Film studies- Task 1

Using the notes you have made in class, film sequences and your own analysis, complete the genre and technical analysis of Dawn of the Dead ( 1978 ), the first film we are focusing on. This will be the first part of your Task 1 Analysis . This should include the following :

Dawn of the dead and Shaun of the dead

Genre Conventions

Setting

In The film Dawn of the dead (1978) the first scene we see is in a television studio where we are introduced to the chaos and stress of multiple people trying to organise a broadcast to alert others about this zombie outbreak which also alerts the audience who are watching the situation the characters are in as the outbreak began before the film starts therefore the zombie apocalypse had to be explained by a professional, this is one of the most basic of conventions in zombie movies whereby the situation is usually addressed or explained or gives vital information and background about the problem, by someone such as a slightly mad scientist or doctor etc, I think the chaos in the TV studio is also used to represent a downscale version of worldwide chaos as the film is based in Philadelphia therefore showing the events happening all over the world would be to large to film, the action begins in a SWAT raid in what looks like a block of flats where we are first made aware that this is a serious situation and come face to face with the zombies, the whole swat team and people living there are all in an in-closed space with the zombies which is another typical convention of zombie films where a large part of the action is seen in a closed space where the characters are stuck with the zombies, although the main place we see this is in the majority of the film which is based in a shopping Mall where the main characters are trapped hiding from the zombies who are also based in the mall, However in Shaun of the dead the first scene is set in a British household where three men live, the first few scenes could be seen as a romcom rather than a zombie movie as Shaun's main in interest at this point in the film is his love life, although in the background of these scenes we see examples of where the zombie apocalypse is being introduced such people walking like zombies on there way to work or looking lifeless, there are sickness outbreaks reported on the news and repetitive daily routines which is why Shaun is one of the last people to notice the outbreak as day to day life has more or less made people act as if they are zombies and he has more important things on his mind, this does work with another zombie movie convention whereby the events are based in the modern day/time, Similarly to Dawn of the dead the film uses the most typical zombie movie convention whereby the main action scene is based in a North London pub where all the main characters are trapped with the zombies and have no choice but to face them as it's the only way for survival.

Characters ( Human/non-human)

There are main categories of characters in zombie movies, such as the Hero who typically has good practical skills,The heroine who is usually blonde and vulnerable, and expert of some sort who will give vital information, a false hero who may not be as competent as the hero, and a villain who is also a main threat apart from the zombies Dawn of the Dead contains all of these whereby the Hero is Peter as he is practical and thinks ahead in order to ensure survival for him and others around him, he also has good skills with weapons which makes him more able to save and survive, Francine fits the description for a heroine as she is Blonde and seems very Vulnerable and almost useless at the beginning of the film, but towards the end she becomes braver and a lot more practical as she does not want to be seen as useless, The expert in the film is shown at the beginning as the scientist who explains the situation and gives important information about the Zombie apocalypse, Roger is seen as the false hero as while in the mall he feels superior to the zombies as they are slow and easily killed and he becomes to brave while trying to kill the zombies and ends up being bitten due to his unpractical thinking and finally the villains of the film are the gang of people on motor bikes who attack the mall and become a threat to the others, but is soon taken down by the hero and brutally killed, last but not least The non human characters (Zombies) which are the main reason for the film, they are the main problem and could have an external source or activated by being bitten, whereas Shaun of the dead follows along the lines of these typical characters displayed in most Zombie movies although I think it gives a more modern twist to it whereby it has a Hero who is Shaun who at the beginning of the film does not seem like your obvious hero but as the zombie problem arises he takes charge and becomes a tactical thinker who with a bit of help is able to work a gun, Shaun's girlfriend is the most likely heroine in this film as she is rescued and protected by Shaun throughout the film, but is also is quite a strong character compared to Francine in Dawn of the Dead and this shows how the concept of women being helpless in zombie movies have evolved and modernised, The expert in this film is the news reader as he gives crucial information about how to kill the zombies as you have to cut their heads off or destroy the brain,The false hero in the film is David who in the pub scene tries to take control of the situation thinking he is the most responsible, who ends up being one of the first in the group to be killed by the zombies just like what happens to Roger in Dawn of the dead, there is not villain in the film as the main threat is the zombies so there is almost no need for another threat or villain.

Props and costume 

The props and costume used in zombie movies most commonly used a very similar to action movies where there is a large usage of guns and various kinds of weapons, also use of radio equipment which shows the importance and difficulty with communication between other surviving humans, tinned food and fuel, costume is also used to show social position or importance or characters during an outbreak for example in Dawn of the dead there is use of military wear and equipment in the scene where the swat team raid the flats, although every person is dressed in police uniform the ones that stand out for us are the four that get in the helicopter as it shows their power compared to the other people who are trying to get as far away from the zombie situation by car or boat and are staying on the ground whereas in the helicopter they are able to look down and their chaotic word while remaining safe in the air so it is as if they know the situation will get worse and they are looking down at the people shooting zombies for fun knowing that by taking the helicopter they have made a good long term choice for survival, which shows these characters are most likely in a high social position compared to others in the film, guns are largely used throughout the whole film as it is the easiest way to kill zombies without getting to close to them I think characters with larger guns or better weapons are used to show the strongest characters as they are able to handle larger weapons whereas the other characters may have smaller weapons for example Francine is given the smallest gun as she is the heroine therefore she is expected to be saved therefore would not put herself in major danger so she would not require a large gun like some of the others, how ever characters such as Peter and roger who are part of the swat team are more experienced with weapons as shown by their military uniforms therefore would also take charge in taking more powerful weapons, and Francine is shown in casual clothing with shows she is a house wife and would be treated differently compared to the men while trying to handle the situation, however in Shaun of the dead weapons I think weapons are used to show the growth of the characters rather than social position as at the beginning of the film when Shaun and Ed first realise there is a zombie apocalypse they take more realistic weapons compared to dawn of the dead, as Shaun and Ed use cricket bats which puts them in the same social position but as the film gets to the end Shaun is given the responsibility of a gun with I think shows his development and growth and highlights him as the hero, it also shows that he has gained the other characters trust and they have seen that he has also grown as a character as he is driven by trying to get his relationship back on track, although Shaun does require help working the gun from the characters which shows that in order to make this change in his life he needed all the people around him, unlike Dawn of the dead there is minimal use of military weapons and themes as Shaun of the Dead is based in north london and more about everyday life and people, so the use of weapons such and bats and sticks show the equality and importance each character has.

