MOVIES | Staircases to Nowhere: Making Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’

 Stories from The Shining

The Shining, never gets old.  It’s probably one of the greatest films ever made. At least for me, and other film nerds. There are a few documentaries out there about Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel. But unlike Room 237, which tries to analyse the meaning of the film, ‘Staircases to Nowhere: Making Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining” features interviews with nine crew members who worked on the production. It’s an informative, and fascinating look from the production side. After all, it’s movie magic.

So glad that these stories were documented.

Now we present the full story, at 55-minutes in length, and with contributions from nine crew members who worked on the film and Stanley Kubrick’s widow, Christiane. We believe this is the most in-depth exploration into the making of “The Shining” on film, from the perspective of those who actually worked on the production. Additional content includes memories of the fire at Elstree, a more in-depth look at the Stages at Elstree and the Steadicam, the work of the Second Unit on the film and what it was like to work with Kubrick.

Interviewed are:
Brian Cook – 1st AD
Jan Harlan – Producer
Christiane Kubrick – Wife of Stanley Kubrick
Mick Mason – Camera Technician
Ray Merrin – Post-Production Sound
Doug Milsome – 1st AC and Second Unit Camera
Kelvin Pike – Camera Operator
Ron Punter – Scenic Artist
June Randall – Continuity
Julian Senior – Warner Bros. Publicity

The interviews in this film were recorded over a period of three years, and with eight students getting the chance to gain live work experience as part of their undergraduate degree course in Film and Television in the School of Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire. The film has been made as part of The Elstree Project which is a partnership between Howard Berry of the University and Bob Redman and Paul Welsh MBE who run the volunteer group Elstree Screen Heritage. Please consider contributing to the project, by using the “tip jar” feature on this video, and help us make more videos like this.