Blog Post 6: Rope

           In Alfred Hitchcock's film Rope, he uses camera placement and various shots to evoke different types responses from the audience throughout the film.

           In the opening scene, Hitchcock uses a long shot (LS) of a city street to establish the location of the film and to help orientate the audience. As the camera begins to rise, we hear a man scream offscreen in an one of the apartments. This shot explains that a man was just murdered in a busy neighborhood in broad daylight which initiates the whole plot of the movie.

           This medium shot (MS) is what we see immediately after the initial opening long shot. This medium shot gives us the vital information that a man has just been killed by two other men, Brandon and Philip. It gives the audience the knowledge that these men just committed murder and will spend the rest of the film trying to cover it up.

           This close-up shot (CU) took place in the final scene when James Stewart discovers the truth that these men committed murder. The rope he is holding is the murder weapon that the men used and is an important detail. It evokes regret and dread in Brandon and Philip once they discover that they have been found out.