The Shining Film Analysis: Music and Sound

The use of music and sound is an integral part of horror movies, and The Shining is no exception. The Shining film analysis essay will explore the various methods and reasons for the use of music and sound in The Shining. The film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is a combination of horror, mystery, and thriller genres, all of which play on suspense and emotions through sound to aid the disturbing visuals. The film has pioneered techniques and designs which later became stereotypical sounds for the horror genre.

Film sound analysis

The chosen scene from the film demonstrates the strong sonic representation the film has and how sound and music used to create additional narrative. The Shining has pioneered these techniques and designs which later became stereotypical sounds for the horror genre. For example, the eerie and unnatural sounds (usually played in minor scales) produced by synthesisers are synonymous with this type of film. Horror movies are notorious for their use of sound and music to create unnerving atmospheres for their audiences. The Shining is often thought of as a pioneer of this particular use of music and sound to convey particular moods. This particular film is a trio of genres; horror, mystery and thriller. All of these play on suspense and emotions through sound to aid the disturbing visuals.

Without sound and music, the film is likely to lose the emotional impact it has on its viewers. What works so well in The Shining is how parallel the sound works with the action. When something changes or shocks the viewer, the engineer and director has used sound to emphasise these changes, commanding an emotional response to the film. These sounds are high pitched and at a quickening tempo which are characteristics associated with horror/thriller movies. The sound and music is also used in this way to reveal information, character and clues.

In this case, the contrapuntal sound suggests to the viewer that something may be stirring, this is in conflict with the scene of a child enjoying riding his bike. Without diegetic sounds that foreshadow what's next, tension would not be created which would lessen the impact of the shocking moments.

Firstly, the viewer experiences the haunting sounds of high-pitched instrumentation. This guides the audience into a particular mood/atmosphere because we instinctively associate certain sounds and tones with feelings and emotions. The audio used throughout this sequence is often played at the highest notes possible on each instrument, with a variety of playing styles and tempos. This is extreme, over the top and unorthodox instrumentation, that works parallel to the overall theme of the film.

This use of sound and music creates fear and build tension, it can control the pacing of the film and how the audience should be feeling. A part of extreme horror is usually accompanied by multi-instrumental and uptempo parts that can suddenly switch to downtempo parts or complete silence - turning fear into shock. Building and releasing tension, like this, is a great way to maximise impact of scenes. The engineer also introduces the brass stabs to introduce an element of surprise, leaving the consumer on edge. This is supported by crescendos of volume, tempo and pitch which introduce in intensity before coming to an abrupt finish at points of extreme horror or shock.

The sound is used in this insinuate presence with the tempo increasing until a shocking climax reveals the previously unknown. These are pleonastic sounds which emphasise dramatic actions like murder or paranormal activity which are both present in the scene. Throughout the scene, the score is utilised by paralleling shocking moments with loud, crashing percussion too. This gives the film more impact on the audience and their emotions. These non-diegetic sound contradicta what we see on screen and leads the audience to feel unsettled more and more as the scene unfolds. This is achieved through the juxtaposition of muted and loud sounds. As well as using elongated, layered and unnatural sounding string sections. The use of silence is also an effective use of sound to hold the viewer's attention and highlight change. In the example clip this is evident when the twins vanish from the scene.

The characteristics of the sound, including pitch and style of play determine the associated emotions and produce narrative without the need for a score, if used effectively. The tone and discordance the sound of music works by unsettling and overwhelming the viewer as psychological conditioning is placed on viewers to exploit the human psyche. Having sound at high and indeterminate pitches reminds us of animals in distress. Invoking instinctive reactions of fear in the viewers. To overwhelm the audience further, over the top and heavily-layered sounds slowly build throughout.

These sounds convey the mania experienced by Jack Nicholson’s character and give us a sense of direction i.e. what is about to happen. In this particular scene, both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds work in tandem to reveal information, offer clues and represent movement within the hotel. Theremins accompany more traditional instruments appear to represent the supernatural and to represent the reality of events, respectively. The Shining was filmed while electronic instruments were in their infancy and unless you were extremely rich, the general population had minimal experience of these new sounds and technologies. This worked wonders for the movie because it allowed unnatural and uncommon sounds (which created mystery through the unknown). This gives the film identity and a bit of an edge when creating particular atmospheres. These uncommon sounds were particularly creepy and were used effectively to parallel the strange scenes.

Sounds FX produced by Danny’s tricycle creates an ominous rhythm trundling along like the beat of a heart Mimicking heartbeat is a well-used technique in horror movies and other art forms such as Edgar Allan Poe’s work to condition the audience into feeling a certain way. It gives the director or engineer control over the way they want the audience to feel. These sounds are also diegetic that give the viewer a sense of realism and empathy with the characters, making the experience more emotional. The use of dialogue is evidently creepy, too and these are cleverly manipulated to sound paranormal. The director always utilises the set by allowing the natural resonance and echo of the hotel to have an effect of the sound and how the audience responds to this.

Again, the relation between character and audience that is enabled by the sound is essential to creating a better experience. The shocking scenes have a bigger impact on viewers when they can relate to the experiences of characters and storylines. In this case, the sound engineer forms the ideal of entrapment and isolation. Giving a better insight into why the main character descends into insanity or to understand the danger his family are in. Sound FX also aid in giving the viewer a sense of realism and can highlight locations or context. This is a great thing to introduce because it easier for the audience to understand the intended suspense and fear within the scene.

References

1. Anderson, T. (2012). Kubrick's ghosts: Music and sound in The Shining. In C. J. S. Harrington & D. D. Lomax (Eds.), Perspectives on Stanley Kubrick (pp. 169-181). New York: Gower Publishing.
2. Cook, N. (2010). Analysing musical multimedia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3. Creed, B. (1993). Horror and the monstrous-feminine: An imaginary abjection. New York: Routledge.
4. Klevan, A. (2001). Impossible images: The politics of representation in The Shining. In M. T. Carroll & J. Gibbons (Eds.), Post-theory: Reconstructing film studies (pp. 195-214). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
5. Wierzbicki, J. (2009). The music of the Shining: Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.