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2. TRAILER ANALYSIS: THE
‘The Shining’ is a 1980 s upernatural horror film dire cte d by Stanle y Kubrick, s tarring Jack Nicholson in a
career-defining role as a caretaker of the Overlook hotel who loses his mind. The film is regularly listed
amongst the greatest horror films ever made, and is often cited as an inspiration for more sophisticated
modern-day horrors. The style of direction and use of still imagery throughout The Shining is the strongest
influence behind my own promotional package, and it is therefore of paramount importance that the
trailer is analysed – in order to understand why it is so successful and powerful, 34 years on.
The trailer opens with a non-diegetic voiceover dominating a slowly building soundtrack of what sounds
like an oncoming storm/static on a television. Even though the first shot is the Warner Bros logo, because
of the nature of these sounds, the audience will be made immediately aware of the fact that it is a horror
film. Furthermore, as it fades into two long establishing panning shots of a lonely landscape and a hotel,
the audience are also given the impression that this will be a relatively conventional horror – as an isolated
haunted residence is a common convention of this genre. The voiceover then appears to directly address
the viewers, as he questions whe ther the y have he ard of ‘the trage dy we had up he re in the winte r of 1970’.
This introduces a backstory into the trailer that will drive the film and is another common convention
s hown at the s tart of traile rs , and s e rves as an ins tant s ource of intrigue to capture the audience’s atte ntion
as well as consolidating the genre. Within these two shots, the lighting is ambient and the colours light ,
highlighting how all is s e emingly at e as e de s pite the nature of the me ntione d ‘trage dy’ that occurre d
recently within the film. However, the use of a jump cut as the scene transitions perfectly captures the
juxtaposition of shots – although the establishing ones were light in tone and extreme long shots, the new
s ce ne be ing dis played is a s hallow focus close up of Nichols on’s characte r, illuminate d by low ke y lighting.
Ultimately, this highlights how all may appear well on the exterior of the hotel, but the interior will be the
placement for all the horror within the film, and due to the immediate focus on Nicholson, it is evident that
he will serve as the primary antagonist for this.
Indeed, as these first few shots progress, it appears as though as the consistent narration of the voiceover is
talking about this characte r’s e ndeavours. For example, as he states that the individual who murde re d his
family s e eme d ‘comple te ly normal’, a s low tracking camera movement pulls out to show Nichols on’s
characte r ge s turing wildly and s houting in an empty corridor. The antithe s is of s e eming ‘comple te ly
normal’ and his aggre ssive gestures furthe r implie s that this is the s ubje ct of the voiceove r. Proceeding on
from this, another establishing extreme long shot is used before being intercut with another establishing
shot of the same subject but in different weather. Further contrast here illuminates how the trailer is
steadily growing darker and more violent, even in terms of the weather itself – snowstorms are inherently
more threatening than sunny weather, and represent the characters descent into coldness/detachment from
re ality. Kubrick’s de cis ion to cons tantly juxtapos e s hots in the be ginning of this trailer, while using the
voiceover as a sound and narrative bridge to give meaning to every shot, is fully implicative of the contrast
be twe e n the ‘comple te ly normal’ individual and the madne s s that urge d him to kill his family. He is
effectively summarising the narrative through using this method. In accordance with this idea, the next
shot utilises a Steadicam to push in to Nicholson, while simultaneously panning to show him peering
around a corner wielding an axe. The scene then abruptly cuts to black as the voiceover claims the
individual ‘kille d his family with an axe ’, and the proceeding s hot the n dis plays Nichols on hamme ring an
axe into a door. Blue and red are the most prominent colours within this scene and, despite it being the
climax of the voice ove r’s tale , remains brightly lit. This emphas is e s the colours and ins inuate s how
Nichols on’s characte r is influe nce d by paranormal e ntitie s , as blue is a colour mos t as s ociate d with the
supernatural genre. Subsequently, the film is elevated to a further degree of sophistication, generating even
more intrigue for the audience.Again, the actions here are concurrent with the voiceover, and with this
disturbing statement, the non-diegetic soundtrack that was previously quiet and dormant rises up in a
sharp crescendo, creating an explosion of tension. In a way, this almost indicates the end of the story, and

