Post-Modern essay of Shaun Of The Dead

Shaun of the dead is constructed as a postmodern horror film as it is a combination of two opposing genres- horror and comedy. A postmodernism can be seen as a turning against structuralism and the rigid thinking of the horror genre. Shaun of the dead is a post-modern as it consists of all the elements of a horror film but is in fact is a comedy, Shaun of the dead was written by Edgar Wright and co-written by Simon Pegg, the film is a hybrid romantic, zombie and a comedy, these genre’s contradict each other therefore resulting the film to be seen as a comedy as conventionally these opposing genres are not normally combined with each other. 

Shaun of the dead is a contemporary version of a horror film as it still follows codes and conventions of a horror film by consisting blood & gore, zombies and isolation these are all popular iconography of the horror genre. Another way Shaun of the dead contradicts the horror genre and Propp’s character theory is by replacing the lead character of a cool and strong male lead for an average lead who works at an electronic shop with his slacker of a friend which initially adds another element of humour in the film due to not having the characteristics of a typical hero. 

At the beginning of the film, we are presented with Shaun which is essentially the ‘lead’ character; he is presented as a zombie which is humorous due to his zombie like behaviour and lifestyle which is also ironic as he is supposed to be the human fighting against the zombies. Another way that Shaun of the dead subverts the horror genre to post-modern is the setting is set in broad day light, this is another way Shaun of the dead challenges the typical codes and conventions of a horror film as most horror films are set during night time as it adds the element of fear of the unknown in the dark and therefore creates a scary ambiance. However the film still follows some conventions of a typical horror film as the main setting is an isolated house; this is a typical setting for a horror film as it is easy for the audience to identify with the victims in the film. 

The zombie attack is another comedy factor in the film as the supply of weapons they use are nothing out of the unordinary as they use cutlery and vinyl records, this is uncommon in horror films as the main lead characters in the film normally use more recognised weapons for their defence such as guns and knives which are normally used to show one is in power. Another way Shaun of the dead subverts the structuralism of a horror film is when the zombie attack is taking place, both Shaun and Ed fight against a woman, this is humorous as they are scared of her, this goes against Propp’s character theory as the male lead is recognised as strong both mentally and physically however this is not the case with Shaun and Ed. In addition the seriousness is taken away from the attack against the zombies as both characters start conversating with each other during the attack this is amusing  as they are oblivious to their surroundings.  Furthermore, after killing the zombies they return inside the house and have tea and cornetto this is another comedy aspect as it shows that the zombies have had no impact on them what so ever whereas if this was a conventional   horror film the victims would be more distraught of what has taken place. 

The mise-en-scene used for the zombies is not usual for a horror film as the zombies don’t have specific costume, they are dressed in ordinary clothes, this suggest that there isn’t much difference between the life that the humans live in Shaun of the dead and the actual zombies. 

Another way this film subverts the structuralist theory is when Shaun’s love interest is introduced, she is not the typical damsel in distress, her characteristic of being blonde, stereotypes her as thick and portrays her as a ‘bimbo’.  This shows Propp’s character theory  and challenges it as the girl is supposed to be the ‘princess/love interest’  of the hero – Shaun, the theory is challenged as  the girl becomes the ‘hero’ this therefore portrays her as the stronger one in the relationship which contradicts Propp’s character theory. This therefore can be classified as Louis Althusser’s theory of interpolation, this is because the average men in society can associate themselves with Shaun and Ed and the strong women can identify themselves with Liz as she adopts more masculine traits. However, towards the end of the film, Shaun adopts the structural role of being the hero as he takes responsibility for once and tries to protect everyone close to him, such as his mother, his best friend Ed and his girlfriend Liz. 

On the whole I believe that Shaun of the dead is in fact a postmodern film as it uses traditional characteristics of horror films and challenges them by modernising them by tinting it with humour. Shaun of the dead uses many theories such as Todorov’s narrative theory; this was used to create equilibrium at the start and towards the end disequilibrium, this theory is common in most horror films in order to create a narrative concept. Propp’s character theory was also used, this helped to establish the postmodern ambiance in the film as it challenges the typical character types in horror films overall this added humour in the film as the characters were not adopting their traditional roles.  Furthermore, Louis Althusser’s theory of interpolation was also used to help the audience identify with the characters in the film. Overall these theories are all attributes for Shaun of the dead being classified as a postmodern.

