mwarner's blog

Without a doubt, visual design is one of the most important and influential aspects of a successful film. Elements such as set design, lighting, composition, and camera angles all go into making a film look realistic and entertaining. One film that is often highly regarded as far as set design is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Rear Window. Often viewed as one of Hitchcock’s best films, Rear Window uses many elements of lighting, and more importantly, set design and camera angles to create the suspenseful thriller that Hitchcock is so well associated with.
Rear Window is a fascinating, as well as groundbreaking and innovative picture as far as set design. The entire film was shot within one giant set, constructed on a sound stage. The set consisted of LB Jeffries’ apartment, the buildings surrounding his, a common area in between, and a street behind the set. The entire picture is shot in this set, and every shot outside of Jeffries’ apartment is shot out of his window. This element is key to the success of the story, as well as making the viewer feel a part of the film. In the film, Jeffries is confined a wheelchair in his apartment with a badly broken leg. Hitchcock masterfully uses the set design and camera angles to also confine the camera to Jeffries’ apartment. By doing this, Hitchcock gives the viewer the feeling that they too cannot leave the apartment.
Another key element to the film’s set design is the use of the lighting. In the film, almost no additional lighting is used. Because the story takes entirely indoor, almost all of the light comes from lamps from around Jeffries’ apartment. The only other source of lighting comes from the one window in the apartment, from which the rest of the film is viewed. All lighting on the outside of Jeffries’ apartment, either comes from within the other apartments, or from daylight. Hitchcock’s use of lighting in the film makes the story even more believable and interesting, making the viewer feel part of the story being portrayed.