may quietly slip into history.
You can prevent that from happening. You can teach your colleagues and mentees about everything in this book. You can incorporate these concepts into your own films, teach your own classes, write your own books, dig deeper and spread the word. As media technology advances, you can find new ways to make use of Hitchcock’s time-tested techniques.
What about virtual reality? In the next several decades we’ll see changes in moviegoing formats, a continued merger of gaming and cinema. Interactive holodeck-esque storytelling may become a dominant form of entertainment. Suspense techniques will be an important element in making those interactive stories gripping.
Imagine stepping into a virtual reality world. Within view is a window with a clear view of a couple arguing inside. You step toward the window, trying to make sense of the conflict. They notice you watching and start to freak out. Realizing you can be seen, you run and hide behind a bush. Another character approaches the house carrying a document. You stay behind the bush so as not to be seen. Then you notice that he has dropped an object behind him. You’re enticed to pick it up. Do you give it back to him? Suddenly you’re engulfed in a story of secrets that grabs you.
With directors like Dan Trachtenberg citing his strong influence from the computer-gaming world, it’s clear that the audience/director game and the prominence of suspense objects in the visual narrative will become central to VR storytelling, combined with all the other Hitchcock tricks—humor, secrets, simplicity, sound design, etc. How will camera orchestration find its way into VR? The clever storyteller will figure that out.
Hitchcock’s techniques are well poised to survive, regardless of the popular theatrical format of the time. It’s becoming even more obvious that he was a true pioneer of the suspense craft—something that goes far beyond the flat two-dimensional screen he used. Something that will live through the ages.
Hitchcock enthusiast Joel Gunz likes to say that Hitchcock was the Shakespeare of the twentieth century. That’s a bold statement. Will it be true? Will people still be talking about Hitchcock five hundred years from now? Will his films still be examined in high schools in the year 2517 along with Romeo & Juliet?
Here’s hoping.
Thanks for reading.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Auiler, Dan 2001. Hitchcock’s Notebooks: An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the Creative Mind of Alfred Hitchcock, Harper Collins, New York.
Bays, Jeffrey 2004–14. Film Techniques of Alfred Hitchcock, website, Borgus.com.
Bays, Jeffrey 2013. How to Turn Your Boring Movie into a Hitchcock Thriller, Borgus Productions.
Bays, Jeffrey 2014. Between the Scenes, Michael Wiese Productions.
Bays, Jeffrey 2014–17. Hitch20, web-series,YouTube.
Bays, Jeffrey 2015. “Filmmakers: Does Story Really Matter?” Medium.com blog.
Belton, J 1999. “Awkward Transitions: Hitchcock’s Blackmail and the Dynamics of Early Film Sound,” The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 83 No. 2, pp. 227–246.
Bogdanovich, Peter 1997. Who the Devil Made It, Ballantine Books, New York.
Bordwell, David 2007. “This Is Your Brain on Movies, Maybe,” David Bordwell’s Website on Cinema, www.davidbordwell.net.
Cavett, Dick 1972. The Dick Cavett Show, ABC.
Chatman, Seymour 1978. Story and Discourse, Cornell University Press, New York.
Cleland, Jane 2016. Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot, F+W Media, Ohio.
Condon, Paul and Sangster, Jim 1999. The Complete Hitchcock, Virgin Publishing Ltd., London.
Duncan, Paul 2003. Hitchcock: Architect of Anxiety, Taschen, Hohenzollernring 53, Köln.
Gottlieb, Sidney 1997. Hitchcock on Hitchcock: Selected Writings and Interviews, University of California Press, Los Angeles.
Gottlieb, Sidney 2003. Alfred Hitchcock: Interviews, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson.
Hitchcock, Alfred 1937. “My Own Methods,” Sight and Sound, accessed online Sept 2013: http://www.hitchcockwiki.com.
Kapsis, Robert 1992. Hitchcock: The Making of a Reputation, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Kuleshov, Lev 1929 (trans. 1974). Art of Cinema, Berkeley, University of California Press.
Lehrer, Jonah 2010. “The Science of Eavesdropping,” Wired (9/10/10).
Leitch, Thomas 1991. Find the Director and Other Hitchcock Games, University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Markle, Fletcher 1964. “Telescope: A Talk with Hitchcock Parts I and II,” Canadian Broadcasting Center.
Martell, William 2013. Hitchcock: Experiments in Terror, First Strike Productions.
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Smith, Susan 2000. Hitchcock: Suspense, Humour and Tone, British Film Institute, London.
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APPENDIXES
APPENDIX I
HITCHCOCK AT A GLANCE
ALFRED JOSEPH HITCHCOCK’S life and career is full of surprises. I’ve compiled some simple factoids and points of interest for easy reference.
KNOWN FOR
Popularizing the film term “MacGuffin” (See chapter 16)
His Bomb Theory of audience-centric suspense (See chapter 2)
Storyboarding every shot before production begins
His signature silhouette drawing (See chapter 7)
On-camera introductions to nearly 400 weekly TV episodes
Cameo appearances in nearly all of his fifty-two films
“Master of Suspense”—the term is likely his own creation
HIS INFLUENCES
Hitchcock was at the right time and place to have diverging influences at the very beginning of film history. While British, he worked with a German team and American team before directing his first film. He also blossomed as a director at the transition between silent and sound cinema. Among his early influences were:
German Expressionists (Murnau, Lang, Lubitsch)
Russian Formalists (Vertov, Kuleshov, Eisenstein, Pudovkin)
Americans (D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin)
British stage plays
His wife, Alma, a film editor
BIOGRAPHICAL POINTS OF INTEREST
Hitchcock’s teenage experience in publicity and advertising su
rely paved the way for creating his own lucrative branding image that propelled his directing career.
Born: August 13, 1899
Age 15: First job at Henley’s Telegraph Works (manufacturers and installers of telegraph cable and accessories)
Worked in Henley’s sales and publicity for 3 years
Age 18: Moved to advertising at Henley’s as graphic designer
Paramount opens a nearby London film studio in 1919
Age 20: First film job was title card designer for Paramount (UK)
Title designer, set designer, 1st assistant director, and producer for 6 years
Age 26: First film as director, The Pleasure Garden
Age 27: Draws first silhouette for publicity
Age 27: Set up public relations firm Hitchcock Baker Productions
Age 29: Directs the first British sound film, Blackmail
By age 38 he was referred to as “Alfred the Great,” “England’s Greatest Director,” and “one of the greatest directors in motion pictures.”
Age 40: Moved to the United States after he was famous
Age 40: Academy Award-nominated Best Director, Rebecca, which wins Best Picture
Age 44: Academy Award-nominated Best Director, Lifeboat
Age 45: Academy Award-nominated Best Director, Spellbound
Age 54: Academy Award-nominated Best Director, Rear Window
Age 54: Directs his only 3D movie, Dial M For Murder
Age 56: Emmy Award-nominated Best Director, “The Case of Mr. Pelham”
Age 59: Emmy Award-nominated Best Director, “Lamb to the Slaughter”
Age 60: Directs his most popular movie, Psycho
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