The Shining 1000 word essay

In the movie 'The Shining' there are two scenes in particular that I noticed that are very interesting and also use a lot of camera, angles, shots and framing techniques.

The first scene in particular that intrigued me in 'The Shining' was the scene where the main character Jack Torrance is in a scene with Mr Grady in a red bathroom. What intrigued me about this scene is that the bathroom is 'red'. The colour red is a shared convention used in horror movies as it has connotations of danger, death and anger. The use of the colour red in this scene is very effective because of the connotations and as the whole bathroom is red it could show that the two of them talking could lead to great danger. Then in this scene that intrigued me was the way that the scene was framed and where Jack Torrance and Mr Grady were positioned. The thing that interested me about this is that Mr Grady was on the left side and Jack Torrance was on the right side of the screen so that behind Mr Grady were mirrors and during that whole scene Jack was never really talking to Mr Grady he was talking to the mirror in reflection to himself. This could portray that Mr Grady is not real and is a spirit and that he could also be figment of Jack Torrance's imagination to show that he's losing his mind and in reality he is actually talking to himself or it could also represent that he is still losing his mind but the house is haunted and the house is talking to him creating an illusion in his mind of people that are dead. Also in this scene what intrigued me was the use of props in particular the glass of "bourbon" that Jack Torrance was drinking and this is because as he has entered the bathroom drinking the drink he puts emphasis on the words of saying bourbon which could show that it is a very rich and expensive drink which could also represent class in the scene has Mr Grady is cleaning him as a butler in a formal suit which could show the history of America in particular how important class was socially considered. Then in this scene I noticed that high key lighting is used in the bathroom and what I think is significant about the use of high key lighting in this scene is that the bathroom being bright could represent Jack Torrance in the movie losing his mind and yet also drawing his attention to where the high key lighting is which is at the mirror which could show that Jack Torrance is losing his mind and getting drawn towards it which is what the use of the high key lighting could show. What I also think that the high key lighting could represent in this scene is to show him slowly dying as there is supposed to be a bright light as you die, the use of high key lighting here could show that he is dying or realistically dead as he is not in his own mental state at this point in time of the movie.

The scene where Wendy and Jack are in what appears to be the lounge room of a hotel in particular also intrigued me is because when Wendy first looks at the type writer she is shown at a low angle which is a low angle shot but also shows her reaction to what is on the type writer and as she reads what is said on the type writer the non-diegetic sounds of music in the background get louder and deeper which creates more tension to the scene and builds up suspense. The low angle is used because it also shows what she is looking at without the use of an eye-line match cut. Then in this scene it shows a close up of what is wrote on the type writer which has obviously been wrote in the movie by the character Jack Torrance, this reveals to not just the audience, but also the character of Wendy by what the words say on the paper, which concludes that Jack has lost his mind and gone insane which builds up even more tension in the movie as the audience know now that something bad is about to happen. Then in this scene as the non-diegetic music sounds more eerie it shows an over shoulder shot of Jack Torrance in the low key lighting background (which is a shared convention of a horror movie) looking towards the character Wendy which could show that Wendy is in real danger and Jack is the reason why she is danger. After this there is a point of view shot from Jack and Wendy cutting to each others point of view as the other is talking and this could also show the reaction to each other as they have just spoke to show the fear that Wendy is in and shows the inner psycho of Jack Nicholson's face. Following this as Wendy is walking backwards up the stairs there is a forwards tracking shot from Jack Torrance's point of view from a low angle which then swaps back and forth to Wendy's point of view from a high angle backwards tracking and as this happened I noticed that the carpet is red which could foreshadow the danger that Wendy is in or potentially even the character of Jack who appears to be the more dominant one in this scene even though he is not the one with the weapon. I noticed as the characters of Wendy and Jack were both going up the stairs in this scene above the fire place there was a native American styled canvas with teepees on which also suggest America's past and the war and violence between the native American's and the similarities between the characters of Wendy and Jack.

2 genres 5 conventios and themes

Sci-Fi:
Conventions:
.Advanced technology
.Time travel
.Often involves non existent characters for example Avatar
.Special effects used for example on light sabres
.Usually includes space.

Themes:
.Religion used for example in Star Wars
.Good vs Evil Rebels and Imperialists
.Revenge between different people
.Friendship between certain characters and togetherness
.Artificial Intelligence

Gangster:
Conventions:
.Set in urban city locations
.Props including: Guns,Cigars,Drugs and Money
.Formal outfits like suits and dresses
.Colours in the movie are often dark.
.Leaders of Mobs: A Don/Kingpin.

Themes:
.Murder
.Conflict between two sides
.Revenge against others
.Envy between people
.Love can often occur and get people killed

Horror sequence Reflective analysis

During the short horror movie sequence that I did there were many different shots and angles. At the very start of this sequence there was an over shoulder shot in which you could see someone behind someone else in this shot. The reason this was used was because it added to it being a horror of a shared convention that there is someone watching the victim at the start without that character actually knowing.




Soon after that a forward tracking shot was used on the villain walking down the corridor. The reason this shot is used is because n a way it sums up the villain directly to the audience to show that characters features and what they look like and who they really might be, so the viewer can guess what the villains story is.




Then a panning shot is used on both the villain and the victim as the villain is chasing the victim. The reason this shot is used is because a panning shot is a typical shot for a chasing scene and adds to the effect that someone is running down the path with them.




The next thing that happened is that there is a low angle shot of the victim character running up the stairs. The reason this shot is used is because as the victim is running up the stairs it makes it seem that the villain is watching the victim run up the stairs and it also shows that the victim is close and starts to get very distant for the viewer.




After that there is a high angle shot of the villain running up the stairs. The reason this shot is used is because it makes it look like the victim is watching the villain run after him and it also asserts the villains dominance in this sequence as the villain comes from distance and gets closer and closer as the villain comes up the stairs which makes it appear to viewer that the villains character is getting closer and closer to the storyline.




In the follow up to that there is an extreme close up on the victims hand opening a door. The reason this extreme close up is used is because it shows the importance of the door being opened and gives tension to the viewer and makes the viewer think if the door could be opened to hope or to doom.


 there is a point of view shot. The point of view is from the villain watching the victim run towards three doors. The reason that the point of view shot is used is to make the viewer see what it is like from the villains perspective seeing the victim run towards the doors and could foreshadow that the victim is at their doom and is trapped.




Concluding this there is a reaction/ spectator shot. The reason it is both of these is because it looks like the viewer is watching the victim run back away. The reason that this shot is used is because it gives effect to spectator viewing the victims reaction as the victim is being grabbed by the villain which then ends the scene. The reason that scene is ended here is so that it gets the viewer engaged and connected with the scene and they want to know what will happen next so it ends on a cliff hanger.