The Shining Analysis

 The opening scene begins with a cross dissolve, which then leads to a birds eye view of a vast sea going on for miles, showing that the landscape overpowers anything it comes into contact with, which gave me a sense of awe and wonder. The sea also highlighted mis en scene colour connotation, to the blue that could represent a convention of isolation, showing that the family were going on a journey into the unknown. Since the man was isolated from other people, danger was almost certain.

 There was then a jump cut, to the car driving out of a tunnel. The jump cut used, foreshadowed unexpected moments, as well as the action moving along very quickly, implying that this film was going to build suspense. As the forward tracking followed the car through the valley, repetitive, non-diegetic music added a ghostly feel and it made me feel cold and unsettled and I couldn’t help but feel worried for the man driving through. This tense and worried feeling became more prominent, when a straight cut to the mis en scene of the landscape opened up. A high angle shows the car driving through a view of forests and empty valleys, which enhanced the convention of isolation and alienation. From this, I could see that this film was going to be of Horror genre. The landscape showed a lot of green, which suggested the idea of a lingering sickness or a poisonous atmosphere, which the man was driving into. The vast landscape showed that the man was inferior, compared to the superior surroundings.  Additionally, the car was seen at a high angle, suggesting that the man was being watched, as though he was prey, ready to be hunted down and that he was being led into a trap. This linked to the idea, that he was already trapped, as the straight cut to the inside of the car, zoomed in to form close up of the man, which in my opinion, felt claustrophobic. This foreshadowed that the feeling of being trapped, was going to be a recurring theme.

There was then a straight cut to an extreme long shot, zooming in on the Overlook Hotel, as well as panning to the right side of the hotel. I interpreted this, as someone stalking/watching the hotel at a safe distance, which created mystery and made me ask questions to who that person may have been. The hotel is seen as a dull darkened grey colour, implying that it is in a lifeless state, yet the surroundings are high key lighting with bright colours such as blue, creating juxtaposition because of the two contrasting colours. This shows that the hotel does not fit in with the scenery, creating a feeling of mystery to why it is there. However, the colour of the hotel, was seen from the perspective of whoever was watching, suggesting that the idea of the hotel being lifeless and depressing, was from only one point of view. I liked that the hotel was a grey contrast because it gave me a clue that the hotel was going to be a creepy place fitting in with the horror genre.

The most significant scene for me was when the man was in the hotel room. This scene started with a still extreme long shot of the Overlook Hotel with an establishing shot of mountains behind. The mountains being high up, gave the connotations of being close to heaven, which showed juxtaposition to the hotel being the idea of hell, with its darkened colour and past incidents. This made me question why the hotel had any reference to heaven, since it was a sinister plot and heaven went against the genre conventions. This lead me to think that it may have been there to suggest, that there was still good in Jack and that he was not yet possessed. There was then a straight cut to a forward tracking of a mid-shot of Danny on a bike, riding round corridors in the hotel.  The diegetic sound of the wheels constantly turning became increasingly louder, which built suspense and made you think that there was going to be a sudden climax, which in turn made my heart pace quicken. The original long shot of Danny on the bike became more of a mid shot as he rode around the corridors because of the camera gradually zooming in. This suggested that he was not safe and gave me the impression that he was being followed. Danger was not off the cards for him, as his clothing was red, foreshadowing blood and death. There is a close up of Danny’s face, when we see him stop outside room 237. His performance and facial expressions highlights his curiosity to venture into that room. The close up was sustained for a while, suggesting that Danny couldn’t decide whether to go in or not. Additionally, there is a low angle, showing that in that moment, Danny was able to take control of the situation, as though he was superior to whatever was in the room. There is then a soft focus on Danny, whilst there is a clear view of the door room 237. This may show that the room is more important than Danny at this point and that what lies inside is significant to the plot. The use of a static shot of the door, foreshadows that Danny was going to enter eventually.

Parallel editing occurs, taking us from Danny on the bike, to Jack on his bed in the hotel room. The camera pans to the left, so it faces a mirror with Jacks reflection. This was a very meaningful shot as from this, I could depict that the person in the mirror was not Jack anymore. Jack on the bed was looking at someone who had transformed, an unrecognisable man who had grown to be sinister. There was a static shot of the mirror reflection, implying that Jack’s transformation was permanent. This idea became more convincing when there was a pan to Wendy walking into the shot in the bedroom, however she didn’t walk into the mirror reflection shot. This showed that her personality was still the same and she did not have any new sides to her, unlike Jack. Wendy not being in the reflection with Jack may also suggest distance in their relationship because she does not recognise his transformation and wants to stay away from him. Finally, the mirror may show Jack’s self indulgence, as mirrors have connotations to vanity – he only thinks about himself, which isolates their relationship further. This links to the fact that there is no eye line match between Wendy and Jack. This shows that their connection has most certainly been lost and it is almost like, she is not even in the room from Jack's perspective. 