Feminist Horror Essay - Halloween

A feminist horror film goes against the codes and conventions of typical horror films by replacing the typical frail, half-naked victim with a strong psychologically lead female character. In a typical horror film women are portrayed as weak and inferior in comparison to the male leads, always needing physical and mental support by them, the rigid stereotypes is a clear representation of women in society. In most horror films, female characters are promiscuous stating that they asked to be killed, further to this the majority of American horror films seem to have great levels of misogynist and violence, however over the recent years many films such as ‘Halloween’ and ‘Carrie’ have used the concept of the final girl by Carol J. Clover, this concept includes the final girl being level-headed and morally pure. The concept of the final girl is used so that the audience are structurally ‘forced’ into identifying not with the killer but the resourceful surviving female victim.   In addition Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze is also used by both films, this theory is also coded as ‘to be looked at-ness’ this demonstrates that the majority of the male audiences watching horror films classify women as sexual objects and are used to fulfil one’s fantasy, furthermore Clover suggests that we identify with the masochistic voyeur which is the victim and not the sadistic voyeur the villain.  

‘Halloween’ is considered to be a feminist film due to using the concept of the final girl, the main character is portrayed as strong both mentally and physically due to escaping near death experiences on multiple occasions this therefore classifies her as the final girl. Freud’s psychological theory is also used in this film as voyeurism and sadism is used mainly for the male audiences in order to cause deriving gratification (mainly sexual) from another person’s pain, as it’s in their nature to be more sexually aroused by watching females in pain. Whereas, the female audiences are more passive and prefer films which consist of a physiological concept as it creates meaning to the film. 

Halloween still follows some codes and conventions of a structural horror film as it uses common iconography of horror films such as knifes, masks, blood and isolated house, this is done to help the audience identify and establish the genre of the film. The name alone ‘Halloween’ causes one to be quite wary of the film at the beginning , as Halloween is known to be an occasion where the unexpected takes place therefore is fitting for the horror genre as horror can be linked to fears of one and the unexpected taking place. The hand held camera at the beginning of the film creates an uneasy sensation amongst the audience as it is quite disorientating and jarring, in addition it raises the idea of suspicion as it is in a point of view of someone but we are not shown who’s POV is it is. The setting of the film is at night time and a secluded house, the lighting highlights the house and excluded the surroundings by dark lighting this shows that the house highlighted by the light plays a dominant role in the film. The beginning of the film follows the codes and conventions of a typical horror film, as it start with a couple making out, this rejects the aim of a feminist film as the female character is thought to be pure and innocent which the start contradicts.  Furthermore, the non-diegetic music in the background creates an edgy atmosphere this is done by the pitch increasing. 

When the intruder makes his way into the house, the camera is still in the form of point of view, placing the audience in the antagonist shoes, the intruder then makes his way into the kitchen and takes out a knife from the draw this shows that the intruder is in control as he has the weapon of destruction.  The film still follows the concept of a structuralist film as the male gaze is used for the female victim, the female is naked therefore confirming the views of women being seen as sexual objects by men and society, as the female victim is naked this also confirms the thoughts of females being seen as weak and vulnerable as he stab her repeatedly in addition confirming the sub-genre of the film which is slasher.  

As the film progresses, a medium  shot is shown of a girl, this tells us that the girl is the next subject/victim for the killer emphasizing females are weak and an easy victim compared to males this therefore could be linked the lack of physical strength females have compared to males, which therefore makes them an easy target.  In addition a low angle shot is shown of the house where the first victim got killed in, this draws attention to the houses dominance in the film. Furthermore, an over the shoulder shot is used when the killer looks at the girls disappearing figure, this shows that that he has authority and control over her, this also raises the idea that she is being watched.  The killer’s identity is veiled throughout the film, creating an element of suspense and mystery; this is another convention of a structuralist film as the identity is kept a secret from the audience and victim to keep everyone wary. 

The final girl in the film is morally pure and therefore does not participate in drinking and drug taking or sexual liaison. She is slightly distanced from her peer group because of these qualities. In comparison to her peers the girl is seen to be potentially weak, powerless, virginal and scared of adult nature due to her innocence. However, on the other hand it is her friends in fact who are murdered all around her; the powerlessness of the final girl gives way to powerful. 

The structuralist theory is challenged when the final girl confronts the killer this shows the females strength as there is a shift from the weak and passive female to a strong and aggressive ‘male’, the girl is the sole survivor therefore it is her responsibility to kill the killer in order to create equilibrium in the film.  In addition we see the exchange of the murder weapon which is knife towards the end of the film; this is a clear demonstration that the female has become empowered in comparison to her peers and the killer which had overshadowed her from the beginning due to being too innocent and naive therefore throughout the film, she has challenged stereotypes of women being weak and vulnerable to strong and intelligent therefore making Halloween a feminist film.

Results of questionnaire

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Questionnaire

Evaluation Of Preliminary Task - Bussing Scene

Evaluation of preliminary task: Bussing scene

My group consisted of Jasleen (lead character/victim), Navneet (playing the friend), Ramarna (villain), Georgia (playing the friend) and myself – Asmaa (camera man). 

What did we do?

