The Shining: Shot by Shot Analysis

The first scene of this sequence is Wendy’s face, a frightened look towering over Jack’s writings. It then cuts to his writing in the typewriter and then back to Wendy’s face. The music that starts suggests that she is realizing something is wrong with Jack. It then goes to his stack of papers and zooms in so one can read what has been typed. Jack typed the same sentence over and over and over again, and we know this because the camera stays on his writings for a while. The camera work allows the viewer to read what is on the paper and grasp the insanity that would cause such behavior. Her then flipping through all the pages one by one allows the viewer to see just how intense this behavior is. It allows you to see Wendy’s hand shaking as she flips through the pages and the music provokes fear. Her reaction shows that she is getting upset and scared of what this means.

            The next section of this sequence is when Jack enters. It starts with, what seems like a Point of View shot from him looking around the wall. We see Wendy’s back and that she has found Jack’s papers. The music continues to play heightening the suspense. We then learn that it wasn’t a point of view shot because the dark outline of Jack’s head and shoulder appear in the right side of the frame. He speaks and it startles Wendy, causing her to scream.

            Jack then walks into the scene. It is bright, well lit with a glare, and white walls. This cold, colorless atmosphere creates an uncomfortable feeling and no warmth or comfort for Wendy. Jack has clearly stepped out of civility and this is seen in his writings, his reaction to finding his wife in that area of the hotel. He starts going on a rampage and rattling off information that does not relate to what they’re talking about at all. His appearance is another implication that he has stepped out of civility. He has disheveled hair, a scruffy beard, and several layers of clothing. He does not look put together and that is reflecting his mental state.