Think you’ve got your head wrapped around Psycho? Put your knowledge to
the test. Good luck — the Stickman is counting on you!
Q. Bernard Hermann, the conductor, had a small budget for Psycho. How did he deal with this?
He kept the music very soft.
He scored as much of the film as he could, but then left the remainder without any music.
He used only a string section with no other instruments.
He went into massive cost overruns, which is why the movie had to be shot in black and white.
Q. To get the shower scene where the water seems to flow around the cameras, Hitchcock
used a specially made tiny camera.
used a specially made large showerhead.
shot the showerhead from very far away.
used a system of weights and pullies.
Q. During the shower scene, the production had to have heightened security because
Hitchcock didn't want anyone to know that Janet Leigh's character was killed off.
Leigh was mostly naked, and it was important to prevent strangers from seeing her.
Tony Perkins was excitable, and Hitchcock was afraid he would hurt someone with the knife.
There were credible threats of alien invasion.
Q. Why did Hitchcock self-finance the film rather than having Paramount finance it?
He didn't want Paramount to know he was shooting it.
Hitchcock self-financed all his films.
It was Hitchcock's first feature.
Paramount, the company he usually worked with, did not believe in the film.
Q. In the Arbogast murder scene, actor Martin Balsam
actually falls down the stairs, to land on a cushion.
fell down four or five steps, and then the footage was looped.
is sitting still and spinning his arms against a moving background.
is shot from a canon.