Cold Mountain - Group Analysis

At the beginning of the sequence, there is an establishing shot with the camera tracking from left to right. It is an extreme long shot of a man trekking through the snow to show the mise-en-scene, the vastness of the landscape compared to the small, seemingly insignificant man. The music is non-diegetic and is peaceful, implying that the surroundings have not been disturbed and it allows us to rule out this film being a thriller or horror as this is not a convention of those genres.

There is then a straight cut to a long shot, focusing on the male character. The camera zooms towards the man, highlighting that he is an important character within this part of the film. Additionally to this, the camera also pans upwards, revealing the distant mountains that represent the distance between the character and his girlfriend. The character sits down, changing the levels and showing he is weak, tired and inferior.

Another straight cut to a mid shot shows both the man’s expression and clothing. His expression is sad and tired, adding to the mise-en-scene along with his black clothes, linking to the idea that he is impure and depressed.

Parallel editing occurs, taking us from the man in the snow to a woman at home. The camera zooms in on the woman’s face very slowly as though I am trying to get into her thoughts and see how she feels. However, this may also show time passing as she is distant from her lover. The use of low-key lighting is a huge contrast to the high-key lighting previously used when we were focusing on the man in the snow. The difference in lighting coupled with the narration of the letter suggests the female has lost hope and is feeling negative compared to the male who is physically looking up and has a positive outlook.

The mise-en-scene of this shot depicts several candles, foreshadowing a glimmer of hope for the relationship as candles can provide comfort and warmth in dark times. Also, the staining on her hands makes me feel that her dark feelings are permanent just like ink, something that cannot be easily washed away. The camera proceeds to stay static as we watch the tear roll down her face emphasising her sadness.

The next shot uses a straight cut to a close up of a fire which instantly represents both passion and danger, leading me to feel that the male is determined to get to his girlfriend, no matter what the consequences are. The camera then tilts upwards whilst panning from right to left to reveal a man at the fire. Another straight cut to an over the shoulder shot allows us to see another man walk into the shot, this shows that he is not alone on his journey.

The low-key lighting used within this scene shows that the men are concealing themselves and that they don’t want to be found, suggesting they are wanted fugitives. The next shot uses a low angle to show the men lying down which suggests that other, superior people are hunting them and they are trying to stay low as they have a target on their back. Another straight cut leads us to witnessing a man sitting up coughing. The camera pans to the human meat which shows how the males are living barbarically and are doing everything possible to survive, even when it is ethically wrong.

An eye line shot is then shown of a man peering up over a log with the diegetic sound of a horse. This shows us something has captured his attention and he remains in the low-key lighting, concealing himself. This makes me feel he is suspicious of the other men who have showed up and foreshadows arguments and fights at a later time.

The diegetic sound of the violin playing is introduced to ease the situation before it gets out of hand, showing me that the men need to be calmed down before they do something reckless. This again reinforces the idea that there is tension between the characters and foreshadows fights. The straight cuts, matching on action, shows the conflict between the men who are singing and trying to keep the peace and the blonde male who sits alone. The low key lighting surrounding the lone man suggests he is someone to be watched and has an evil character which could bring trouble.

The eye line match following the man who stands up, gives me the impression that the characters are wary of each other and there is a lack of trust. The next mid shot of the characters uses a soft focus to highlight that the man standing up is the most important in this situation and is about to take control of the situation. This is then followed by a close up of the side of his face which shows his worried emotions and this gives me the idea that he is aware of something which the others are not. It also shows, he does not have as much control that originally thought.

Parallel editing is again used in this scene, showing the actions of the men gathered around the fire as well as the young man hiding behind the log. This emphasises the distance between these characters and that along the way, they have lost a connection and have parted, losing trust.

Further on in the scene, the blonde man stands as the camera pans up to follow him. As he is standing higher than all of the others, it implies he is more superior and powerful. We then witness the scene from the point of view of the hiding man. We get to see and hear everything he witnesses at a safe distance which shows he is still worried about being in that situation.