Shaun Of The Dead
Describe the connotations of Shaun's appearance when we first meet him.
We see that his tie isn’t done properly this connotes messiness, unorganised, suggesting that’s why he is having relationship problems. He is also shown holding a beer which could imply that he has a drinking habit as we also see him drinking a lot in the opening with lots of empty glasses surrounding him as if it’s a barrier between him and his girlfriend.
What does the setting tell us about him?
The setting suggests that he could be an alcoholic as its is set in a pub. The setting also informs us that there may be loads of scenes taking place in the pub as it is the first place we are introduced to.
How does Shaun compare to stereotypical 'hero' characters?
Normally ‘heroes’ are seen as perfect whereas Shaun is presented in the opposite way as they way he is dressed connotes messiness showing he is a unperfect ‘hero'.
Mise-en-scene in the first scene
Framing: What does the cinematography tell us about the story?
Cinematography:
1) A two shot is used to show Liz and Shaun however you can see Ed in the background. This suggests that the storyline is based on the problems that Ed could be causing between Liz and Shaun’s relationship.
2)The zoom out of Shaun’s face at the beginning could imply that he is the main character in the film. The zoom out also shows his imperfections showing he is an imperfect hero.
1) A two shot is used to show Liz and Shaun however you can see Ed in the background. This suggests that the storyline is based on the problems that Ed could be causing between Liz and Shaun’s relationship.
2)The zoom out of Shaun’s face at the beginning could imply that he is the main character in the film. The zoom out also shows his imperfections showing he is an imperfect hero.
This is a close up shot which then starts to zoom out. Shauns face after his statement “Things will change… I promise”, shows he is unsure about that and he is made a promise that he might not be able to keep. The camera slowly zooms out after the statement showing he could be zoning out as the camera slowly zooms out causing everyone to be blurred and slowly come back into focus as if it’s implying that the camera is representing his brain zoning out and slowly coming back to reality. Shaun os framed like this so the spectators can clearly see his facial expressions and allow them to question what he may be thinking.
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Editing
Describe the Kuleshov effect?
A mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation. In other
words spectators find meaning between an interaction of two shots in a sequence.
words spectators find meaning between an interaction of two shots in a sequence.
A shot reverse shot has been used between Liz and Shaun to show a connection between the two. When both Shaun and Liz are in the shot we see the back of their heads but we see the faces of her two friends this shows that the cause of their opposition is Liz’s problematic friends.
Cinematography
In the opening title sequence a pan shot is used, it moves very slowly just like the speed the characters are working at. The costumes in the opening are all identical as they are uniforms but this contributes to the fact they are all acting identically, ‘dead’. A foreshadowing narrative is used as a dull life routine is shown which happens later on in the movie to everyone is the movie. The setting/props/costume is naturalistic as it shows a typical day in the life of a working adult.
Tone of the film
The tone of the film changes at the ending when we see Shaun yawning very loudly almost like a zombie groan. The director could be hinting at the fact there will be a zombie apocalypse. This is known as a foreshadow. But this can also be seen as a red herring as when Shaun’s face is revealed he is perfectly normal and not a zombie. The camera pans up to slowly reveal Shaun’s face which creates a sense of anticipation for the spectators as they want to know why he sounds like a zombie. The lighting used is very low-key this creates a glum and eerie atmosphere with a sense of mystery, ‘why does he sound like a zombie?’ The long shadow also creates a sense of horror.