The shining was written by Stephen King (novel) and Stanley Kubrick (screenplay). The film was released in 1980 where it was scored 8.5/10 allowing it to be a big hit making more than $22 million in the horror industry.
The opening establishing shot is quickly turned into a gradual zoom and allows the music to begin and the tension rise. The proairectic code by Roland Barthes creates tension which makes the viewers want to continue watching to find out what happens to this alone car. The gradual zoom of the small island is then interrupted with a tilt of the camera allowing the helicopter holding the camera to move on to the next location. A series of landscape sceneries and bird’s-eye view shot allows the camera to track the car and its journey out into the wide and unknown. With the camera moving from scenery to scenery its shows the serene and stunning natural environment, which almost acts as a false scene, it then becomes a bigger and more unanticipated shock when the film unravels as a supernatural horror. A wide collection shots including a cross dissolve, this shows the expansion of time during the journey. The cross dissolve and different locations allow the audience to believe the journey is very long and far away, showing the isolation of the hotel along with the sense that it’s nowhere near civilisation.
The slow non-diegetic music starts to build tension from the first note, using a simple bass arpeggio. This simple rhythm is very low due to it being played on a trombone, which creates the tension and fear that something is going to happen. The rhythm is repeated many times with a slight alteration in notes which are made longer to allow the welcoming of new instruments into this ominous, slow and almost terrifying piece of music. The use of a minor scale creates tension, making the music more strange and atmospheric to the human ear. This would not be used unless the directors wanted to create this type of dangerous atmosphere and prepare the audience for some sort of panic and shock. The semantic code demonstrates the music being played and shows opposite images being portrayed and influences the audience that there is something bad lurking in the area. The proairetic code once again appears as it makes the viewers want to know what the ‘something bad lurking in the area’ is and how the family is dealing with it.
The camera then moves in the shape of the roads swerving and slowly curving round the corners as it tracks the cars movement through the various sceneries. The wide range of high angle long shots that slowly zoom in on the solitary car reveal the isolation and fear for the car and its situation. The tracking shot acts like a mysterious object or eye watching the car as it travels to the unknown. Along with the camera angle the high pitched sounds almost makes the audience believe there is a supernatural horror following them. The angle is then rotated and looks like the ensuing horror is getting closer and closer ready to scare the humans inside. This can create an anxiety feeling and almost utter panic as the camera gets closer and closer to the sole car. The wide range of aerial long shots shows the amount of time and space that appears in the clip.
As the camera finally catches up with the lone car with a tracking shot getting closer, turning into a mid shot and then finally a point of view shot the credits soon rise up through the screen in a blue font. The blue font perhaps puts the composure into the clip making it less alarming and dangerous. The titles are moved out from the top as they ‘fly’ through the screen. With the font very big in the centre of the frame the reader is attracted to reading hence less conscious of what is happening in the clip behind.
The camera then overtakes the car and goes over the side of the road and flies through the air showing the surrounding area. The title of the film then appears in the centre of the screen without the car in the background. It’s displayed in a peaceful area contradicting the real story of the film, just like that of the semantic code. The semantic code shows one thing that could possible mean another like the title in a beautiful natural environment shows peace and calm. Which contradicts with the music. A high angle shot is then rejoined with the car and the music becomes high pitched, suggesting that something will be happening soon, whilst making the viewer unsettled and conscience of the situation.
As the original score starts with the simple bass arpeggio once again it declares that the titles are nearly over and the car is soon to be expected at the hotel. As the car moves onto a snowier location the non-diegetic music continues to play. The music finishes as it started creating tension, making the viewer believe the family have nearly arrived. The camera creates a long shot of a remote hotel, continuing into an arc shot which gets closer and closer showing the viewers this is where the family have been heading for and where the supernatural horror takes place.
As the titles end it has given the uneasy and unsettling feeling to the viewers that this isolated hotel located near lakes, forests and snowy mountains contains a hidden danger that has been built up through the scores and various high angle shots. The title screen’s job is to make the viewers seem interested and attached to the film making them watch the entire film to know what happens. This particular title screen contains strong versions of the hermeneutic code as it keeps the audience guessing and allowing them to make up their own mind of what the final outcome is. The shining title screen sets up the tension and fear ready for the main action. In doing this, binary opposites of good v evil and fear v happiness are taken place. These opposites make the titles successful in making them appear and attract to the target audience.
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