7/29/2019 The Shining (1980) Trailer Analysis

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THE SHINING TRAILER ANALYSIS

The trailer begins with a series of establishing shots

accompanied by a voice over. The voice is a low, mysteriousand slightly raspy sounding male talking about the tragedy in

devour. This voiceover gives the audience a basic idea of the

plot meanwhile creating intrigue because we cannot see who is

talking. The tone of voice stays consistent throughout the

voiceover which creates the feeling of security which is soon be

interrupted to alarm the audience that all is not well. A series of

eerie noises are used in the trailer to reinforce a sense of terror.The first is the sound of a cello which is played very quietly

alongside the voice over. This low monotonous sound is than

contrasted with a high pitch screech which creates a sense of

instability and prepares the audience for a shift in pace. The

image of the attacker flinging an axe through the door is

followed by a scream which is heightened. This scream created

terror amongst the audience. This scream is then followed bydialogue and @44.00 we hear the overlapping of diegetic and

non diegetic sounds. These include the beeping of cars,

dialogue, the wind blowing, the fast playing of violins and the

quiet playing of cymbals. These noises crescendo at @59.00.

After this we hear a split second scream which creates unease

and a possible adrenalin rush. The split second sound of a bad

radio signal follows this scream which emphasise the idea ofthe characters being alone in a remote destination with no way

out. We then hear some of the noises that we are familiar with,

such as the cello and the quiet colliding of the cymbals

alongside a voiceover which talks about solitude being

unbearable for some. The sound of the cello becomes flat and

@1.15 we hear the groaning of a male alongside the cymbals.

This groaning stops at @1.23 and we hear dialogue from themale.

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I dreamed that I killed you and Danny.

After this we hear the sound of violin being played much faster

than before raising the audiences heartbeat as well as

preparing them for the last section of the trailer. The woman

screaming how could you is played over the violins as they

gradually get louder and louder. The music stops @1.38 as if it

has been sucked into a vortex. From the male we then hear the

famous line Heres Johnny over the heightened, high pitched

violins. After this point the violins become so fast that they

begin to sound like buzzing bees which creates a sense of

irritation and unease amongst the viewers. We also hear the

thumping of a drum, similar to a heartbeat which evoked fear

and anxiety as well as signifying that time may be running out.

By @1.55 the, the violins have faded out into silence and we

see the title The shining appears. The silence only last for split

second until we hear the gradual increase of a low distorted

noise which carries us through to the end of the trailer. This

noise unsettles the audience as well as signifying the end of the

of the film trailer.

From the beginning of the trailer up intil 32.00 seconds we see

a series of location shots which last, on average, for around

three seconds each. A fade to black transition is used for all of

these shots and there is no establishing of characters. Theaudience sees a sense of routine and pattern which creates the

feeling of security. This sense of constancy comes to a halt

when we see two shots which last for only one second,

therefore raising the tension by picking up the editing pace. The

fade to black transition between these two shots becomes

slower and after both shots we see a flash of white before a

black screen. This is significant because white symbolises

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safety, cleanliness, purity whereas black symbolises sin, power

and death. The white flash alongside the back screen subtly

represents the fine line between life and death. This transition

is used again @33.00 for the following shot of the manramming an axe into a wooden door. At 1.16, the shot flashes

in and out of blackness which is reminiscent of blinking, tying

into the fact that this editing technique is used in a point of view

shot. Flashing can represent something no longer working (for

example a flashing light bulb) which could be a metaphor for

the murderers lack of sanity. The flashing also represents

tension. The audience will automatically feel this sense oftension because we are viewing the scene from the point of

view perspective. @59.00 we see a split second reaction shot

of the young boy. This shot jumps out at the audience because

it is much faster in pace when compared to the lead up of the

trailer. All of the shots prior to this have used a fade to black

transition which subconsciously prepares the audience for

another shot. This shot is totally unexpected and disturbs theviewer because it is so sudden and also because the character

looks terrified.

At the beginning of the film trailer, the camera movement is

slow, smooth and consistent. It begins with an Ariel shot which

moves at a speed parallel to the car. This makes the audience

feel as though they are following the characters, making the

viewers feel involved in the trailer. This shot is followed by both

panning and tracking shots which are both slow and dont add

to any sense of fear or unease. These shots contrast with the

camera movement used @15.1. Here we see the camera zoom

into the two little girls starting from an over the shoulder shot of

the boy on the tricycle. The style of zoom is not smooth like the

movement seen at the beginning of the trailer. The zoom jumps

from the zoomed out shot to the zoomed in shots with one

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second intervals. This style of camera movement makes the

audience feel agitated and unsettles foreshadowing the facial

expression of the boy which follows the two shot of the girls.

The locations shown in the Film trailer fit the conventions of

where a horror film is normally set. The trailer begins by

showing us a video montage of the isolated buildings and

countryside where the movie is set. Although the interior shots

show what looks like a cosy, well furnished hotel, the slightly

blue toned filter makes the hotel appear cold and clinical. This

is reinforced by the artificial lighting which shines down on the

floor in sharp streaks @21.00. These shots are reminiscent of

the colours and lighting used in hospitals or a mental institution

which are associated with death, insanity and claustrophobia

which gives clues to the audience regarding what will happen to

the characters in the film.

Facial expression, body language and positioning within the

frame are used throughout this film trailer to show the audiencewho the attacker and who the victims are. @1.41 this is very

clear. We see a woman, who is far away the camera, helplessly

holding a knife behind a door which has an axe protruding from

it. Her distance from the camera makes her appear inferior

because she looks physically small. This immediately makes

the audience sympathise with her. Her facial expression is one

of terror and panic and her body looks limp as if she has givenup. Although she is holding what could potentially be a fatal

weapon, the audience know that the woman is unsafe and will

be intrigued to know whether or not she dies in the film.