The Shining

The film The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, consists of many instances in which the camera angles and the color scheme are representative of both the characters, and the storyline. One scene in particular that shows a character's perspective through the use of camera-angles, is when Danny is biking through the hotel hallways. Kubrick's decision to place the camera at Danny's level was useful in showing the audience what a child living in those circumstances's perspective is. There are several instances in which Danny is shown biking through the halls as a means of building suspense for either who it is, or what it is that Danny sees in the hotel. Kubrick also utilizes the element of different camera angles to represent something more than what is shown, in the scene where Jack is locked inside of the freezer and is banging on the door to get out. By placing the camera below Jack, so that only his neck up is shown, it represents the disoriented and confused state of mine that he is in. At this point in the film, the audience has no doubts that Jack's intentions for both Wendy and Danny are not good ones. As he is begging Wendy to unlock the door and let him out, his true insanity is shown. Not only do the tactics he uses to convince Wendy to let him out show a drastic change in character growth, but the camera angle significantly helps indicate his frustration and insanity. The concept of representing a certain character and the storyline through color schemes is a very prominent element Kubrick also uses. For example, before the family moves into the Hotel, we see their home decorated with red, white, and blue decor. To me, the decision to do this helps show the idea of structure and uniform. This color scheme is very obvious, therefore it must represent something larger. Another scene in which there is a specific color scheme used is when Wendy is walking through one of the large rooms in the Hotel and her yellow coat matches the bright yellow curtains. I noticed this detail as it also makes me think that Kubrick intended to portray Wendy as a very uniform and well-put together woman who sees the Hotel how she want to see it, much different than Jack. Both Kubrick's use of unique camera angles and interesting color schemes help spark curiosity and discussion amongst audience members as to what elements were used to symbolize something larger than what is only shown on screen.