Today our group carried out research for the preliminary task by viewing some of the heart above's attempts at the task. I now have a much clearer understanding of what the task entails, as well as a few ideas on how we can get started.
We also acknowledged that many of the demonstrations of editing and camera convention were very similar, for example the 'match on action' editing technique is generally shown with a door being opened, and our group would like to try something less generic.
The Shining fits to the conventions of the psychological thriller sub genre due to the presence of psychological elements within the thriller film. However, the film could also be described as a supernatural thriller, since there is a supernatural element to the plot, which intertwines very closely with the psychological element to the point where it is very hard to distinguish between the two.
Whilst thriller movies often center on a fast paced narrative, rather than characters emotions, the psychological thriller subgenre is somewhat backwards, and the mental aspects of the characters are more prominent, which is demonstrated throughout The Shining in which the main character, Jack Torrance, is shown degenerating into a madman due to cabin fever, and perhaps even the supernatural. As well as these psychological elements, thriller conventions are present throughout the movie, with multiple plot twists and enigmas ("How does the Danny (The boy) know of the evil inhabiting the hotel?", "Who is Tony, Danny's imaginary friend?", "Is Jack speaking to ghosts, or just himself due to his loss of sanity?"). Because of this, it is safe to place The Shining firmly within the boundaries of the psychological thriller genre, however it would not be surprising to see the movie labeled as a supernatural thriller due to the supernatural element being so important in the film's plot.