Our Preliminary task was located on school grounds for our first scenes; this helped us to display the narrative of school kids and innocence. At the start of the bussing scene, a dark figure is displayed on the screen, this raises the idea of that this person can initially be the villain as she has the back towards the audience which makes the audience question who is she? And what relevance does she have to the scene? The following scene starts with the antagonist (the dark figure) played by Ramarna talking on the phone, a close up shot is used to show her lips moving creating a tense and edgy atmosphere as the antagonist’s identity is still veiled. This is normally an ideology of structuralist horror films as the   antagonists identity remains unknown throughout the film until the end when it is exposed leaving the audience in questioning until the end.  Diegetic sound is used to for the antagonists dialogue “Get them” this makes the audience think something bad is going to occur as the scene progresses. In addition non diegetic sound is also used, this helps to increase the uneasy and tense feeling the audience are experiencing, further to this the music can be used to identify dark and dramatic atmosphere. As our bussing scene progresses the next location used is the woods, the woods are commonly known to be a secluded environment this therefore helps to increase the chilling ambience in the scene. The protagonist played by Jasleen is presented in the scene when she gets attacked by the antagonist but manages to free herself from the villains grip, we witness Jasleen running, this is the iconic chase scene we have managed to manufacture as a large majority of horror films consist of a chase scene therefore we decided to also use a chase scene to fit the ideology of a structuralist horror film.  The shot type we used for Jasleen running through the woods was a close up, low angle shot, this was manufactured this way to help the audience identify with the character, following to this scene the victim falls over, this is when the villain walks towards her and overshadows her frail body. We as a group concluded our bussing scene to end like this to keep the audience in apprehension as it was a good cliff hanger.  

What problems did we face and how did we overcome them?

Through the process of making our bussing scene we did face a few problems, the first problem we came across was that our group was an all female group, this was a problem as we needed a male antagonist, we as a group tackled this setback as we decided one of our group members had to play the role of the male antagonist which resulted to Ramarna playing the character. We used to a black hoodie to veil Ramarna’s identity to help her look like a male this therefore helped us overcome our problem. 

Another setback we faced through the process was the location of the school caused unwanted attention and also caused disturbance for us when we were recording as we filmed on the stairs and corridors’ this resulted to passers by being filmed in the scene this therefore meant we had to shoot the scenes numerous times to avoid the inconvenience of people while shooting. We overcame this problem by planning and organising our scenes so we could do it in one take and avoid stopping half way. The scene in the woods also caused some inconvenience for us as we had to stop filming due to the locals walking their dogs, to overcome this situation we decided to relocate to a different part of the woods to avoid disturbance. 

In our editing process it was difficult for our group to use the ‘First cut’ software on the apple Mac’s as for the majority of us it was a first time experience in using the advanced software. Therefore in order to overcome this problem, we acquired assistance from our media teacher to give us a demo of how to use it, after this we become more comfortable with using the software and the experience helped widen our knowledge of the software for our actual trailer in the future. 

Analysis of produce- sound, editing shots and mise-en- scene 

The editing process was quite difficult to start off with but we managed to get comfortable with it as time went by, we decided to keep the diegetic sound of the antagonist dialogue “get them” and the diegetic sound of the feet when the protagonist was running through the woods we came to this conclusion as it helped to create realism and a tense ambiance. Further to the sound, we also used non-diegetic  sound  in our bussing scene we found a music track which we thought was appropriate as it was quite sinister and  creepy which overall helped add sentiment to the scene. 

When putting the scene together we didn’t use a variation of video transitions as they didn’t look scary enough for the scenes, the main one we used to introduce the scenes onto the screen was the fade as this was quite simplistic and helped introduce the next scene very well and helped the shots look continued even though they were shot on different occasions. In addition we used a variation of jump cuts to disorientate the audience, this enabled for our scenes to look quicker and more effective.

The mise-en-scene was very important for our bussing scene as it was used it to transform Ramarna into a male villain, we used a black hoodie to keep her identity a mystery from the audience. As we filmed our bussing scene on two different days this meant that everyone had to wear the same clothes they wore on the previous occasion to keep the sequence looking continuous. Jasleen the protagonist wore a lanyard around her to display she was a college student.

What did others think?

The majority of people we showed our bussing scene stated that they understood the narrative of the story, the shot types which were used also helped tell the narrative better such as the low angle close up of Jasleen’s feet whilst she was running through the woods helped them to identify with her. On the other hand some people suggested we change our music track as it didn’t combine well with the scene as when the moment of dis-equilibrium was presented the music didn’t change according to the scenes as it wasn’t fast paced enough. 

What did I learn?

