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.