Textual Analysis of Shaun Of The Dead Kristopher Bareham
POST PRODUCTIONS
Micro Elements: Mise-En-Scene: The film is set in east London and the areas that the characters are in is 6 as well as streets and other peoples back gardens, the locations include a few houses, and pub where the finale takes place. Each of these locations are typically found in London, and in locations which lots of people congregate, this can add to the danger in the film for the audience as this can suggest that anywhere that you go could be dangerous, also these places appear in flash forwards in the film when making the plan of what to do. The use of props is used superbly in the film, the weapons that are seen throughout the film are typical everyday items that would be found in urban London, and these items are typically used for not inflicting harm. The other significant items in the film are the newspapers and the TV reports as they are used to reveal to the characters and the audience the scale of the zombie outbreak. The lighting in the film is done to show the change in the atmosphere and the tone of the film throughout, at the beginning of the film it is quite bright, happy, and normal. Then towards the end of the film the lighting changes to a darker tone, this can be due to multiple reasons. For example, the dark colour during the end of the film, when all the characters are weak and the protagonists mother is bitten it shows the dark depressing tone of losing a loved one. Editing: The film uses various techniques to establish itself as a horror, the most commonly used effect is a superimposed blood splatters that are used when the protagonists kills any zombies, this adds to the effectiveness and impact of all the weapons used, in addition the gun used in finale has its gunshot effect added in post-production. Both add to the sense of horror as blood is typically used in all horrors to influence the audience. Camerawork: The shot types are used in the film to give the most amount of immersion of the audience. In the beginning of the film, two scenes use longer shots without little cuts to break it up. However, during the later scenes of the film the camera whips around between all the characters dealing with the issue of the antagonists around the final area, this means that the protagonists are panicking and the camera is matching the tempo of the action of the scene. Sound (Diegetic, Non-Diegetic): Diegetic sound is audio heard by both the characters on screen and the viewers. Diegetic sound includes voices, music coming from the scene and most sound effects. The most used sound is the moan the walking dead make. This creates a sense of danger, as the sound is heard all the time, letting both us (the audience) and the characters know that impending danger is always present. The sounds coming from the weapons in the film as well let us know that the group of survivors. Non-Diegetic sound is audio heard only by the audience and not by the characters. Examples of Non-Diegetic sound include Narration, monologues and backing tracks/scores. These are used in introduce the plan, and the characters throughout the film. The most used form of Non-Diegetic sound comes from the backing tracked used. A couple of times, the music bui8lds up in volume and pitch, implying a scare, however, all instances of this are fake scares used to build up the tension of the film. Macro Elements Characters: The protagonist of the film is the non-stereotypical male character being weak and unassuming which in to common in a horror; he however comes in a strong leader by the end of the film. In addition, the character of Shaun is no exception. A lot of the screen time focuses on Shaun attempting to band together his close friends and family and to keep them safe, coming up with multiple plans until he finds the correct one. The story is about him becoming the person e wanted
to be all along with being successful and have a happy life with happen at the end of the film Fast thinking, witty, and strong leadership qualities are all some of the features that a protagonist should have, and Shaun ticks all the boxes. Ed be the helper in Shaun of the Dead as he is by Shaun’s side for most of the film, defending and helping him. However, his help is selective as he purposely crashes the first car they have so he can ride in Shaun’s Stepfather’s Jaguar. The antagonist of the film is the living dead that wander around the entire film presenting a constant source of danger throughout.