I will be analysing the opening scene in ‘The Shining’. The scene starts out with an extreme long shot which establishes the location. It this shot, I can see a river, trees and mountains, which is reflected in the river. As you can see 2 of the mountains in the shot (in the reflection and then the real ones), this could be used to describe Jack; as there are also 2 of him as well. The good, calm writer and the man who later becomes insane and wants to kill his family. Jack has a split personality, just like the mountains have in this shot as there are 2 of them. This is also used later on in the film, when you can see 2 of Jack. The normal Jack and the mirror which also shows Jack, which again shows his split personality. The mountains reflected in the river is a metaphor for Jack’s split personality. The camera pans and quickly moves across the shot. I believe this is used to create the fast tone which the film has, this opening shot sets the quick tempo and the film sustains it. The shot also starts with non-diegetic music. This is used to cause dread and alarm to the audience, getting us ready for the future events which will scare us. It personally frightened me as I wasn’t expecting it and it alarmed me, as it tells us that something isn’t quite right. Using non-diegetic music is a genre convention for horrors. It is used a lot because it creates tension and makes the person frightened and panic. Also, this opening shot breaks one of the genre conventions in horror films- that it takes place during at night, when it is dark. However, this opening shot is bright and set in the daytime. This makes the audience think that nothing is going to happen, as they think is not a horror as it’s not at night. This makes the audience more shocked when the killings happen, as they weren’t expecting it at the start.
There is then a dissolve cut to a bird’s eye view shot which shows the road which Jack is driving on. A dissolve edit is used to show that time has passed between the last shot, but he is still in the mountains driving. This implies that the hotel is far away and in an isolated place, because he is still driving and a lot of time has passed. Once again, there are lots of green trees in this shot, which is used to show off the nature but it also shows that Jack is trapped and he can’t get out because the trees are surrounding him, which is a metaphor for The Overlook Hotel. This is because the trees are blocking his exit and he is trapped within the trees, they have him and there is no way out, just like The Overlook Hotel. The trees, and The Overlook Hotel, have him trapped, he can’t escape and there is no way out, which is foreshadowing the future events in the film. He will be trapped in The Overlook Hotel and because he has no way out, he will go crazy as he’s also in an isolated place. A bird’s eye view shot is used to show that we be judging him and we will be watching him throughout the film. However, it is also used to show how isolated and alienated the hotel is. It shows how far away the hotel is, and how isolated and alienated Jack’s family will be. This is a genre convention of horrors, the victims being in an isolated place where they can’t ask for help. An example of this genre convention used in another film is ‘When a Stranger Calls’. The victim in that film was also in an isolated place, a house in the middle of nowhere where no-one can help them, just like here in ‘The Shining’ expect here it is a hotel. Throughout this shot, the camera pans wherever the car goes, which once again implies we are following and watching him.
There is then a straight cut an extreme long shot which shows the car driving along the road with the mountains and river in the background. This shot is used once again to show isolated and remote the hotel is, as there is nothing here. The mountains have snow on them, which implies that it’s coming up to or is the winter. There is then a straight cut to another extreme long shot which shows the car driving along the road getting higher up in the mountains. Because the mountains are featured so much, it makes the audience wary of them and tells us that something is going to happen in the mountains, as they are featured so much. Therefore, it makes the audience build up suspense when to the part in the film when this occurs. As he is getting higher up into the mountains, it’s like he is getting closer to heaven, which foreshadows his death later on in the film; that he is getting closer to heaven and therefore closer to his death. As the camera gets closer to the car, the credits for the film start to play and go up the shot. The camera then goes passed the car and pans left of the shot and then tilts upwards. I think this is used to establish the location and show how high up and isolated he is. The non-diegetic music gets higher, probably because he is getting closer to the hotel and closer to the ghosts. I personally think it sounds like a high pitched human screaming, which could be referring to the deaths which have and will happen at the hotel. The non- diegetic music continues as there is a straight cut to another bird’s eye view shot showing the car driving along the road. However in this particular shot, you can see 2 cars packed up on the road as well as one car which drives past his car. This shows that the people who were in/ near the hotel are now leaving, which will make the hotel even more deserted and isolated for Jack and his family. This shows that people have been near there, but are now leaving. This could be because they didn’t like the hotel and went insane like Jack did and decided to leave quickly before anything happen, or they are just leaving the hotel after staying there. The car going past Jack could be seen as a warning that going there is bad, but Jack has chosen to ignore it and carry on.
