The Shining - Opening Sequence Analysis

The opening sequence of this film reveals very little. The entire sequence consists of helicopter shots following a car along a mountain road. The mise en scene displays a picturesque landscape, with no apprehension for disorder. This is completely juxtaposed with the ominous music. The deep drones build an uncomfortable tone and make us relate feelings of isolation, loneliness and horror. Our expectations of a conventional horror film would be unappealing scenery, with dark lighting. This film completely subverts the typical conventions as the landscape is appealing and set during broad daylight. This tranquillity established in the mise en scene settles the audience and therefore the imminent horror will come more as a shock. Our perspective of the mood and atmosphere is highly influenced by the music. The menacing bellows distract from the beautiful landscapes and instead make us feel uneasy. The entire sequence is formed using establishing shots, these are to convey, setting, mood and atmosphere. In an unconventional way, through simply a shot of a car driving along a mountain road, this sequence does establish a slightly strange, apprehensive and uneasy mood. Through the careful composition of the shot and the placing of the car isolation is emphasised. In addition, other important production information is established through the the use of text. We understand this is a Warner Bros film as we see their trademark. This logo is held for an uncomfortable amount of time, forcing there brand into the memory of the viewers. 

Typography is used to create feelings of distortion. As the camera moves foreword the text moves up the screen. This makes an audience feel uncomfortable as it is not something that usually happens in a film. The effect further highlights the loneliness and isolation. The Genre of the film is not obvious through the opening sequence although from the music we suspect the thriller/horror genre. 

The arrival at the old abandoned house confirms these suspicions.This is a very conventional location for a horror film. The isolation and abandonment of the old house makes the audience sense that this is where things will start to go wrong.
In summation, very little happens in this sequence. It is simply a car driving through the mountains, despite this, Stanley Kubrick (The Director) creates suspense and sets an immediate eerie and dark tone for the film.