Analysis thrillers

Lesson 15-12-08

In today’s lesson we analysed six clips from thriller movies. They were 'The shinning', 'What lies beneath', '28 days later' 'Arlington road' 1&2’and 'Collateral'.

I chose to analyse the shinning because it I thought that suspense was created the most effectively in this clip. The location, lighting and sound all set the scary mood and get us as the audience ready to be scared. The clip opens with a spectacular aerial shot of a beautiful, mountainous landscape and the hotel. It then cuts to a continuous tracking shot of a little boy riding a big wheel and the desolate sound of the wheels alternately scraping across the hardwood and carpeted floors. The shot is long with quiet, relaxing visuals of what looks to be an ‘ordinary’ child playing on his bike. The young boy is wearing dungarees, a shirt and converse, the attire of a normal young boy. The ominous soundtrack that comes in quietly to build tension warns us as the viewers that all is not right at the gorgeous Overlook Hotel. Tension is also created through the camerawork as the steadicam floats eerily through the deserted halls and corridors of the hotel, creating a sinister air of tension; he turns corners before we do so we do not know what a waits behind the next corner right away. As the boy reaches the corridor containing the secret room 237, the creepiness of the eerie music playing increases as tension rises as he slows his bike as he approaches the room. He then stops and stares at the door as if he is contemplating whether to attempt to go in or not. The eerie music builds increasingly here making the audience sense the danger of the boy entering that room. Get a great tilted close up of him looking back at the door. As he slowly rises from his bike and approaches the door, the camera is positioned at his side prevented us from seeing what could be in the room. As he turns the door knob a quick flash of ill looking twin girls shocks the audience with an echoing jarring sound effect which creates a dark atmosphere. The boy quickly returns to his bike and rides of down the corridor constantly looking back at the room.