Hitchcock's The Birds - Continuity

This video is an extract from Alfred Hitchcock's horror/thriller film "The Birds", the scene is a great example of continuity, where a minimum amount of shots are used yet they have a great effect on the audience because of good continuity.

There is a total of 18 shots in this scene, with six different types of shots. The camera is positioned as follows;

1 - Establishing Shot (tracking)

2 - Mid-shot
3 - Mid-Long shot (tracking)
4 - Low angle mid-shot
5 - Mid-shot (changing to long shot as character moves away)
6 - Mid-shot
7 - Close-up
8 - Medium Close-up
9 - Mid-shot
10 - Medium close-up
11 - Close-up (dead mans feet)
12 - Medium close-up
13 - Long Shot (Point of View shot)
14 - Mid-Shot
15 - Close-up
16 - Medium Close-up
17 - Long shot
18 - Low angle close-up (character runs towards camera)

At the very beginning of the scene, the main character opens the door to let herself into the house, this is where the camera goes from a mid-shot outside the front of the house to a medium long shot from inside the house. When the camera switches, as the scene happens, it is very precise on when it cuts and begins again, showing good continuity.

When the main character slowly enters the room that is ruined and has a dead man on the floor, there is  al lot of change from the camera. It begins from some mid shots of the room, these show what the character is seeing, the state of the room, then it goes to medium close-ups of the main character, with reaction shots, they show her emotions and expressions to what she and the audience has just seen. The shots follow every part of the room and every reaction that goes with it, this gives good continuity and helps reveal the story in a more interesting way for the audience.


The editing in this sequence gives a good flow and continuity to it. The audience are able to follow a more realistic unfolding of events, this can help them feel what the character is feeling and really engage with the plot. For example, when she first enters the house, and it is evident that nobody is home, the characters confusion is also felt by the audience, as they begin to ask questions about what events could have happened at the house.

Also if you look at the movement of the camera when unveiling the room with the dead man inside it, the small chunks of information that the character gets with each look of the room, is exactly what the audience get, making them empathize with the character more. This is also my favorite part of the scene, mostly because of the tension built by slowly uncovering parts of the room and having simple, yet effective reaction shots to accompany it.