There is a straight cut to another extreme long shot, which once again shows the car driving along the road, and no one going past. By repeating these shots and showing the car driving past mainly no one, it shows how far away the hotel is and how deserted it is, anyway from everything else. It also shows how long he has been driving for along the same round. It keeps wanting to reinforce the idea that the hotel is isolated and far away. There is a straight cut to another bird’s eye view shot which shows the mountains are covered in snow, which clearly suggests that the time of year is winter. This is much more effective than simply telling us that on a shot. There is one final straight cut to an extreme long establishing shot which shows us The Overlook Hotel. This shot is used to show us what it looks like and where Jack and his family will be staying for the next few months. The non-diegetic music at this shot gets at its loudest and highest pitched. I think this is because Jack is finally at the hotel and now they have trapped him. Because of this, he will soon go insane as they have trapped him and there is no way out for him. This is why the scream is at its loudest and highest, because he is now trapped. The loud screams are also foreshadowing the future deaths in the film as well as the pervious deaths at the hotel. The Overlook Hotel is a genre convention for horror films because it is an isolated place in the middle of nowhere. This is typically used in horrors to make it more frightening and make the audience and characters feel more isolated and trapped in the isolated place. It creates more scares as you can’t run outside and call for help, as no one is there to help you.
Thursday 16 October 2014
Thursday 2 October 2014
Group Task
The film scene I will be analysing is the opening scene in The Quick and The Dead. The scene starts out with an extreme long shot. The purpose of this shot is to establish the location/ setting of the film, which is a desert. The shot uses natural lighting, to make the location look more realistic and make us feel like we are there. The person on the horse is riding towards the camera, which made me feel like they are the lead character, and we are going to follow them. It then zooms out and pans to the right, to show various objects on the floor, to show that someone is living there. We can then see a horse, as it tilts down to a low angle. This shows that the horse is important, as they carry people from A to B. The camera then pans right again, to show someone digging a grave. There is then a straight cut to a long shot. In this shot, you there is hardly any mise-en-scene. You can only see mountains but apart that, it’s deserted. This shows that both characters are isolated and are in the middle of no-where. Then a character jumps out in the middle of the shot, to a close up shot. I was scared and shocked at this point because I didn’t expect it and the character looks creepy and deformed. The shot uses low key lighting which makes him look even scarier and mysterious.
There is then a straight cut to a long shot which is a POV shot to show what he can see, he can now see the danger. Non-diegetic music starts to play, which made me surprised as I wasn’t expecting it. The music tells us that something is going to happen, the action will begin soon. There is then a straight cut to a static long shot which shows the character coming towards him, implying that something is going to happen between the two. There is then a straight cut to a slight tracking long shot. This shows that the character is getting ready, and getting closer towards him. There is then an extreme close up of his gun. This shows that he is going to shoot the character. At this point, I think that he is going to kill her because she isn’t ready and he has fired a shot, which looks like it’s killed her. There is then a straight cut to a medium shot of the man, who is running over to see if he has killed her. By his performance, you can tell he is happy that he has killed her. There is then a straight cut to a 2 person long shot, which shows her on the floor, and looks like she’s dead and the man is walking up next to her. Because he is high up, the man at this point is in control and he is dominant. However, as she is on the floor, she is weak and not in control. The shot also has proxemics, as he is getting closer towards her.
