ALFRED HTICHCOCK POSTER
Here is my final image for my single photograph poster for ALFRED HITCHCOCK.
The layers of space in the image are due to the symbolism linked with Hitchcock and the mirror. The mirror is a symbol of dual identity, which is often portrayed in Hitchcock’s characters, while the mirror is also literally used in Psycho to visually represent these changing identities. Although Hitchcock also has dual identity’s, the one as a film maker where he creates very terrifying works, and his personal life were he repeatedly admits to being a coward. The cracked mirror is also very telling of foul play, as well as the myterious figure in the background. Hitchcock was often able to bring out the fright in the viewer by simply withholding information and letting their minds fill in the blanks. These blanks were often far worse then Hitchcock could ever imagine showing.
The name “Alfred Hitchcock” is seen in this poster on a roll of film. Photographed through a lens and camera, the same system Hitchcock devoted his life to, and made his fame. The line “THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE” was a title often attributed to him, and he would often live up to the title. These words are factured in the cracked mirror to show the spacial depth of the scene even though at times it seems as though we are only peering through a cracked plan of glass.
The image on the wall, are the initials “AR” these stand for Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville who was also a major part in his film making crew. She was known to have a keen sense of film editing, and was the only person to catch the actress swallowing in 4 frames while she lay in the shower in pyscho. I wanted to portray an aspect of Hitchcock’s life other than his films. Yet the intials are again represented in a way were information is withheld allowing the viewer to think and make their own interpretation of what the letters could mean. So if those are the initials of hitchcock’s wife who would that led the viewer to suspect the shadowed figure is? And was he the cause of the foul play that cracked the mirror?
a deeper look into the process on creation is to come really soon.
The creation of this image was very challenging to visualize and even more difficult to render. I started with the expected. In my initial sketches I had knives and shadows with bloody drains and film reels. All of these things were too cliche when placed together and although they probably DO communicate Alfred Hitchcock, I felt I could rely on my research and provide the viewer with an image that I feel truly represented him in a multitude of different ways. I started my research by reading biographies and trying to think of ways to visualize aspects of his personal life. Yet I feel this led me into a corner where all of my ideas focused more on the literal artifacts rather then the emotions Hitchcock was known to create inside his viewers. This is what led me to the ideas of foul play and mystery. These where the main topics I wanted to focus on through the completion of the poster. So after I had these topics I turned to watching Hitchcock’s cinematic work and tried to observed when and how he achieved these feelings in the viewer. Often he would use the lack of information to his advantage.
Also I wanted to focus on the conceptual application of his name and how I would implement it into the piece. I initially had the idea of the name on the film. A reference to his carerr, Alfred Hitchcock’s life being completely engulfed by film. So I cut the letters into the film for ny first draft. Yet I came to the conclusion that the application of not really adding anything conceptually. Then I came to the idea of producing the type the same way Hitchcock viewer a large portion of his life, through a lens. So I photographed his name mirrored and backwards as to have the developed film come out as typically readable. Not without a few true of course.
The as for taking the photo I had to set the camera up in a way were it was shooting the reflection of the mirror in a relatively flat manner but isn’t in the reflection its shooting. This took very precise angles and tedious slight movements. As for the title of the show “the master of suspense” wanted the type to be seen in the reflective plane so the viewer would not forget their looking through a mirror rather then a plane of glass. Yet retain its readibility of a title so it too was mirrored. The shadow of the figure was created with an over head projector.