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Essay on Shaun of the Dead: in-Depth Code Analysis

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Shaun of Dead

An In-Depth Code Analysis

With the large variety of interests that flourish within the society, it is no shock that genres exist, especially in film, as the definition of entertainment differs from person to person. A genre is a category of films that are characterised by similarities in the narrative elements and conventions found within the films. Genres are extremely useful to both film producers and audiences as it helps them narrow down the target audience and search for films that are in their range of interests. No one wants to watch a political drama overrun with teenagers or go into a cinema with the intentions of watching a romantic comedy, only to receive blood and gore instead.

However, because of the …show more content…

However, the mood of the scene pivots from sad to suspense as his mum rises again as a zombie in between Shaun and Liz, her figure slowly pulling focus. When Shaun is faced with the decision to shoot his mum, the camera slowly zooms in on his face so his grief is accentuated, showing how horrible he feels, having to kill his own mother. When he finally pulls the trigger, the camera shifts to Barbara’s point of view in an over the shoulder shot so that the back of her head could be seen being blown up. This violent and gory display only serves to further strengthen the horror element found in Shaun of the Dead.

Lighting is one of the many elements that combine to create a perfect setting to reflect not only the story, but also the mood in a scene and the main character’s journey. How the character’s face and body is lit can also help define the character’s state of mind, an emotional state to give that character more depth and more of just a physical look to them that represents what they're going through.

In the pub scene, the light is quite muted and dim to emphasise the fear the characters are feeling, as well as the sense of mystery of the scene which gives off a ‘what’s going to happen?’ feel. This is often because it’s hard to see into the darkness; therefore it is more likely for something to launch a surprise attack

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