Narrative

Conventional zombie movies usually follow the same narrative where there is first an Apocalypse or zombie outbreak, Main character’s initial escape who is often female, Other isolated and very different survivors team  up together, Backstories of survivors ( flashback /narration), Development of outbreak and breakdown in society, Details of outbreak given to audience by expert, Survivors trapped in closed environment where they are surrounded by zombies, Closed environment is breached due to amount of zombies, or by actions by false hero or villain, Final standoff with zombies and possible final escape and the Aftermath which is not always shown in narrative, Dawn of the Dead more or less follows this plan for narrative as it was one of the film that set the typical conventions for zombie movies, at the beginning of the film we are introduced right in the middle of the Zombie outbreak whereby it started before the before the film started so we are taken straight into the chaos of the Tv studio, next our main characters take their initial escape when Francine is told by David there is a helicopter waiting on the roof for them along with Peter and roger, Other survivors who team up together are shown in the towns and are taking the outbreak as a joke and making fun out of killing the zombies as the group look down on them from the helicopter who are taking the issue seriously, which also shows the breakdown of society as people are just killing the zombies as if it is a game, the film goes in linear order so there are no flash backs as we see the outbreak and the characters stories from the beginning, The details of the outbreak are given at the beginning of the film by the scientist (expert) and do not follow the conventional order of events, although the narrative does contain a part where the survivors are trapped in a closed environment which is the mall, which is infested with zombies and is the main setting for the majority of the film, and the remaining survivors are able to keep the situation under control until the villains ( Motor cycle gang) enter the mall and disrupt the peace which then allows zombies onto the second floor of the mall, at the end of the film we are left at a cliff-hanger as there is not a final stand off with the zombies, but more of a final escape which then ends the film so we do not see the aftermath of the situation as it is not present in the narrative or events so the ending of the film follows the conventional ending very briefly as there is no solution to the problem shown. 

Events 

  

Technical conventions  

Describe their use

Sound : Music is used heavily in Dawn of the dead mainly used in moments of panic or high action which does follow the usual conventions for zombie movies as it makes these scenes more effective, for example when they first approach the mall in the helicopter there is 'strange' music playing, the music seems to match the actions of the characters, whereby they are looking around and analysing their surrounding and taking in actually how bad the zombie situation, the music also makes the viewers study the surroundings as well and take in what is happening around the characters, as this is not really an intense action scene I think this music is used to start to build up the tension for the rest of the film, and maybe implies there is more to come throughout the rest of the film, there is also use of simple sound effects such as gun shots which are not very exaggerated, but are sometimes quite loud and sudden in scenes whereby a character is in danger and they're thinking they are going to get bitten, but suddenly someone shoots the zombie and there is a sudden loud shot, Dialogue is also used widely to inform the audience on the characters plans for escape and also give vital information on things or events that may have happened before we had started watching, for example the scientist at the beginning of the film explaining that the dead are eating the living, however in Shaun of the dead there was a similar use of music in high packed action scenes or is used to make scenes more effective, for example when Shaun walks out of his house to the shop and is completely oblivious to the fact that there are zombies everywhere, there is low creepy music playing which alerts the audience there is something wrong, and we are waiting for Shaun to notice.

Use of Camera : shot types

At the beginning of Shaun of the dead there are many panning shots used, which start of wide but gradually zoom in slightly so they directly introduce the main characters, one thing I noticed about this film in particular was its use of quick shots when Shaun is organising or picking things up that he will need, for example in one of the first scenes when he is getting ready for work the shots quickly change from him going to the toilet, brushing his teeth, then doing his tie, this is not a typical shot type you would expect to see in a zombie film.
whereas in Dawn of the dead the establishing shots are shorter than the ones in shaun of the dead and are more about introducing us straight into the panic of the situation, close up shots are also widely used showing the zombies heads being shot or peoples insides being eaten which is a typical convention which is used to show the graphic images.

Describe how  audience reaction can be collected and interpreted: find and explain a range  of methods for audience feedback and research about audiences of television adverts in the UK used by the industry.

Audience reaction and feedback can be collected by BARB who use commissions specialist research companies such as IpsosMORI, Kantar Media and RSMB to gather audience figures, other strategies used could be online surveys or using comments from the public about the advert.

Barb

 Broadcasters' Audience Research Board  also known as BARB is the organisation that compiles Audience measurement and television ratings in the UK, the provide the official viewing figures for uk television audiences . It commissions specialist research companies such as IpsosMORI, Kantar Media and RSMB to collect data that show the television viewing behaviour of the UK’s 26 million TV households.