There is then a straight cut to a medium shot to show the man’s reaction and he seems happy and surprised that he has killed her. There is then a straight cut to a high angle medium shot. This shows that she is now in control and the dominant figure now. We now know that she will faking it and she wasn’t really shot. There is then a 2 person long which shows her hitting him. Non-diegetic music is used for the punch, to make it sound louder so it hurt him more. There is then a high angle med shot of the man. It’s a high angle because it makes him look weaker and not in control of the situation.
There is then a low angle med shot of the women. At this point, we don’t know that she is a women, however we are given a clue. The clue is that it’s a Dutch angle, which implies that something is wrong, something isn’t right. Non- diegetic music plays in the background, to make her more frightening and to create more tension and suspense. The shot is also mysterious, because we can’t see the persons face, which implies that something is wrong also. We don’t even know what she looks like yet. Also, the sun is above her head, which makes her look like she has a hale on her face, like she is an angel, she is the chosen one. Therefore, the sun on her head is religious symbolism- she is the chosen one send by God. It’s once again a low angle shot, which makes her look more dominant and powerful. There is then a straight cut to a high angle med shot of the man on the floor. This shot is used to make the man look weak and powerless. In the background, you can hear non-diegetic music of whip sound. This is used as it’s a genre convention of westerns- it’s a typical weapon in most westerns which a sheriff has. There is a shadow on his body, which I think is used to show that she’s overcasting him, she is clearly more powerful as she is over him.
There is then a straight cut to a Dutch med shot. In this shot, you can see that she is wearing typical western genre costumes- like the hat, checked shirt and cowboy boots. This is once again a genre convention of the western. In this shot, the women is also still blackened, we still can’t see her and we still don’t know it’s a girl. Therefore, I keep thinking that it’s a man, as it’s a typical western genre convention to have a male in the leading role. The shot also contains non-diegetic music, to make it more fun and exciting for the audience. When she throws her hat at him towards the camera, there is a straight cut to a med shot of the man on the floor, taking the hat off him. The camera tilts up with the man as he gets up, which turns into more of a close up. There is then a straight cut to a POV, low angle med shot as she gets on her horse- which is another typical genre convention in a western film. At this point, we still don’t know if it’s a woman or not. There is then a straight cut to a med/close up, which pans left as the man looks left, looking to see where she is going. I think the shot is used to show his anger and emotion towards the character, he clearly doesn’t like her as he also swears at her. There is another straight cut to a long shot which is used to show that he is locked up and she has defeated him. He is locked up to a carnage, which is another typical western genre convention, and is used to take characters to places with a horse. In the background, you can also see the mountains and how deserted the place is, which shows how lonely this place is.
There is then a straight cut to an extreme close up of the lock. This is important because it shows that he is now locked there and can’t move away. This made me shocked because I didn’t expect her to win, as I thought the man would be inferior and more powerful. There is then a straight cut to a close up of the man, which shows that he is angry and furious with her for what she has done to him. He now knows that she has beaten him and he doesn’t like it. There is then a straight cut which uses matching on action editing to a med/ close up of the character that has defeated him, and it turns out to be a women. This made me shocked because women aren’t the leads in westerns. In fact, it is a genre convention that a man is the main character in westerns, people like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne would usually be the main characters in westerns. Therefore, this film breaks the genre convention by having a woman as the main character, and I personally wasn’t expecting it. Therefore, as it has broken the genre convention, the film now seems unique and original compared to other films in the same genre. For example, the film is now more unique and different to a film like ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, because it has a woman as the main character and that film doesn’t and most other westerns don’t.
There is then a straight cut to a long shot which is a POV shot to show what he can see, he can now see the danger. Non-diegetic music starts to play, which made me surprised as I wasn’t expecting it. The music tells us that something is going to happen, the action will begin soon. There is then a straight cut to a static long shot which shows the character coming towards him, implying that something is going to happen between the two. There is then a straight cut to a slight tracking long shot. This shows that the character is getting ready, and getting closer towards him. There is then an extreme close up of his gun. This shows that he is going to shoot the character. At this point, I think that he is going to kill her because she isn’t ready and he has fired a shot, which looks like it’s killed her. There is then a straight cut to a medium shot of the man, who is running over to see if he has killed her. By his performance, you can tell he is happy that he has killed her. There is then a straight cut to a 2 person long shot, which shows her on the floor, and looks like she’s dead and the man is walking up next to her. Because he is high up, the man at this point is in control and he is dominant. However, as she is on the floor, she is weak and not in control. The shot also has proxemics, as he is getting closer towards her.
