The Shining seems to be a film with various examples of different camera angles, especially when considering their denotative and connotative meanings. Throughout the film the director uses an assortment of camera angles to instill a sense of suspense in the viewer.
One shot that is prominent throughout the film is the close up shot. It generally shows important details pertaining to the film and conveys a character’s deep emotions. For example, there is a historical scene where Jack breaks down a bathroom door with an ax to get to his wife Wendy. In this scene, the director utilizes the close up shot to demonstrate Jack’s insanity and Wendy’s fear. Due to the detail, the viewer can see the true emotions being portrayed on the screen and can fully realize the director’s intentions.
My favorite scene in the movie involves a medium shot. Generally medium shots are informational and reveal underlying stories in relationships. The shot involves Jack staring at Wendy and Danny through a window. The shot is from below and adds to perception that Jack is abnormal and powerful, which eventually is shown to be true. The context of the shot can be seen when the shot is held at a certain point, it adds to the overall tension of the film and sustains Jack’s authority.
The final scene of the movie involves a long shot that progresses into a close up shot. Long shots generally demonstrate isolation and when a zoom occurs it moves from general to specific. Specifically, when a frame is held at the end of the shot it is meant to promote shock. The scene zooms in from a corridor to a small picture frame. The change from general to specific reveals a key aspect of the plot. Jack had always been the hotelkeeper and merely relived a previous incident that occurred in the hotel. When the picture frame was the subject of the close up shot, it reinforced the shock associated with the portion of the plot that was revealed.
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