5. Hitchcock and North by North West

Key Terms and Concepts:

Hitchcock used a technique called storyboarding, which are frame drawings of the shots in a script. this technique made films considerably easier to edit b/c you knew exactly what and how you wanted a particular shot.
Albert J. LaValley made a reconstruction of a sequence taken directly from Hitchcock's North by Northwest, which is from his volume Focus on Hitchcock.
In the reconstruction of the scene where the main character is waiting to meet someone but ends up being chased by a plane, it explains every shot including: the angle, the transition, what and who is in the shot, and whatever actions is occurring during the shot.
Although a series of long shots can be used, each shot can give off a different affect on the audience by the length of each shot, the main focus of each shot, and the action in each shot.
Repetitive short length shots can give off a sense of anxiety
Repetitive long length shots can give off a sense of suspense in a way that it shows that the story is building up to something.

Storyboard of the cropduster scene in North By Northwest (p. 192 - 198)

First board is of an establishing shot of an empty road which a bus drives into.
Then the character(Thornhill) steps out and is waiting on the road.
There are various, lengthy shots revealing the bland surroundings and watching him restlessly waiting.
Many ELSs that emphasize the emptiness of the road. For every shot of the road and the entire surroundings, there is a cut to the reaction shot of Thornhill.
A car then shows up slowly and then a truck, both of which we see Thornhill react to, wondering if this car or the next is Kaplan’s. He ends up only getting dust in his eyes.
Another car appears only now it stops at a stop sign, puzzled and curious, Thornhill waits to see what happens.

Films Referenced

North by Northwest

Critical Questions for Review with Answers

Answers

It should give a sense of restlessness and anxiety, even suspense just as the character seems to feel. Through the use of lengthy shots of the same surroundings, especially in the beginning, you feel like you are waiting for something big to happen. But as the shots get shorter and there are more action shots, it feels very busy and even hectic.
The first half contains most of the lengthy ELSs that give a sense of suspense as Thornhill is waiting for Kaplan. But the second half has much more action, with closer, shorter shots and cuts.

Links-

Get more details about North by Northwest
Further information on the relationship of Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock and their collaboration in Suspicion, Notorious, To Catch a Thief, and North by Northwest
Tips on how to storyboard

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Understanding Film