Dawn of the Dead Deconstruction

Dawn of the Dead  ( 2004. ) 

Genre: Horror, Zombie

In this deconstruction I will be covering the first 5 minutes of this film. The youtube video is shown below. 

Mise En Scene

• The dominant colour in this shot is green, which is usually linked to nature but with this being a horror, it could be connoting a clinical disease or corruption. 
• The skull is the dominant within this shot, as it is the focal point and is directly central in this shot, which can be linked to death, which could be foreshadowing that there is a lot of death to come in the near future. 
• The Staff Only sign that is shown could indicate that what ever the problem is going to be, it is not going to be known by the general public, and there are many secrets and pieces of information that are going to be withheld from people, who have a reason to know. 
• We are distanced and compltely disconnected from the character at the start as we can only see him from the back, showing us that he may be hiding something, and that he does not yet want to connect with the audience, or let them in. 
• The red exit button is clearly lit up, and connotes danger, a lot of attention is drawn to it as the colour stands out against the green surroundings, as it is one of the only colours in which is different.
• The doctor is wearing all white, conveying that he is pure but could also link into the conversation as blankness, as he has no idea why someone has asked for a medical test when it is unnecessary. 
• The nurse's blue overalls stand out as conservatism, as she could be trying to conserve life within her job, it could also show her outward calmness and serenity that she needs in such a environment that she is currently in. 
• This image is quite stark, as there is not a lot of information to gather from it except the location is a hospital. 
• Also there is a lot of composition within this shot that is both horizontal and vertical, conveying comfort and strength, which are two of the last things you would consider when thinking about a hospital. 
• Within the shot of the doctor and nurse in the corridor with most of the corridor on show, there is a lot of diagonal composition, showing that something is not right, and something bad is going to happen very soon. 

Camera Angle/Shot

• By using a over the shoulder shot it disconnects the audience from the character, and indicates that he is inferior to what is going to happen in the future. 
• He is completely blocked from view, and all we are shown is part of his shoulders and head, which shows he does not want to give away much about his identity. 
• The two shot of the doctor and the nurse is shot from a low angle, making the nurse look inferior to the doctor, and changing the reversal of power, as shortly before he had none. This could also show the power that he has over the nurse due to his higher authority in the hospital. 
• Using a shot of the doctor and nurse surrounded by the corridors puts the scene into perspective, and shows that this is one case in a lot of people, showing that these people are not important, and are just part of a greater whole. It also diminishes the power between both of them making them both look smaller and less important. 

Sound

• The sound within this short scene is minimal, and includes a lot of diegetic conversation between the mystery doctor, who is revealed to the audience and a nurse. 
• The chatter in the background shows that these two are not the only two in the building, and there are a lot of other people in the same situation. It also shows the business of the hospital, and the sheer capacity of patients that are being cared for. 
• There are no unusual noises to create tension or anxiety for the viewer as all of the sounds are diegetic. 

Editing

• The editing within this scene is continuity editing, and does not draw the viewers attention to anything, as there is nothing to suspect yet, or be anxious of. By not creating or drawing attention, we get to see that this is a usual occurrence for the nurse, and that this is her everyday scenario, and that nothing out of the ordinary has happened as of yet. 

Mise En Scene. 

• The Emergency sign is what we are directly attracted to due to colour red, which attracts our attention, and also connotes to us danger, and the danger that the main protagonist is under, as she in located completely underneath the sign. 
• The sky in the background is cloudy, and overcast, which could indicate to the audience that something in the near future is going to happen, and it is not going to be good for the protagonist. 
• There is a lot of diagonal composition in both of these images, from the emergency sign, and the room of the buildings, which could be advising the audience that something is not right, and something bad is going to happen soon. 
• The main protagonist is directly in the middle of the shot, conveying her important, and she grows in size as she walks closer to the camera, showing that her power outside of the hospital increases, as inside the hospital she does not have a lot of power/authority.
• The framing in this shot is loose, as the character has a choice and is free to move, this could suggest that inside the hospital she is stuck doing things and is not free to do as she wishes to. 
• She is positioned to the side, which gives us some emotional connection to her, but not as much as it would if she was face on, showing that she does not want sympathy from the audience for the problems that she is having at her work. 

Camera Angle/Shot

• The main protagonist is shot from a low angle, which is giving her a dominant and powerful look, which we do not usually expect from a female within a horror film, it is also making her surroundings the same size as her. 
• A steadicam is used within this shot, as it is placed lowly towards the flow, with a smooth movement of the character moving towards the camera, this creates just a ordinary scene, indicating that there is nothing out of the ordinary happening or about to happen.
• At the end of this scene, it quickly adjusts to get the whole stance of the character in the shot, which stands out to the audience, as they question why the director has decided to move the camera, which could be because he wanted to interrupt the smooth movement as something is about to happen and interrupt the smooth dreary life of the main protagonist. 

Sound/Editing

• The sound that is introduced just as this sequence draws to an end, is a non diegetic sound which is becoming louder conveying that what is about to happen is getting nearer, and is about to happen very soon. 
• The editing is quite unnoticeable again, as nothing yet out of the ordinary has happened, and only continuity editing/invisible editing has been used.

Mise En Scene

• The framing within the sequence is quite loose, the main protagonist has a choice of turning around, or going to another place instead of going home, it indicates that she is not trapped or in any danger. 
• The blue patches are a dominant colour in this shot, showing that there are parts of serenity and calmness in this estate, but there is a lot of brown, which indicates strength and protection, which is a juxtaposition against the genre of this movie. 
• The green that is imminent in this shot could be showing the sheer scale of corruption that is prominent. 

Camera Angle/Shot

• Using a birds eye view disconnects us from the character altogether, as it is showing that the main protagonist is insignificant and ordinary, just like all of the other people who are living in this part of town.
• As the camera is a aerial shot, it is used as an establishing shot, so that the viewers are able to establish the surroundings of the town. Also the aerial view shows that there are many possible ways that she could escape if she wanted to from anything that may happen in the near future. 

Mise En Scene

• Within this scene the lighting is low key, with atmospheric pools of light, to create atmosphere and tension in the surroundings. 
• By blocking out the background and creating shadows it creates a image that is stark, leaving the viewer guessing and wanting/demanding information. 
• The yellow on the wall is one of the only colours that stands out, other than the darkness, and leaves the audience not wanting to look at it, as it is an uncomfortable colour to look at. 

Camera Angle/Shot

• We are left looking up at the door, showing that what is outside is superior to those who are inside. 
• Also due to the door not being centred, and slightly off to the side it gives off a slightness of its important, but due to it being off centre shows that it is still important.