The scene begins with a mid shot of Jack, standing in a hallway which acts as an establishing shot as it gives the impression the scene is being set in a house/residential type setting. The colour of the wallpaper being yellow is ironic as it is a colour usually associated with connotations such as happiness, energy and joy and this therefore contrasts with the red jacket which symbolises blood and death. The use of the colour yellow could have been used to lull the audience into a false sense of security or on the other hand this could infer that scene is set in quite an old-fashioned setting/era and the pattern of the wallpaper also reflects on this.
Then in the next shot a backward tracking shot of jack is used which reveals the axe he’s holding in his left hand, in this shot mise-en-scene plays a large role as this reveals Jack’s true intentions. The next shot cuts to a medium close-up of Wendy attempting to climb through a window and failing. This increases the tension of the scene, along with the eerie non-diegetic sound which also coincides with a stereotypical horror film convention.
A mid shot of Danny is shown as a reaction shot to his mother not being able to escape and also low-key lighting is used to conceal Danny’s surroundings and therefore causes the audience to connect emotionally to the scene. This use of low key lighting causes me, a the viewer to feel on edge as i am concerned about both of the character’s safety and it causes me to question whether their escape will be successful, especially with Jack still approaching their location.
Then a mid shot from the left-had side shows Danny standing outside in the snow whilst waiting for his mother to climb out the window, this is a reaction shot which is used to show Danny’s reaction to the situation. Also, in this shot Danny’s fist is included in the shot which also acts to show his reaction to the cold which emphasises the use of snow in the scene. Furthermore, the use of the snow could symbolise mourning and death.
Then a cut to a forward tracking shot of Jack is used as he approaches the ensuite bathroom Wendy is hiding in whilst holding an axe in his left hand, therefore in this scene mise-en-scene plays a large role as it causes Jack’s true intentions to be displayed.
A cut to a mid shot of Wendy is used as a reaction shot to show Wendy attempting to escape the en-suite for the second time. In this shot the blue of Wendy’s dressing gown could be ironic as the colour blue stereotypically has connotations of calm and serene, however it also has connotations of sadness and cold which could reflect on Wendy’s feelings and also on the snow outside which could foreshadow that the snow could play a large role later in either the scene or the movie.
Then a cut to the same medium close-up on Wendy is used that was used in a previous shot as she attempts to escape the clearly too narrow bathroom window for the second time.
A medium close-up from the right hand side is used to show Jack as he approaches the bathroom door and then attempts to open it. During the same shot he turns towards the camera and knocks on the bathroom door, this diegetic sound is used as it reflects on Jack’s sudden mental break with him going from raging whilst wielding an axe to softly knocking on the door as if asking permission to enter whilst seeking out his victims. This is also humorous as he chooses to knock despite holding the power to break the door down with the axe he is currently holding.
A cut to the same mid-shot from the same low angle as used now for the third time is used again as a reaction shot to show Wendy reacting to Jack’s knock on the bathroom door.
An extreme long shot is shown which shows Jack standing in the snow looking up at Wendy attempting to escape the bathroom and then within the same shot Danny is seen to be running away at his mother’s command. This shot could have been used to make Danny look even smaller than he is which could foreshadow how small Danny is in contrast to his father who is shown in the next shot as it cuts to a close-up of Jack’s face as a reaction shot to him hearing this conversation between Danny and Wendy.
A mid close-up reaction shot of Wendy is used to show her reaction to Jack being on the other side of the door. During this shot parallel editing is used in reference to frequent cuts between both Jack and Wendy whilst Jack searches for her. Then the camera pans to the bottom right hand side to show Wendy picking up the knife placed on the sink the camera then pans in the opposite direction back to the mid close-up shot of Wendy yet this time she is seen to be wielding a huge knife in her right hand. The use of the knife being shown to be held in her right hand could symbolise that she is on the right side or the winning side; this could be used to foreshadow the outcome of the situation.
Then a pan from right to left is used to show Wendy moving closer to the door and standing to the right side of it. This also used as a reaction shot to show Wendy looking extremely tired as she momentarily rests her head on the wall.
A cut to a mid close-up of Jack is used still within the parallel editing sequence who is still waiting outside the door. The monologue also plays a part in this particular shot as Jack uses a quote taken from the popular children’s storybook of ‘Three Little Pigs’ the use of this phrase is humorous as it is so out of place within the situation yet it could refer to the fact that he is searching for his own son and it could reference to how he still sees him as his child who he would take care of. Although, on the other hand, this could be a reference to the three of them themselves; Jack, Wendy and Danny who are all the victims of a force much larger/stronger than themselves much like in the tale when the wolf was in control of the three pigs.
A mid shot from behind Jack is shown which includes both Jack himself and the yellow bathroom door. The yellow colour of the door could be a sign of how aged the building is and gives the shot a deeper meaning in reference to the storyline. Also, in this shot Jacks wearing a red jacket of which colour could symbolise death and blood; this could also foreshadow events later in the film.
As Jack begins to swing the axe to break the door a cut to a mid shot from the right hand side of Jack is shown to again show him continuing to swing the axe toward the door. In the same shot a pan from left to right is used which follows the axe through the air as it hits the door. The camera then pans from right to left as Jack dislodges the axe and then pans from left to right again following the axe for a third time. During this shot both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used in the from of background music with a fast tempo which acts to increase the suspense and tension and also Wendy can be heard to be screaming throughout the entire time Jack attacks the bathroom door with his axe.
A cut to a mid shot reaction shot of Wendy is used to show her reacting to Jack attempting to break down the door with an axe as she clutches the knife in both hands. In this shot it is framed to include the axe breaking through the door and coming out the other side to give the scene a sense of realism and this acts to keep me emotionally vulnerable. This shot lasts 24 seconds, the extremely long duration of this shot is used to keep my attention focused solely on the scene unfolding before me and this also acts to keep me emotionally attached to the scene.
A cut to a mid shot of Jack is shown through the broken door, this shot builds the tension and also gives a sense of a rugged edge to Jack in relation to the splinters which are now clearly sticking out of the door, this implies that something has broken inside him also which has led to these events. This shot continues for 8 seconds whilst Jack continues to assault the wooden door that stands between him and Wendy.
A cut to a mid shot from the right hand side of Jack is shown as Jack continues to break down the en-suite bathroom door.
A close-up of Jack’s face as he sticks his face through the hole in the door is shown in the next cut as diegetic sound in the form of Jack’s monologue is played. The use of the phrase ‘Here’s Johnny!’ is in reference to The Tonight Show when it starred Johnny Carson who introduces Ed McMahon with those words. Also, “Jack” is a commonly-used nickname for John/Johnathan, so it’s likely that “Jack” Torrance’s real name is John or Johnathan Torrance.
A cut to a mid shot reaction shot of Wendy is used to show her reacting to Jack’s outburst whilst she raises the knife in the air whilst clutches the knife in her right hand.
A cut to a mid shot of Jack through the hole in the bathroom door is shown to display Jack grinning wickedly as the shot cuts to a mid close up of Jack’s hand as he reaches through the now broken bathroom door unlocks the door from the inside.
A mid shot of Wendy is shown to display her swinging the knife in an attempt to stop Jack entering the bathroom door. A cut to a mid shot of Jack’s hand as the knife hits it shows blood being smeared across the bathroom door as he pulls his hand away.
A mid close-up reaction shot of Jack is used to show him reacting to the wound Wendy inflicted on him.
A2 Film Studies 