Rhys Griffiths
Film studies 500 word per video assignment
In this assignment, I will be analysing the film “The
Shining” and discussing the different techniques in two separate scenes,
roughly 5 minutes each, I will be mentioning, lighting, editing, cinematography,
mise-en-scene, etc.
Video 1- 0 seconds to 5 minutes
opening scene is an
extreme long shot of the camera flying through the air crossing a lake, the
camera then identifies the family, followed by a tracking long shot, zooming in
and out, coming closer and moving past them like the flight of a bird. The
birds of view scene shows the isolation of the family, this then shows the
vulnerability of the family, this scene is a long take to add suspense and
tension within the scene. The director has specifically shown the isolation in
the family as it foreshadows what is going to happen to them later on in the
film, the flight pattern of the camera represents a bird of prey, like the
camera is stalking the family, this makes me feel tense as it foreshadows an
event within the film added on with the daunting, eerie, dark non diegetic
sound floating in the scene. The director deliberately shows this to make the
audience feel uncomfortable as this shows the family’s aura. The camera then
cuts to an extreme long shot of the hotel the family will stay at to represent
the isolation of the location, this makes me feel weary of what might happen
later in the film as they will not be able to retrieve help as nobody is around
there to help. The extreme long shot also establishes that they are high up in
a mountain so it would take a long time to escape or even if somebody managed
to retrieve help, it would take a long time to get it. It then cuts straight to
a false jump scare quoting “THE INTERVIEW” this happens throughout the film,
this didn’t make me jump however, it did make me feel tense. After the false
jump scare, the scene straight cuts to Jack walking into the hotel, when Jack
walks in, there is a cross in the background, symbolises a religious element to
the hotel, this is backed with the fact that the hotel is built on top of a Native
American Indian graveyard. The director has deliberately done this because America
is a patriotic country like many other countries and Native American Indians are
part of American history. The camera then tracks Jack with a mid-shot while he
walks to the counter and asks for directions and then walks to the office where
his interview will be held. The interviewer, Stuart Ullman is wearing red,
white and blue, anybody who knows the American flag knows that the colours of
his clothing symbolise his country, showing patriotism, also, there is more of
cultural element as America and the Native American Indian have had conflict in
the past. The high key lighting shows the normality of the atmosphere, this is
evident as it is seen as a normal interview with neutral colours, it represents
that the atmosphere is normal and there is nothing extraordinary within the
hotel.
Video 2- 24- 30 minutes
The opening shot begins with Jack and Wendy
in the bedroom where Wendy has provided jack with breakfast, Jack is wearing a
Stovington shirt with an eagle on the front, this is because Jack used to work
for a school called Stovington Eagles, this links with the flight of the camera
at the start of the film, the eagle that jack was wearing on his shirt is the
same type of bird of prey that the cameras flight path represented. The camera
then cuts to Jack throwing a ball against a wall with emphasis on the type
writer, this could be to show he is lonely, isolated and wants company, the
camera then suddenly cuts to Wendy and Danny walking through the maze, backward
tracking then forward tracking, this is to add suspense as the non-diegetic
sound plays a misty tune in the background, followed by another straight,
sudden cut to jack while they track him until he reaches the model of the maze,
there is then a long shot of Jack looking down on the model, representing the
fact he is looking down on the family, this is then backed with the birds of
view of the family walking through the maze, the director is trying to
symbolise that jack is stalking and watching his family while they walk through
the maze, foreshadowing the future events in the film, this makes me feel eerie
as Jack does not seem unstable, yet he is constantly watching his family like
an eagle, like the eagle on his shirt, the camera then zooms into the maze,
this draws the audience’s attention, the camera then tracks back while Wendy
and Danny are walking through the maze, this represents how they are trapped,
they are trying to find a way out of this maze while Jack is watching them like
an eagle, throughout the film from this point, jack is suddenly becoming less
stable, the next cut is another false jump scare, establishing a time so the
audience understand what is going on. Following the false jump scare, there is
another extreme long shot of the hotel, again showing the isolation of the
family within the building, there is a constant reminder that they are alone
and have no help available. After, there is a straight cut to Danny on a
tricycle, the camera then tracks Danny with a mid-shot as he cycles through the
corridors of the hotel, there is also focus on Danny, Danny wears the colour
red throughout the film a lot, red represents danger, blood, death, pain, the
director has chosen these particular colours because it foreshadows future
events within the film. When Danny reaches the room “237” Danny stops and the
camera focuses on the room yet keeping Danny in the shot, This shows us that Danny
has acknowledged he is outside room 237, the camera then focuses back onto
Danny to show the audience his expression to show us how he feels, next the
camera shows Danny entering the room which he was forbidden to enter.
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