3. SHINING
http://youtu.be/1G7Ju035-8U

4. may prompt audiences to question why there is still a minute left of playing time – and this notion has been
deliberately fabricated by Kubrick in order to shock them into a deeper sens e of intrigue within the next
scene. Here, the voiceover is attributed to a man, out of shot, who has been speaking directly to Nicholson
(shown in a well lit close up) discussing events prior to his induction. This creates a huge sense of irony for
the characters, as well as displaying how Kubrick was merely foreshadowing events within those first 30
seconds of the trailer. The Nicholson within these shots is smiling, well-dressed, and a reflection of the
‘comple te ly normal’ individual me ntione d e arlie r, and because of this, the audience knows that he will
assume the role of the previous caretaker and meet a similar outcome. Consequently, the lack of non-diegetic
sounds seems to add further relevance to the dialogue within the scene, and the irony within i t.
The scene cuts to a strap, which ultimately marks a shift in the tone and pace of the trailer now the
audience are aware that Nichols on’s story s till remains untold. A series of s tartlingly quick shots that jump
between wide, detached establishing shots and close up tracking shots of each of the family members occur
in conjunction with a non-diegetic orchestral soundtrack that rises and falls. The faster pacing of these
shots accelerates to the inevitable action that the audience will already be aware of, and begins to paint a
brief introduction to the cast. Further conventions are met with the use of the child in touch with the
supernatural, and the audience is made immediately aware of his importance by his voice being used a
sound bridge between the scenes, which begin to flicker more noticeably between ambient lighting and low
key lighting, tracking shots and static shots. Kubrick is using contrast even more here to demonstrate the
rapid dis inte gration of Nicholson’s s anity, who is consistently s hown as s eparate from the re s t of his family
and is placed majoritively within static shots, as opposed to the fluid tracking shots surrounding his son
(Danny) and wife. It is as though Nicholson is coming to terms with his own insanity and the isolation
causing it, and this is reflected in the continuous drumbeat heard throughout the soundtrack that speeds
up throughout these shots, until it culminates in a series of jump zooms on Nicholson that are each
punctuated by a series of these beats. This transferral from a medium shot to a close up is representative of
the chaotic, uns table nature of Jack’s mind, be ne ath the ‘c omple te ly normal’ e xte rior fore s hadowe d
earlier in the trailer. Other changes are noticeable at this mark too; the depiction of the weather has finally
settled to show the snow storm instead of the sunny chill, Nicholson wears darker clothes and appears
unshaven, and the sounds of the said storm merge in with the soundtrack. All of this is symbolic of the
e ffe ct that the is olation is having on Nicholson’s character, and how the more time he spends alone, the less
time it will take for him to detach himself from his family and eventually commit murder. Moreover, this
is reflected within the next few shots, as supernatural imagery becomes more apparent and a ghostly
voice over urges him to de al with the family ‘in the hars he s t pos s ible way’. As the day turns to night, the
colour blue returns in great prominence, and the ambient lighting itself is tinted with this colour during
scenes of profile lighting on Nicholson as he walks towards his wife, and lengthy panning shots of the
outdoor fog and dark skies. The first definitive hint of the supernatural is seen as Danny encounters two
little twins who are dressed in period clothing – but the fact that they are shown only for an instant
illustrates how Kubrick wants the audience to question what subgenre the film falls under. Indeed, this is
re fle cte d in the narrative its e lf, as many que s tion whe the r the ‘ghos ts ’ s e e n are hallucinations brought
upon by the immense isolation, or genuine hauntings of the dead girls who were murdered prior to their
arrival. It is this uncertainty that will drive audiences to watch the film and find out.
The following s cenes display Nicholson’s battle with the ins anity that plague s him, and s how his attempts
to reconnect with his family for better or worse. Firstly, a strap is used in conjunction with a loud, non-diegetic
bell, to pave the way for this shift in tone. By using the sound of a bell – which will resonate at
every strap shown from this point onwards – the audience are inclined to conjure up associations with the
oncoming approach of death and the supernatural. Bells are usually used as an indicator of significant
events to come, and this resonates within the context of the trailer, as the inevitable slaughter that the
audie nce e xpe ct approache s . Als o, through s tating that it is ‘bas e d upon a nove l by Ste phe n King’,
audiences will immediately recognise the film as a horror, and it will appeal to even more viewers due to
Stephen King being a very popular author at the time. Proceeding on from this, the soundtrack shifts to a
heavy, consistent drumbeat that quickly boosts the tension and heightens the significance of each following
s hot, re presentative of Jack’s last attempts at holding onto his s anity. This idea is s upporte d by the nature

5. of the s hots thems e lve s , as juxtapos ition is us e d once again to s how the two diffe re nt ‘s ide s ’ of the
antagonist. A prime example of this is the immediate tracking shot of Nicholson hurling plates at the
camera, causing it to shake and tremble, followed by a rapid cut of him crying at a slight low angle, being
comforted by his wife as he talks about his violent dreams. With these shots, audiences will be questioning
whether the film is a psychological horror or a supernatural one – and if it is both, it promised to be
something new at the time, which was bound to urge all viewers to see it in cinemas. Following these, the
montage shots begin, and a variety of imagery is hurdled at the audience as they gain an insight into what
awaits them in the climax of the film. Even here, Kubrick uses contrasting colours, lighting, positions and
angles to create a mismatch of vibrancy that suggests that the film will incorporate more elements of
sophistication into its narrative than its horror movie peers. It becomes evident that, as Nicholson
thre ate ns to ‘bas h your brains in’ in a s ound bridge be twe e n s ce ne s of his s on having a s troke and him
approaching his wife at a high angle, the story of the previous owner is occurring once again. Ultimately,
this presents the trailer as cyclical, and this presence of some sort of force within the hotel adds a degree of
mystery to the film that was uncommon in other horrors at the time. Indeed, as the trailer builds toward
its end, vital clues as to the mystery as revealed within the shots used – but as they are so short in duration
and graphic in compos ition, the y are harde r to s e e by the audie nce , and s e rve only as a ‘tas te r’ of what
they can expect from the film. Before the final title strap appears, the s oundtrack also accelerates in
correspondence with the shots, to the point where the violin crescendo sounds like an otherworldly
scream; also implying the supernatural elements of this film and how the final part of the film itself will
feature much screaming. The title strap is finally shown in silence. The font is simplistic and white,
emulative of a more sophisticated kind of horror that could only fall under the psychological/supernatural
bracket.