1. The Shining – “Here’s Johnny” Scene
Camerawork
The camera work is one of the biggest factors in establishing mood in the film.
Usually the shots are very long in terms of duration making the viewer feel
uncomfortable but in this sequence, the shots are shorter. This can also
contribute to the viewing experience, as shorter shot lengths means there is less
time to take the shot in and means that the viewer’s heartbeat increases. This
adds to the scene on the whole as it makes it more intense. The shot lengths are
mainly mid length as the scene mainly takes place in quite a small bathroom.
There is the occasional long shot for example when the camera switches to the
child outside. There is also the occasional close up as well for example when Jack
cones right up to the door and puts his head through and when Jack puts his
hand in to open the door and the camera focuses on his wound.
Editing
The scene uses no type of special cut. There is no relationship in regards to
rhythmic relationships but there could be one. The shot lengths for this scene
usually last between 3 and 6 seconds with one or two exceptions. This is because
even though tension has been built, the scene isn’t particularly jumpy. This
means that the need for drastic cuts every second isn’t needed. There is a good
amount of visual continuity in the scene for example when Jack goes to swing the
axe and it cuts to the axe impacting on the other side of the door to show the
wife.
Mise en Scene
The colour red is prominent within the film. Red has mostly negative
connotations such as death and betrayal. This is shown within the scene as Jack
is in essence betrayed his family and he is seen to be wearing red in this scene.
The lighting in this scene is contrasted between shots. In the bathroom with the
wife it is much brighter showing her to be positive and angelic. This is
contrasted when the shot switches to Jack outside the bathroom where the
lighting is much more dim showing him to be more demonic.
Sound
There is a lot of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound within this scene. The
diegetic sound comes from the sounds of the axe hitting the door, the screaming
from the wife and also the speech from both the wife and Jack. The non-diegetic
sound comes from the original score that helps to build tension when there is no
speech.
Themes
One prominent theme in the film is the theme of isolation. This theme comes in
two forms: physical and mental. The physical aspect revolves around the fact

2. that the Overlook Hotel is isolated from the rest of civilisation and almost exists
outside it completely. The mental aspect comes from the family’s individual
experiences. Both Jack and his wife come from dysfunctional families and Danny
is isolated in terms of his unusual abilities. When Danny finds another person
with the same abilities and therefore he is put at ease but Jack is seen to come in
the way of this by killing Mr Halloran. This is a reoccurring incident in itself as
Jack’s trouble with his father is seen to be passed on to Jack’s relationship with
his son, furthering him into isolation.