The Shining Analysis

The Shining Analysis


The bike scene shows Danny riding his bike around the hotel, many of the rooms seen throughout this scene have been used throughout the film- some of these include the kitchen hallway, main lobby area that Jack uses to write and the hallway where Danny finds the room 237. A tracking shot is used here to follow his movements as he travels through various hallways and rooms of the hotel, this is a common convention in the horror genre as is allows the audience to follow the characters movements. Danny can be seen to be wearing a red jumper with blue overalls- this has been done as the bike itself is blue and red- showing the link between Danny and his bike as the bike is his own. Another reason as to why these colours have been used is based on the common convention of this genre as they are often used to represent hot and cold- in this shot Danny is wearing both, showing that he is a mixture of the two. The only sound shown at the start of the scene is diegetic as the source of the noise- this being the wheels of the bike as it travels across various floors, is visible on the screen. This noise changes as Danny moves onto different floor types, from being most noticeable on the wooden and hard floors to being the quietest on the carpets that Danny rides across. The editing then cuts to a shot of Danny riding through the kitchen which is seen later in the scene before cutting once again to a hallway- the carpets used in these hallways are designed to disorientate the viewers, causing them to become thrown off by where in the hotel Danny is going until he is there. As Danny rides down one of these halls, he comes across room 237 where he stops- high pitched non-diegetic noise is used here in order to create tension in the audience- the noise that can be heard relates to water droplets, a common convention in the horror genre. As Danny reaches room 237, he stops at which point a low angle is used to show him looking up at the door number- this shot shows how powerless Danny is in this hotel and how he is subject to the things that are happening in the hotel.


A close up of Danny’s face is then used to show the fear in his face before cutting back to the low angle where a long shot is then used from behind Danny to show him attempting to open the door of room 237. The noise that is played here then changes to a low pitched noise as the editing cuts to a quick shot of two girls standing in a hallway, this relating to the visions that Danny has throughout the film. At this point, Danny returns to his bike and quickly rides away from the room. The next hall that Danny is seen in is the kitchen once again where the sound changes again to a high pitched sound that quietens and soon stops. The camera is still tracking Danny but in this shot it is at a slower speed, allowing Danny to ride out of the kitchen and out of the camera shot. The next shot is of Danny turning into a hall that isn’t seen in the film at any other point- a panning shot is used as he turns the corner to show the two girls previously seen as Danny tried to open the door to room 237. The noise in this shot is low as before, yet this time is like a gong being struck, giving a sense of suspense in the audience. As the girls speak, a close up of Danny’s face is used to show his reaction to the girls being in the hotel- this reaction shot is a common convention of the horror genre as it shows how the characters are feeling in a specific scene, allowing the audience to relate to how the characters are feeling.


The bar scene is seen later on in the film, it starts with a long shot of Jack walking down a hall mumbling angrily using a backwards tracking shot to follow what Jack is doing. A mixture of high and low non-diegetic sounds are used in this shot- the high
pitched sound allows the audience to become aware that something may happen, however the low pitched sound creates mystery as to what will happen. Used a lot in the horror genre as well as this film, the colour red has been used to paint the walls- this gives connotations of both anger (as Jack can be seen to be) as well as death (as can be seen throughout this movie). As Jack walks into “The Golden Room”, a panning shot is used to follow him into the room. A high pitched noise is heard which decreases as Jack moves further into the room as a side shot and a medium long shot is used to show him walking towards the empty bar that is directly opposite the entrance. You are able to see the rest of the room as Jack is walking, there are multiple chairs placed in the room as well as a small stage with a piano on it- this shows the audience what the room would be used for if the hotel was open- this can also be seen later on in the film as many more people are in the same room. There is another low, sudden non-diegetic noise as Jack leans over the bar that creates a false tension in the audience, making it seem as though there is something about to happen in the shot. When Jack sits down, he references God saying, “Do anything for a drink, give my God damn soul- just a glass of beer” which is another common convention as it pairs the supernatural and paranormal with God. There is a constant background sound as this scene continues, this noise sounds like wind, showing the isolation of the hotel and the people inside.


