Dawn of the Dead (2004) third image analysis

In this last shot, Monica (Kim Poirier) is brutally – but accidentally - murdered by Glen (R.D Reid) by accident. As a quick montage illustrates the fast paced get away, the vehicle in which they’re standing in swerves whilst Glen handles a chainsaw.

Monica is the female victim, being stereotypically blonde, pretty, elegant and sexually active. The generic theme of sex and the taboo is incorporated into this scene due to Monica and Steve (Ty Burrell) having sexual intercourse shortly before her dying. This is a typical convention of horror films.

Although censorship has relaxed a lot more and horror films in general have adapted to modern audiences who almost expect body horror, the action is a lot quicker and is less drawn out (unlike the zombie attack in Dawn of the Dead (1978), making it easier for audiences to watch. Being an action horror, this genre focuses more on the quick montages, quick moving monsters, collision shots, themes of fear of death and much more on cinematography. Thomas Schatz’s genre theory explains how the best way to analyse films are through genre. Genres enable clear expectations to understand a film and help filmmakers to know what is required to appeal to their target audience. The fast montage in this scene makes the film conventional of its sub-genre and this was illustrated by the high financial success of the film in 2004. 

Dawn of the Dead (2004) second image analysis

Although Dawn of the Dead (2004) is not necessarily directed by an auteur, Zack Snyder has his own style in terms of creating a film. Zack Snyder’s films are known to have fast paced action with a dark feel. When focusing on the auteur theory by Andrew Sarris (“Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962”), this scene illustrates this immensely. The fast paced action of the quick montage and the close up shots of the large, unattractive quick moving monster enable detail to be analysed and the zombie to be portrayed as something revolting. As the final girl, Ana, attacks the zombie and kills her by a large pole, the use of a phallic symbol connotes themes of power and dominance. Ana is a blonde female who is classed as the final girl and hero. Although caring, Ana comes across as physically and mentally strong and due to being a nurse, she deals with body horror with stoicism. Body horror is a feature of mise-en-scene that is used profoundly during Dawn of the Dead (2004). Due to censorship being much more open, audience’s almost expect there to be disturbing, explicit body horror and  when focusing on Janet Staiger’s “Audience Studies”, auteurs relate to their target audience and produce films with all of the correct elements to make their audience happy.

When concentrating on creating a horror film that will affect its audience, Zack Snyder intertwines modern day fears into his film that relate to the audience. People tend to be scared of mass diseases such as swine flu and bird flu. By cause of this, the idea of zombies and a mass disease that spread from the Middle East, audiences relate this to the context of the Iraq War in 2003 and 9/11 in 2001.

Dawn of the Dead (2004) first image analysis

In Dawn of the Dead (2004), this shot was taken from a scene where two of the protagonists are discussing religion in the shopping mall toilets. The two male characters in this shot are positive black males which connotes the defeat of racism in the world.  Andre (Mekhi Phifer), previously to the action, was a street gangster who had a criminal background. In the hope of turning his life around, Andre’s character became a helpful, caring male who cared for his family and unborn child. Being with a Russian female, the couple were in an interracial relationship. By this, the horror genre is challenging racism and discrimination by illustrating the contextual differences in comparison to Dawn of the Dead (1979). Kenneth’s character (Ving Rhames) is a police cop who is physically intimidating. While being a masculine, imposing, large black male, Kenneth’s character also opposes the black male stereotype and portrays him as a caring person through his actions of wanting to find his brother and other family members before it’s too late.

When focusing on Andre Bazin’s “Genius of the System” theory that Hollywood films were the product of much more than just the auteur, I feel that this scene illustrates the concept in depth. Concentrating on the formulas, genre and narrative, the plotline of the two masculine, intimidating males discussing religion and caring for the other characters in the film enables racist issues to be demolished. By the end of the film, Andre dies defending his family who turn into zombies themselves and Kenneth acts as one of the final survivors, typically the strong hero until they land on the island and assumedly, all die despite the open ending.

Dawn of the Dead (1978) third image analysis

In this last shot from Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero’s illustrates the idea of flipping character stereotypes. As Fran takes control and flies the helicopter to safety, she saves Peter from the zombies. Being blonde with blue eyes and sexually active, a character such as Fran would usually be classed as the female victim but instead she is the final girl. Through this scene, I feel that George A. Romero is portraying feminism and showing how women can be strong, emotionally and physically as well as attractive.

When focusing on Vladimir Propp’s theory of a film always being broken down into seven different categories of characters, Fran acts as the helper for Peter, who is the hero and last male survivor. When linking this to Tzvetan Todorov’s theory of a classical Hollywood narrative having a beginning, middle and an end and being broken down into; an equilibrium, a disturbance of the equilibrium, attempting to repair the equilibrium to then the a sense of equilibrium again. The ending to Dawn of the Dead relates to this by the sudden relief that both characters have, having got away from the zombie invaded mall and being safe (at least until their fuel runs out) in the helicopter, marking a rare positive ending to a horror film.  

Dawn of the Dead (1978) second image analysis

The idea of capitalism is confronted in this shot by the idea of money and being happy due to it. In the 1970’s, shopping malls began opening up in America and people became more obsessed by money and possessions.  In this scene, Peter and Roger hold up the money that they have stolen from the mall and show the security camera. George. A Romero attacks this ideology of America’s Cultural Dominant Ideology that he doesn't believe in.

