Blood elevator scene from 'The Shining' made better with all-digital effects (video)
Posted Monday, May 17, 2010 at 8:33 PM Central
Last updated Monday, May 17, 2010 at 8:38 PM Central
by Tim Briscoe
John's previous story on the first draft of The Empire Strikes Back delved into what could have been. In contrast, check out the following revision of a classic film scene.
The scene in question is the famous "blood door" segment of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. (Coincidentally, Empire and The Shining were both released in 1980.) The new version, as created by Xurgonic, uses commercially available software RealFlow and LightWave for richer effects. According to notes on Youtube by the artist, he/she produced the scene "for amusement."
Rather than just getting his kicks, Xurgonic is sure to get a job offer out of this. In my opinion, the CGI scene is better than the original.
Consider this trivia tidbit from IMDb:
Stanley Kubrick, known for his compulsiveness and numerous retakes, got the difficult shot of blood pouring from the elevators in only three takes. This would be remarkable if it weren't for the fact that the shot took nine days to set up; every time the doors opened and the blood poured out, Kubrick would say, "It doesn't look like blood." In the end, the shot took approximately a year to get right.
This detail makes Xurgonic's work even more impressive. The late Kubrick would also have preferred this computer version. Aesthetics aside, the considerable time savings would have satisfied the perfectionist auteur as well.
Can you imagine what celluloid masters like Kubrick would have done with today's available tools? At the same time, would computers really make their films better? At the end of the day, it's still all about storytelling. Right, George?
Here's the original shot from the trailer. Kinda pales in comparison, doesn't it? Looks like cherry Kool-Aid to me now.
Final note: It seems Xurgonic did his work, at least in part, to refute the "something in the river" claims which suggest a body (or other object) falls from the opening elevator. The following clip includes a dissection of the scene along with direct comparisons to the original:
Once again, well done, Xurgonic.