In the opening sequence of the film, The Shining, a Stanley Kubrick production, the film starts out with a wide tracking shot that sets the scene and makes us feel isolated. We can see that the setting of this film takes place in a remote mountain range far from civilization. Also, the long shot duration shows how long they have been traveling for which amplifies the fact that they are off the map. To add to my point, there is barely any traffic, and the cars are coming from the opposite direction. This adds to the effect of seclusion by making the viewers see that people are trying to get away from this place, and that no one will be accompanying the family in the yellow car.
In the next part of the opening sequence, we see the credits role in. These credits are in big bold blue letters and the names of the people who worked on the film are right in front of our names. This is to distract us from what is actually going on so that the audience doesn't get bored of the long car drive. Also, some of the people that worked on the film are big names. If you are midway through the opening sequence then see a big name like Stanley Kubrick, you would want to continue watching.
In the opening sequence the use of music in the film adds a very sinister tone to the sequence. We have a beautiful clip playing but on top of it is a menacing track. This makes the viewers think that the hotel the family will be staying in is not a good place and that evil things will be going on there. But, the music does lure the viewers in as well. The music is the biggest reason why I wanted to continue watching. The family in the yellow car being the only car in their lane whilst the other lane has a few cars driving away adds to the illusion of being lured in.
The use of camera angles, credits, and music adds to the ominous tone of this movie creating the theme of isolation.
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