"How long can you hold a camera on a kiss?"
"Twenty to twenty-five minutes."
Then Hitchcock added, "But first I would place a bomb under the bed."
Discuss.
"How long can you hold a camera on a kiss?"
"Twenty to twenty-five minutes."
Then Hitchcock added, "But first I would place a bomb under the bed."
Discuss.
He once gave the distinction between suspense and surprise.
A bomb goes off under a table in a restaurant. — surprise
You know there's a bomb under the table that will go off at noon and you're watching the hands of the clock moving. — suspense
He once gave the distinction between suspense and surprise.
A bomb goes off under a table in a restaurant. — surprise
A surprise is simply an unexpected twist. Once the surprise unfolds, the story goes in a different direction, but other than that one change, nothing really changes.
With suspense, the character is aware of something, and thus bases everything on the basis of that (i.e. How does this detail impact this bigger plot). Since many of potential insights are completely unrelated, they provide a wide variety of red-herrings or false-leads, which never pan out, but what the lead character might miss flavors his every decision, and thus each insight changes the rest of the book in utterly unexpected ways.
The examples of this are the man who's already been poisoned, and thus is investigating his own death before he dies, or the romantic character who knows his wife/girlfriend is interested in someone, but doesn't know who, or if she will or won't, or even why, and thus he starts questioning everything she says and does, trying to unravel the mystery.
The surprises are easy to write, as they don't take a lot of work. The suspense takes a LOT of work, and completely changes the entire course of the book, on a frequent basis, so fewer authors will even attempt it!
Suspense isn't about what the characters know. It's about what the audience knows, and in many cases the characters don't.
Suspense isn't about what the characters know. It's about what the audience knows, and in many cases the characters don't.
That works in film, where the camera can simply capture a ticking bomb under the table, but it quickly becomes problematic in fiction, as you'd have to figure out how to present the 'unknowable' information.
in fiction, as you'd have to figure out how to present the 'unknowable' information.
In omniscient, the narrator tells the reader.
In 3rd-limited multiple, you have a scene from the bad guy's POV planting the bomb.
In 1st-person — not a good POV for that.
He once gave the distinction between suspense and surprise.
Surprise, you're standing on the footpath and a shoe falls from above to hit the footpath beside you and it makes you jump. Suspense is the period where you stand looking up while watching for the second shoe to arrive.
He was the master of cliff hangers. I think most of his were very subtle, almost to the point where they could be overlooked.
Made some great films, and one awful mistake.
Who in their right mind gets Janet Leigh naked and wet in a shower, and instead of capturing her timeless beauty decides to add an annoying soundtrack and a silly knife..!!
Who in their right mind gets Janet Leigh naked and wet in a shower,
I believe it was a double, not her.
Who in their right mind gets Janet Leigh naked and wet in a shower, and instead of capturing her timeless beauty decides to add an annoying soundtrack and a silly knife..!!
In those days while the cameras often implied nudity they usually had all relevant parts covered with strategically placed materials. Many wore body stockings that starts low down the back.
In those days while the cameras often implied nudity they usually had all relevant parts covered with strategically placed materials. Many wore body stockings that starts low down the back.
Same goes for you, my imagination, my rules, you and Switch Blayde are ruining a perfectly good fantasy with your factual interuptions.
Same goes for you, my imagination, my rules,
Hey, there's a few films out there with a really topless Alyssa Milano if you're after that sort of stuff.
if you're after that sort of stuff.
I can see a woman topless by just looking into my bedroom mirror.
But i'm not Janet Leigh and neither is Miss Milano. Now if you had suggested Jean Simmons (especially 'A Big Country') that's another matter entirely.
Though thank you for the kind suggestion.
Who in their right mind gets Janet Leigh naked and wet in a shower, and instead of capturing her timeless beauty decides to add an annoying soundtrack and a silly knife..!!
While Janet was never, uh, revealed on screen, at least her daughter (Jamie Lee Curtis) was. I'm satisfied with that.
While Janet was never, uh, revealed on screen, at least her daughter (Jamie Lee Curtis) was. I'm satisfied with that.
Easily pleased, huh? *grin*
In my imagination the tree was just as beautiful as the apple, so no, I'm not settling for just JLC, a girl can dream.. Can't she?