Jaspreet Bhatoa Media essay Ms Richardson

Compare and contrast 28 days later with Shaun of the dead, commenting on the structionalist or post structionalist qualities.

Structuralism is an ideology (theory/way of thinking about the world) that can be applied to a film theory. A structionalist film theory emphasizes how films convey through the codes and conventions. The horror genre has certain paradigms that may be grouped into relating iconography e.g. signs, symbols and sound. Post structionalist departed from the claims to objectivity and comprehensiveness made by structuralism and emphasized instead plurality and deferral of meaning, rejecting the fixed binary oppositions of structuralism and the validity of authorial authority.

The film 28 Days Later (structionalist) is a 2002 British zombie horror film directed by Danny Boyle. Shaun of the Dead (Post modernist) is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed and co-written by Edgar Wright, and co-written and starring Simon Pegg alongside Nick Frost. A horror film sometimes follows something that is happening in society. For example, 28 Days Later is following the subject of HIV and blood transmitted diseases.

Zombies are very popular in horror and fantasy-themed entertainment. They are typically depicted as mindless, shambling, decaying corpses with a hunger for human flesh. In Shaun of the dead the way to become a zombies is a zombie bite; kills after a few hours, then causes reanimation. The speed of the zombies in Shaun of the dead is quite slow and the way to kill zombies is the destruction of the brain. In contrast, to 28 Days Later, where the way to become a zombie is if there is any contact with infected blood; victim turns infected in seconds. The speed of the zombie in 28 Days Later is similar to a human but they have higher endurance. A zombie in 28 days later can be destroyed by anything that will kill a human. The humor is further created when Shaun leaves his apartment and we first see the zombies but Shaun is completely oblivious to them, thinking they are the normal people he sees every day. Again, this is a comment on modern society and the tedious routine style life these people lead.

In horror films the most common weapons that are used are butcher knife (psycho), hooks (candyman), the chainsaw (Scarface), the ax, weapons of convenience (Final destination), ropes and bare hands (the grudge). Structionalist prefer weapons like knifes and guns. Therefore in 28 days later they use the weapons that structionalist prefer this back ups the horror paradigm but in Shaun of the dead they use snooker cues as a weapon, this making it post structionalist and this is going against the horror paradigm. Also, Ed uses a shovel as his weapon of choice, again rejecting the paradigm. A shovel is used for digging in gardens, which is something people do as a hobby, or for digging graves, so the shovel could be a post-modern rejection of structuralism ideas of props or, could connote that he is going to kill the zombies and ultimately send them to their graves. In another scene, Shaun specifically says to ‘get any blunt objects,’ which completely goes against the prop paradigm of sharp objects as weapons.

Referenceshttp://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/post-structuralism

Jaspreet Bhatoa Media essay Ms Richardson

In a scene, diegetic sound of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now is playing while Shaun, Ed and Liz are attacking a zombie to the beat of the music; this adds humor and juxtaposes largely with the high-pitched non-diegetic sounds you would often hear in horror films. The theme song is not conventional either, as it is quite upbeat and the sound effects it uses give it a mocking tone. However, in some scenes, there is non-diegetic sound in the background, such as when Shaun is walking back home from the shop, adding to the suspense, which is conventional of horror films. In 28 days later, there is more non-diegetic sound than diegetic. In the scene in which they are in the supermarket there is non-diegetic sound playing but it is happy music because they are getting food for their road trip to safe side.

The very first scene of Shaun of the Dead is shot in a pub, one of the busiest, crowded ‘safe and secure’ settings so, already the film challenges notions of horror and setting paradigms of secluded houses or a forest in a remote location. The fact that the scene is shot in a pub allows the audience to relate to the film, as a pub is part of our everyday lives. The majority of the film is set in the daytime, which is a postmodern subversion of the paradigms of a dark, nighttime setting. In contrast, with 28 days later is shot in the daytime and nighttime. There is a scene in the film were there is establishing shot of a block of flats and there is one particular flat which has Christmas lights on at the front this connotes that there is life even with the darkness. There is a scene where they are in the blackwall tunnel and its dark and gloomy there tyre gets a hole puncture (they show this by using a close up). As they shot this part of the film in a tunnel it could connote that there is a danger, mystery and there is no way to escape the tunnel other than the light at the end of the tunnel. Structionalist would agree with the locations of the film 28 days later as they follow the horror paradigms unlike Shaun of the dead.  As the film (28 days later) draws to an end, the daylight has become much brighter and now the audiences’ are able to see bright colours and a change in tone through the atmosphere, in contrast to what was built previously.

In conclusion, 28 days later follows the structionalist paradigms by the villains, weapons and setting/ locations. Shaun of the dead challenges the traditional paradigms of a horror by making the film a horror and a comedy.

Referenceshttp://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/post-structuralism