British Film - Shaun of the dead Flashcards
What can we say about the opening shot
staring mindlessly into the camera, already a zombie, living contently in his false conciouniesss, he is doing everything on habit, not evening looking or thinking about it has he drinks and smokes
How does Wright mask his criticism of the dominant ideology
He uses humour, we laugh at the idea that we are already zombies, existing in a state of false consciousness
What does the quick mtv style news montage in the ending scene signify
it highlights our obsession with disposable celebrity culture as a distraction from real problems in society, sitting passively and mindlessly like zombies. We have already moved on from the outbreak and zombies are now accepted and part of our pop culture entertainment
What’s significant of the closing sequence of the film
its an esthetic and narrative mirror of the opening, making it easy for the audience to reflect on the changes this way
describe the aesthetic of the closing sequence
the mise en scene is different to the opening, reflecting liz’s changes, it has an optimistic high key light as well has tidy and has a pale blue motif, a colour we associate with liz
What does the new equilibrium restore
It restores patriarchal order and hegemonic values
the camera is in a submissive low angle throughout reinforcing shaun’s dominance
How is Shaun’s journey from loser to hero now complete
he has proved his masculinity using his gamer skills, rewarded with liz who now fulfills a housewife/mother type role, after his journey through consquence free casual violence. he now dependant on her rahter than Ed
What does Shaun of the dead’s resolution leave us
it questions our depenacne on the meadia and resinforces our dependecne on authority and rewards shaun’s masculine journey with a new equilibrium with Liz and a switch in power dynamic between him and ed
What is the binary opposition of the group vs the indiviudual in sotd
The group identity represents a more socialist ideology, in fear of the homongous unfeeling hive mind
their collective zombie conciouness is something to be seen as feared-other, but how does wright show we are already zombies living in a state of false conciouness
in the opening sequence shaun is presented has a zombie, the camera slowly pans up from his ominions shadow has he shuffles and groans into the room, it shot to present him has a zombie. His mundane daily routine in stylictic montage which does not glamourise but make it look sadder, repetivive and pathetic. Hes going through the motions, not really living, already zombified
How does the movement of the camera in the credits connote society’s zombication
the camera tracks right in a smooth motion that hides the wipe edits with the mise en scene
How is the audience presented in the opening scene
as an exhausted generation of zombies reared on video games and vapid digital communication whilst made to work with mind numbing mundanity
in the closing scene shaun has now lost his…
…Individuality that he had why fighting the zombies, standing up against a humongous mass. Without David and Di there is nothin stopping liz from fallin into shaun’s ways as shown by their similar aesthetics in the closing scene, in contrast to the opening where their wearing binary opposing colours
how is it shown that shaun has fallen back into a hegemonic ways
the flicking through of the tv channels which are exactly the same as the opening scene, nothing has actually changed
What about the flicking through the tv channels at the end shows us that we were zombies all along
The tv shows how zombies have been assimilated into a everyday life for entertainment and employment