Being in the shopping mall alone with no rules or leaders, the group of survivors have money, food, drink, beds, clothes and toilets to name but a few, and therefore become greedy and think of it as heaven. This scene shows Peter and Stephen believe that due to having all of these belongings and free objects, they will be ahead of everybody else in the world if people were to survive and discard the fact that people are dying and these inanimate objects no longer matter in society.

Whilst holding the money up to the camera, the two characters shake hands showing the strong relationship between the two different race men, portraying the defeat of racism. Being in the mall together, the men illustrate how they are both equal now that it’s them against the zombies. 

Dawn of the Dead (1978) first image analysis

In Dawn of the Dead (1978), this scene was included to represent the conventional horror theme of sex and the taboo. Having just slept together, the shot connotes Peter’s failure as a male through the bored, lifeless expression that both characters are illustrating. The cinematography helps to convey this, a slow zoom out from the scene and a slow, non-diegetic soundtrack plays creating tension and portrays the awkward, frustrated, depressed feelings that are being evoked. In the 1970’s, depression was an issue that many suffered from due to the Vietnam War and racism in society.

When focusing on the auteur theory by Andrew Sarris, George A. Romero reflects contextual issues through his films and portrays racism, political satire and character stereotypes profoundly. The idea of flipping character stereotypes is portrayed in this shot, having Fran sit up, resting her elbow on her leg and openly revealing her body whilst Stephen lies down and sulks.

When attacking the idea of consumerism, George A. Romero illustrates this through this scene. Having everything they could have wished for and more, the characters become tired of the same routine and being able to get everything they want for free.

The Blair Witch Project: Film Review

For my third film analysis, I will be depicting the film “The Blair Witch Project” and discovering the narrative structures used and those challenged.

The Blair Witch Project, 1999, is an American mystery, horror film set in 1994. Targeted towards both males and females at the age of 17-30, The Blair Witch Project went viral with their “trans media project”, organising websites, video games and comic books to sell their “true story” to the internet users of the day.

Set in a deserted, as usual, claustrophobic woods, “Maryland back woods”, a group of college students undergo filming a documentary on the Blair Witch incidents, using a Hi-8 video recorder and a black and white film camera. The footage is said to have been rediscovered after the college students go missing and have never been seen again. Watching the footage, we as spectators get an insight into the adventures, traumas and unforgettable sightings the teenagers witness during the couple of nights in the woods.

The first narrative structure, discovered by Tzvetan Todorov is one that illustrates the stages of a film and narrows the plot down to one simple structure. Beginning with a state of equilibrium, the structure then turns to a disruption of the equilibrium, to recognising the disruption for then an attempt to repair the disruption to happen so that a reinstatement of the equilibrium is where the film ends. In t

he film “The Blair Witch Project”, this structure is used throughout the whole documentary. The film begins with a state of equilibrium, shown through the college students first arriving at the woods and going about the usual routines such as finding a place to set up camp and investigating different parts of the woods. As their film goes on and they have shown enough footage, different mysterious and unnatural events begin to happen including people going missing and their clothing being found scattered in different, peculiar places. This shows the disruption to the equilibrium and introduces the fear factor into the film. As different characters find different mysteries, the recognition of the equilibrium is shown. Coming to grips with what is happening to them, the team decide to investigate further when some of the students go missing. By this, I feel as if the stage of attempting to repair the disruption is shown. The last plot structure of finding the equilibrium once again is one that I believe isn’t shown in this particular film. Ending with one of the students standing in a corner, having been taken over by the Blair witch, who was known for making the victims stand in a corner before cutting out their eyes.  The camera is then dropped and the film ends, as a hint towards that was where the camera was found. Despite the recognition that the students are being killed, the equilibrium is never shown in the film and the film is still focusing on the evil and how the evil has won.

 The second narrative structure, binary opposition, was one discovered by Claude Levi Strauss. Strauss came up with a theory that all films follow a specific structure that relates to two opposites, for instance, good vs. evil. In The Blair Witch Project, good vs. evil is a structure that is strongly followed due to the college students influencing the audience to believe that they are normal, everyday students who are interested in a particular project, making them good people. The “blair witch” on the other hand, is the evil, shown by the incidents created, although never seen. This is a typical convention for horror films as the evil is often killing/ tormenting the innocent.  

The third and last narrative structure that I will be focusing on is one discovered by Vladimir Propp. Propp’s theory was that all films include characters that can all be categorised under any of the following; a villain, the dispatcher, the helper, the princess, the donor, the hero and the false hero. These character types also had stereotypical images and predictions alongside them and Propp came up with 31 functions that were likely to happen to the particular people. As found within my table, Propp’s theory is one that is not followed, but challenged. The Blair witch, themselves is the villain, shown by the evil, murderous, overpowering incidents that occur. Although we never get to see the witch, we acknowledge that they are the villain. The only other character type used within this film are the fishermen who help towards the documentary by stating what they have previously seen and giving important information towards their documentary. Having seen the film, I wouldn’t class the students as any of the above as they do not succeed in their plans and cannot be classed as heroes.

As a conclusion to this analysis, I have found that Tzvetan Todorov and Claude Levi Strauss’ theories are followed and Vladimir Propp’s theory is challenged. If I were to give my own opinion, I would state that a genre theory would match this film as there are typical conventions of a horror film shown through the deserted, woodland setting, the young, innocent students being the victims and the villain never been seen, to add suspense and to allow the audience to involve their imaginations.