When Jack sits down, a medium shot is used to show Jack from what the position of the mirror- at this point, he says “Hi Lloyd”, suggesting that somebody is on the other side of the bar even though in the last shot the bar was empty. Another medium shot is used in the next shot but this time positioned next to Jack where it shows that there is a bartender standing there with the bar full of alcohol. Through this conversation, Jack complimented Lloyd by stating “I like you Lloyd, I always liked you- you were always the best of them…” This implies that Jack had previously met Lloyd at another time, however due to the hotel being shut and all of the staff gone, unless Jack had been to the hotel previously (which is never stated in the film). A medium close up is used behind Lloyds left arm as Jack is speaking about being accused of hurting Danny. Jack references God twice in this conversation, saying “I never laid a hand on him God damn it” and “I wouldn’t touch one hair on his God damn little head”- this allows the audience to grasp the type of character that Jack is, showing his true nature towards his family. Another way that the audience can see Jacks nature toward his family as he is talking about his wife, stating “I love the little son of a bitch” and “that bitch...” This shows how little Jack thinks of his wife- showing that he does not love her as he is continuously calling her a bitch. After a medium shot of Lloyd listening to Jack, the editing changes to a close up of Jack where he looks around him (which is ironic as the hotel is empty) before telling Lloyd how he had hurt Danny in the past.

Themes/Conventions of movie genres

Action Films:

• Car/Bike chase
• Fights
• Weapons- guns, knives, etc.
• Explosions
• Death of loved ones
• Good vs Bad
• Mission/Objective to achieve
• Male protagonist- strong
• Female love interest- Weak
• Fast paced music (create tension)
• Complex plot lines
• Protagonist- 'normal/average' person
• Exotic locations
• Jump cuts- follow the action (fast paced)

Comedy Films:

• Average locations
• Slapstick comedy
• 'Dim' person(s) paired with 'normal' person(s)
• Natural camera shots- looking realistic
• Accident prone characters
• Comedic props used (e.g. pies)
• Shy characters
• Sarcastic/Witty characters
• Bright places/lighting
• Goal wanting to be achieved
• Comical & quirky sounding music
• Gags

Reflective Analysis

My intention was to produce a short film of approximately 1-2 minutes that fit into the horror genre. I wanted to create a film that captured the audience’s attention and leave them questioning the ending that would finish on a cliff-hanger.  The main theme of the movie is stalking and chasing- I decided this as the theme as it creates tension in the audience as well as keeping an interesting subject. I chose to use non-diegetic sound as it fits into the video better as what is going on in the screen does not require any diegetic sound- I feel as though the music I used in the editing process fits in well with the film as it is very mysterious and eerie, building up at certain points to create even more tension in the audience. Various camera shots were used in the filming process including long shots in corridors, extreme close ups when opening doors and tracking shots to follow the chase- these were effective as it showed what was happening in the film, allowing the audience to follow the action and know what is going on. I chose only to use two transitions in the film and leave the majority of the changes as jump cuts as it give a sense of action in the film, keeping the shots continuous and fast paced. Only 12 shots have been used in the video to keep the tension in the clips shown rather than creating a longer film that would not interest the audience.

If I were to redo this film, I would improve different things throughout the film. For example, I would have used a tripod in certain shots as the footage we have gathered often shakes, creating shots that look unprofessional. In addition, I would also create a backstory or narrative as to why this stalking/chasing is happening as viewers would not understand why this is happening if there is no information given beforehand or during the film.

Induction Project

What was your favorite film this summer?

My favorite film of summer 2015 was Pixar’s animated film, Inside Out- it follows the five emotions inside Riley, an eleven year olds head as she is faced with frightening new opportunities as Riley and her family move to San Francisco. The film shows a simplified and fun idea of what goes on through our heads, it gives the viewers new and imaginative ideas to think about.

         There are five emotions shown throughout the film: the two main emotions that we see throughout the entire movie is Joy and Sadness, with the other emotions being Anger, Fear and Disgust.

         The film shows Riley in Minnesota throughout her years growing up, from the day she was born to the day she moved- this affects the entire film as it shows her life as she is growing up in comparison to her struggle in this new life as she moves to San Francisco. Through this move, Joy attempts many times to keep Riley positive, however these do not work and leaves Riley to see this new area in different eyes, allowing fear, anger and disgust to creep their way in and take control. Sadness is a key character throughout this as you see her attempting to help at many points, but being split from the other emotions in fear that she would harm Riley. This barrier eventually breaks when Sadness handles a core memory- one that is a vital part of Riley’s life so far- then starting her and Joy’s journey to retrieve this core memory and help Riley get it back while the other emotions are in control of Riley’s control-room. The journey takes them throughout Riley’s head, from Long Term Memory, Imagination land to the Memory Dump. These are all vital areas that are in her mind, showing the audience the key areas of her mind and what is most important to her throughout her life.