This preliminary task was very useful; this is because it has shown me the importance of planning before shooting as it makes whole the shooting process much simpler if people are assigned to specific roles. In addition I have also learnt the significance of having relatable audio therefore I will spend more time for my final trailer to find a relevant audio track to my trailer, as from the feedback it shows that sound is a very important aspect as it helps create realism and authenticity.

Teeth and Slumber Party massacre Trailer Comparison

Teeth&the slumber party massacre

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Evaluation of storyboard

Structuralism is an ideology that can be applied to film theory. Structuralist film theory emphasizes how films convey meaning through the use of codes and conventions. A structuralist film has specific paradigms that convey meaning and through this the slasher sub genre is shown. Audiences establish these paradigms therefore have a set of expectations when consuming a set of texts, paradigms may be grouped such as iconography this includes characters, props, props and setting these are the main signs and signifier that the audience see and hear. The next group is the structure this evolves  around the plot of the film, this is the way the film is put together  and the shape it takes, the last group for a structuralist film is  theme, this includes the issues and ideas the film deals with. overall if the discussed elements are used one would be able to construct a text and shape it according to a specific genre for example for a horror film one may use a blonde female in a isolated house in the suburban these set of paradigms will automatically be sensed by the audience and make them aware of the genre.

I am now going to evaluate my chase scene I have constructed in accordance to the horror genre. In my first scene I have used a blonde female which is my first paradigm, as blonde females are stereotyped as weak, stupid and the typical victim for a horror film. In addition to my first scene I have placed the character in a isolated house the result of this is that it starts to build up suspense and tension amongst the audience as they start to witness the paradigms projected to them. In contrast to the audiences feelings and emotions the character in the scene is taking a bath with candles and steam surrounding her, this manipulates the setting  and atmosphere for the character as it portrays a false sense of security and comfortableness. My main reason of choosing a house for the setting is because a house is recognised as one place where there is security  for everyone therefore I have used a house to play on the audiences fears and make them feel at unease which is the main aim of a horror film to make the audience feel scared and insecure. I have used a long shot for this scene to make the audience aware of the surroundings and be able to watch the paradigms exhibited  to them.

In the following scene the character and setting are the same whereas in contrast to the first scene, the second scene becomes more steamy, this is designed to reduce viability and increase anticipation and tension amongst the audience. Further to this the lights turn off this is another paradigm as it plays on the audiences fear as you never know what is lurking around in the dark. I have used a close up to make the audience feel more intimate with the character and put them into her position. In the third scene scene the character slowly gets out of the overflowing bath and grabs a towel, she walks towards the mirror through the thick steam and realises someone has written a message on the mirror. I have used this specific setting 'the bathroom' as its common in very household which makes it easier to relate to it. For this scene I have used a medium shot to establish and capture the characters emotions.

The fourth scene is a close up of the character, this is when she walks closer to the mirror and violently wipes the message off. She sobs to herself this is when Freud's theory is used to create voyeurism this creates deriving gratification from watching others, I have used this for the audience to identify with the victim. In the fifth scene the setting is the same, the main prop used in this scene is the mirror, the mirror plays an important role in this scene as though the mirror we witness the killer. I have followed two very common horror paradigms a 'knife' and a 'mask' for the killer. The use of the knife automatically signifies danger as it is used out of context i.e. the kitchen, when seeing the knife the audience recognise it as the murder weapon. The second paradigm used in the scene was a 'mask', the main reason for using a mask for the killer is to keep the identity of the killer hidden in order to keep the continuous flow of the mystery till the end.

The next scene displays both victim and killer on screen, this shows the intensity between the two character and show who's in controls. I have used a medium shot for this scene to capture both characters personalities and emotions, this scene is a build up to the chase scene therefore non-diegetic  sound amplifies to create a tensed atmosphere. The chase scene begins when the 'weak' and 'vulnerable' victim pushes the killer out of the way in order to escape, the non diegetic sound amplifies more and the use of the unsteadiness of the camera projects the chaotic atmosphere and places the audience in the victims shoes and shows the chaotic thoughts and emotions running through her mind. Whilst the victim runs down the stairs to escape the camera is placed at a high angle to show she's inferior whereas the killer is still at the stop which shows he holds the power in the scene.

The last scene shows the victim falling over and this is when the non-diegetic sound slows down this shows the intensity and seriousness of the event. Diegetic sound is used for the killers footsteps this helps to build up tension in scene. The killer consists of two common paradigms the'knife' and the 'mask', the knife shows the eagerness to kill with his identity hidden which raises the question who is the killer? A close up shot is used to show the victims incapableness and helplessness to save herself, the killer leans towards the victim and gazes at her this makes the audience think whether we already know the killer. The killer eventually stabs her repeatedly in the heart, the use of stabbing the victim in the heart makes the attack more personal, in addition another paradigm is used 'blood' this helps to create the slasher sub-genre.