For AS media studies. Link to opening: https://youtu.be/TgCejsyS0t8

1. THE SHINING:

2. CHARACTERS:
In the opening scene of ‘The Shining’,
no faces of characters are shown. The
only sign of any potential characters
are in this yellow car that the camera
follows along a long, winding road.
This scene is very effective and holds
the audiences attention because as
you see the car driving along and
realise that we are following it, you ask
questions such as who is in the car?
And where are they going?
These are especially important
questions that we wish to know the
answer to because of the genre of the
film. The film is a horror therefore the
question where are they going is
particularly intriguing and who they are
is important in terms of the role they
will play in the horror film.
The shot to the right
is the only shot of
the car that is that
close. As this shot of
the car occurs, the
words Jack
Nicholson rise up
from the bottom of
the screen. This
could suggest that
he is in fact a
character in the car.

3. SETTING: The setting of the opening scene is
very effective. It is effective in terms of
the fact that ‘The Shining’ is a horror
movie, so right at the beginning when
you see this idyllic landscape we don’t
think of a horror movie.
This scene is also effective because,
as mentioned in character, it takes us
on a journey and makes us wonder
where it leads to, and could
foreshadow later events.
It is set along the western shore of
Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National
Park, Montana.
The area is very natural and remote
with no houses and not many people
around. This helps to put the main
focus on the car driving through it
because if it was a busy town with
many cars about, it would be harder to
put emphasis on one particular car
without being distracted.
The fact that the area is very
remote and isolated could
effect events later on as it
creates a sense of no going
back or being a long way from
any help.

4. MISE-EN-
SCENE:
The only prop in this scene really is the
car. As we don’t see the driver of the car
or any characters yet, there isn’t a large
sense of mise-en-scene.
The car
All we can really tell about the car is that
it is yellow and the make is a VW Beetle.
It is possible that the colour of the car
was made yellow for a particular reason.
The reason could be so that it stands out
so our attention is drawn to it.
Another reason could be that yellow isn’t
a very common colour for a car therefore
it could reflect the character driving the
cars’ personality.
The lighting in the scene is very natural which means it is
relatively bright. This is generally uncommon for a horror
film as tones such as deep blues and reds are used to
make lighting darker at certain times. The lighting here
could therefore show that nothing bad has happened yet,
the scene is just being set at the moment.

5. CAMERA
SHOTS:
The main type of shot in the opening scene is
a birds eye view. The helicopter that is filming
the landscape follows the car around every
twist and turn which creates the sense of a
journey, like we are following the car rather
than if it was just a still shot where the car
drives past.
The cameras change angle while still
above the car, so, sometimes the shot its
more from the left side of the road and
sometimes its from higher above then
closer behind the car.
Overall, the shots make the
landscape look idyllic and
unlike a horror movie to begin
with.

6. SOUND AND
MUSIC:
The music is very important in the opening
sequence as it completely changes the tone,
compared to if there was not any music.
Without the music, if somebody watched the
scene and had to guess the genre, it is
probable that they wouldn’t guess horror.
Therefore, the music is so powerful in this way
because it adds to the genre largely, creating
a very eerie setting which would otherwise be
normal.
The music includes instruments that sound
deep, not light and happy and you wouldn’t
expect that in this scene.
The music was based on “Dies Irae” which is
described as ‘a medieval piece depicting
Judgement Day’.
“Dies Irae” reminds the audience
that the film is horror based because
it provides a large ghostly sense of
mystery and eeriness.
Overall, the peaceful, idyllic
landscape contrasts hugely with the
sinister music we hear while we
follow the car around winding roads.
In terms of the sound in this scene,
we don’t hear anything like the car
driving or wind blowing in the trees.
The only main thing we hear is the
music which overpowers any natural
sounds.