There is then a straight cut to a medium shot to show the man’s reaction and he seems happy and surprised that he has killed her. There is then a straight cut to a high angle medium shot. This shows that she is now in control and the dominant figure now. We now know that she will faking it and she wasn’t really shot. There is then a 2 person long which shows her hitting him. Non-diegetic music is used for the punch, to make it sound louder so it hurt him more. There is then a high angle med shot of the man. It’s a high angle because it makes him look weaker and not in control of the situation.
There is then a low angle med shot of the women. At this point, we don’t know that she is a women, however we are given a clue. The clue is that it’s a Dutch angle, which implies that something is wrong, something isn’t right. Non- diegetic music plays in the background, to make her more frightening and to create more tension and suspense. The shot is also mysterious, because we can’t see the persons face, which implies that something is wrong also. We don’t even know what she looks like yet. Also, the sun is above her head, which makes her look like she has a hale on her face, like she is an angel, she is the chosen one. Therefore, the sun on her head is religious symbolism- she is the chosen one send by God. It’s once again a low angle shot, which makes her look more dominant and powerful. There is then a straight cut to a high angle med shot of the man on the floor. This shot is used to make the man look weak and powerless. In the background, you can hear non-diegetic music of whip sound. This is used as it’s a genre convention of westerns- it’s a typical weapon in most westerns which a sheriff has. There is a shadow on his body, which I think is used to show that she’s overcasting him, she is clearly more powerful as she is over him.
There is then a straight cut to a Dutch med shot. In this shot, you can see that she is wearing typical western genre costumes- like the hat, checked shirt and cowboy boots. This is once again a genre convention of the western. In this shot, the women is also still blackened, we still can’t see her and we still don’t know it’s a girl. Therefore, I keep thinking that it’s a man, as it’s a typical western genre convention to have a male in the leading role. The shot also contains non-diegetic music, to make it more fun and exciting for the audience. When she throws her hat at him towards the camera, there is a straight cut to a med shot of the man on the floor, taking the hat off him. The camera tilts up with the man as he gets up, which turns into more of a close up. There is then a straight cut to a POV, low angle med shot as she gets on her horse- which is another typical genre convention in a western film. At this point, we still don’t know if it’s a woman or not. There is then a straight cut to a med/close up, which pans left as the man looks left, looking to see where she is going. I think the shot is used to show his anger and emotion towards the character, he clearly doesn’t like her as he also swears at her. There is another straight cut to a long shot which is used to show that he is locked up and she has defeated him. He is locked up to a carnage, which is another typical western genre convention, and is used to take characters to places with a horse. In the background, you can also see the mountains and how deserted the place is, which shows how lonely this place is.
There is then a straight cut to an extreme close up of the lock. This is important because it shows that he is now locked there and can’t move away. This made me shocked because I didn’t expect her to win, as I thought the man would be inferior and more powerful. There is then a straight cut to a close up of the man, which shows that he is angry and furious with her for what she has done to him. He now knows that she has beaten him and he doesn’t like it. There is then a straight cut which uses matching on action editing to a med/ close up of the character that has defeated him, and it turns out to be a women. This made me shocked because women aren’t the leads in westerns. In fact, it is a genre convention that a man is the main character in westerns, people like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne would usually be the main characters in westerns. Therefore, this film breaks the genre convention by having a woman as the main character, and I personally wasn’t expecting it. Therefore, as it has broken the genre convention, the film now seems unique and original compared to other films in the same genre. For example, the film is now more unique and different to a film like ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, because it has a woman as the main character and that film doesn’t and most other westerns don’t.
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