The Hitchcock Rule and how to use it

When it comes to setting up a scene, the shot used are a huge part of telling your story to the viewer. Shots and how their used can really make a great film, conveying messages without much dialogue, and cluing the viewer in on the type of story taking place. For this reason, the Hitchcock Rule is one of the most referred rules in the art of filming.

The basic rules of the Hitchcock Rule are simple, the size of the objects shown on screen should be proportional to it's importance in the story. This means that a shot that is focused on, lets say a pepper, is conveying that the pepper is important to the story being told. If an object is not the focus of the story, but still gets a close up shot, this can confuse the audience and as a result is unneeded.

The rule also gives a purpose for each shot, and why it should be used in a story. For example, a wide shot is normally connected the the environment, and is used to set the scene and give the viewer a sense of where the story is taking place. A medium shot is used to establish a relationship, mostly with a person and an object, and may help to convey the intent of the character to the viewer. A close up is to establish detail in a shot. This can be an object that will come into play later, or is related to the story at hand.

The shots used in a film really help to tell a story, and as a result, need to be used right as to not confuse the viewer. This is the mistake amateur film makers make when filming their shots, and over use shots like close up for something that didn't need the focus. This points out the Hitchcock Rule, and explains it so that is easier to understand for beginning film makers to improve.

This video was really helpful to understanding when shots should be used, and why they are used in the first place. The examples that are used are also really simple and easy to apply to other works and help to improve the storytelling. I will defiantly be keeping this in mind when filming, and hopefully will be able apply these correctly.