         Although Joy is the dominant character in this film, taking control of Riley’s emotions most- as can be seen through the short term memories in the film, Sadness is also a key emotion, allowing Riley to react to many situations in a healthy way- the film shows how you should allow sadness into your life, as well as what happens if you don’t. Although Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust are seen as “negative” emotions, they are healthy in a person’s life and necessary for our survival through finding new things and making a variety of responses to them through these emotions. Towards the end of the movie, you start to see how each of Riley’s emotions take an equal role in how she perceives the world around her, showing the importance of each emotion. Even though Riley’s emotions are the main focus of the film, you also get to see her mother and fathers emotions- both of which are shown to be the same gender as the individual. This shows how Riley is different, showing her emotions to be both male (Anger and Fear) as well as female (Joy, Sadness and Disgust). Of each character, the emotion which is in control is also important in how it affects the movie and the impact it has on those watching. As Riley’s main emotion is Joy at the start of the film, you get an idea of how her life would have been previously- full of joy and happiness. However, her mother’s main emotion is sadness and her father’s anger- this shown by the emotion that is centred in the control room, showing how their own lives could have been lived previously and how they live their lives in sadness and anger.

         I enjoy this film as it uses a range of real life ideas in a fun and imaginative way to portray a variety of lessons and concepts. It is a film that both adults and children can enjoy both together and separately, as well as being able to watch again and again. The animation of this movie is incredible to portray a fin and creative style to the film that everyone will enjoy, in addition to leaving its brilliant mark in your heart. 

Induction Project

How did Jurassic World become a box-office success? How is a film’s success measured?

There are various different variables as to how Jurassic World became a box- office success, producing $204.6 million in the opening weekend alone and from June 14^th, the movie has a gross of $511.8 million worldwide. A films success is measured by how the film measures up against expectations as well as how much profit it makes.

     One of the main ways that helped this film to become as successful as it has turned out is the audiences of the past movies. As the first Jurassic film, Jurassic Park came out in 1993, many of the audience who watched this first film would have followed the story as each new film was made, meaning that they would have grown up watching these movies through the past 22 years. Many of these people would now have the chance to bring their own children along with them, just as their parents may have taken them to the first movie when they themselves were young- this would bring a nostalgic feeling to them by bringing back memories of the first film and realising the differences in the first and current film.

      The choice of actors to star in a movie can be the difference in the success or failure of the movie. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard play the films leads- Pratt playing Owen Grady, a Velociraptor expert and trainer with Howard playing Claire Dearing, the parks operations manager. Chris Pratt is a Hollywood rising star who many are beginning to know the name of, his charm, humour and acting skills help people to see him as a good actor, making his role aid the success of this film. Howard is also an important actor for the success of this movie, however due to her having no big film hits prior to the film such as Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy, many people did not know who she was. This however did not change her role in the film as many of the viewers would be intrigued to find out how well she did in the film. Another actor was a key part to the achievement to this film- B. D. Wong’s character in the film is the chief geneticist, Dr. Henry Wu. Both Wong and his character were revived from the original Jurassic film- this meant that many of those who had seen the first movie would enjoy watching a familiar face of the movie, creating a link of memories to the first one 22 years ago.

      Each film has a different director that brings their own style to a film- Colin Trevorrow was the director for Jurassic World, taking the movie into a new and exciting direction. The right director can make a film into a success, which was exactly what Trevorrow did- he used ideas that would interest both adults and children as well as bringing his own style to the film. Trevorrow used old references to the original film, creating a link to the original film.

      One of the most known aspects of the Jurassic films is the dinosaurs- the fascination of the viewers towards these prehistoric creatures’ means that this interests many people. The movie uses the old ideas of the original film in a new way- adding more detail to the creatures to make them look even more realistic, causing more people to watch and enjoy the film. Those who have followed the films throughout the years would have also been able to witness the progress of the dinosaurs throughout the years.

      Cinemas are also a reason why this film was a success as there are many cinemas across the world that would have shown this film over a number of weeks.  North America fetched the majority of money, generating over $611.23 million, whereas 60% of the money earned came from international countries. Both China and the UK generated the most money (see Figure 1), with China generating over $228.7 million and the UK generating over $100.3 million. This success was largely helped by China as this film was one of the 34 foreign films to be shown in this country, boosting the amount of people paying to watch it. The premiere of Jurassic World in China was also the same weekend as in the US, meaning that many people would want to see it sooner due to the lack of ratings of the film and the unknowing of whether it is good or not. China has produced over 20% of the total money earned- showing how much the movies success has been affected by China’s screening of the film.

       To sum up, there are many things that have made this movie a box-office a success, but from past audiences to the choice in directors and actors, there is no one reason that Jurassic World has been such a success in the box-office, but many different reasons built up.  

 

Figure 1