Analysing Opening Sequences and Setting - 'The Shining'

The first opening scene that focuses on introducing setting that I will be looking at is from Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'.

The film opens with an extreme long shot, of a lake and snow-capped mountains, immediately establishing the isolation of the setting. 

Sinister music also plays, immediately establishing the horror genre and that there is something ominous and haunting lurking below the surface. This shot is followed by a dissolve which further highlights how vast and isolated the landscape is. 

The whole of the opening sequence follows a yellow VW Beetle driving along the narrow and isolated road from a high angle, suggesting that some sinister presence is following the driver of the car. 

The purpose of these shots is to highlight to the audience just how remote the location where the hotel is situated is. This sets up expectations for the audience that if the characters find themselves in trouble it will be virtually impossible to find others to help them or escape. 

The closer the car gets to the hotel the more snow there is, which foreshadows what will happen later in the film.