Expositionally, do we need to see the car driving through the mountains? No. But we do and that creates meaning. It shows escalation and seclusion from civilization.
Showing Halloran’s path with the car and then the snowcat shows perseverance and how treacherous the area can get with inclement weather.
Danny is shown triking around areas that will show conflict and stress in future scenes.
Yes they give the viewer a sense of place within the hotel but they also provide additional messaging with where, how, and who is traveling.
Traveling & Journeys
This could also be called traveling and discovery.
Jack’s path from the bedroom to The Lobby to see the balloons and streamers.
Wendy’s path from The Kitchen to the external space to see the sabotaged snow cat.
Halloran’s path from the outside to his death in The Lobby.
Wendy taking this same path to find Halloran’s body.
Wendy running upstairs to find the bear and tuxedo man.
In this image · No.2
The opening journey is repeated through traveling sequences across the film.