Analysis of The Shining

In this essay I am going to analyse two scenes from the film, The Shining. I will be focusing on the camera and sound elements in these scenes and will briefly discuss the mise en scene. I will be discussing how these techniques relate to the horror genre. I will also discuss possible meanings and my personal response to these chosen scenes.

The first scene I will be analysing is the opening scene. This begins with an establishing shot of a wide and isolated environment of mountains and hills. This still environment is then disturbed by a passing car. The camera uses a crane shot to follow the car along the roads, which almost gives the feeling of a bird flying over the car looking down on it, like it's hunting it's prey which is which could be foreshadowing the future character roles in the film. This shot makes the car look very small and almost insignificant in this vast scenery. Although this is quite a peaceful scene, the non diegetic sound drastically changes the mood of the scene and definitely sets the film into it's genre of horror, as this is common convention in horror films. The use of strings causes tension and as they are increased the feeling of discomfort and worry also increases in the viewer. As the strings get louder and fast paced, percussion is also introduced and put the viewer even more on edge. This shows that although nothing scary is actually happening in the scene, the sound plays a major role in the audience's emotion and personal response. The calm scene could be showing that at this moment in time there is an equilibrium in the storyline, however the tense non diegetic sound and ominous atmosphere could be to foreshadow that this will soon change and that a disequilibrium is going to occur.
In another scene the conventions are also similar, proving that this is a film of the horror genre. Danny, the young child, is innocently playing in the hotel he lives in with his mother and father. Riding his tricycle through the symmetrical corridors, a common occurrence in Stanley Kubrick films. The visual elements in this scene are quite comfortable and do not seem to put the audience on edge, apart from the camera movement as it follows Danny down the corridor and seems to hold back as it goes round corners, portraying a feeling of danger and making the audience feel tense. Adding to this tension is the non diegetic sound that is played over the top. There is quite a sharp high pitched sound as the scene begins and a beating continues as he is quickly riding around the hotel. As he turns a final corner the sequence is interrupted by two young girls standing before danny at the end of the corridor. As this happens, another sharp pitched sound is played which shocks the audience and jolts them as the fast paced sequence suddenly stops. The camera switches from a tracking shot of Danny's back, to a still close up of his face showing is reaction to the two young girls disturbing and frightening him as he is enjoying himself. It is also a high angle shot, making Danny look vulnerable and weak. The camera takes a while to look towards the two girls, building curiosity within the audience. The camera does soon after, turn to the girls standing strangely still at the far end of the corridor. It is known by the audience that these girls are ghosts and are previous residents of this hotel, who were killed by their father, similarly to how Jack tries to kill Danny later in the film. This knowledge creates a narrative within this scene and captures the audiences attention. The non diegetic sound, like in many  of the scenes in this film, plays a major role in how the audience feel emotionally towards this film. The contrast between quiet high pitched sounds and loud deep sounds create a large feeling of danger and tension, making the audience feel involved and almost making them want to help in certain situations that occur in this film.
To me, the sound in this film is one of the most influential cinematic techniques, along with camera work, and they are responsible for the emotional connection the audience have towards this film and make this film a part of the horror genre.