Film Openings - The Shining (Representation) // Research

Characters/Social Groups

No characters are shown in this film opening so costume, make up, accents cannot be commented on. A moving car is shown therefore it is likely for a main character to be driving it however as I said this character is not shown at all. As the character appears to be driving on a long, empty road in quite a scenic place you could assume this character is on holiday or is going somewhere for a purpose although these things may not be true.

Settings/Locations

The location shown appears to be a rural, empty, mountainous place with lots of trees (it could be somewhere like Canada), so it's stereotypically where a horror film may be set as those kind of locations can rely on things like mysterious events happening in the woods, etc. as they are so remote which makes the events seem more sinister as not so many people are around to help or save anyone.



A car driving along a dangerous road

The car driving throughout appears to be a Volkswagen Beetle which at the time wasn't a very expensive car. From this I can infer that the character driving it may be poor so is more likely to be driving somewhere for a purpose, possibly a job as he may need more money.

The road the car is driving along at times adds a dangerous feeling as the road has steep drops to the side at points and this adds uncertainty and worry for the audience as it would be easy to crash and fall.



A slightly camouflaged building

The opening scene ends with a long shot of a big house which is a very similar colour to the rest of the mountain. This makes it seem almost camouflaged which could emphasise the idea that if you live here you're very hard to find or send help to. Just from the size of this building you would assume it would be a hotel or some sort of public building.


Sound

The only sound heard throughout is a non diegetic, soundtrack which also acts as incidental music. The atmosphere created is very eerie and spine-chilling. It creates an air of uncertainty as unusual sounds are included that almost sound like someone screaming or animals making noises. The sound revolves around a theme that is heard and played a couple of times. This makes the audience more familiar with the music but also more scared as the melody is sinister. The variety in dynamics and texture create an even bigger atmosphere as at points the music gets louder and more instruments/sounds can be heard. This is almost mirroring the fear in the audience growing as the music does this.

Creating Mood/Atmosphere

I doubt any lighting is used in the opening as it is simply shots of scenery. As well as this as the film is over 30 years old so I doubt any filters were used. In my opinion I don't think not having any filters ruins the creepy mood being portrayed. If anything I believe it adds to it as it makes the location seem more real and normal which could make the audience feel like whatever is going to happen in the film could happen to them. As I mentioned before the incidental music is definitely the key element to creating a haunting effect. The sound effects of people (or maybe animals) screaming and making noises really adds to this as it foreshadows events that could happen in the film again adding tension for the audience as they know they will have to watch these terrifying moments.

From all this I can see that this opening engages the audience in a subtle way as it makes them wonder who is driving the car and what will happen to them.