cartmediablog: 28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later - Opening

The lighting is low key to show how they are hidden out of the natural world and natural light.
The room seems to be candle lit to show how they are living with the bare minimum with no electricity.
When ever natural light seems to show in the sequence, the zombies make an appearance, perhaps suggesting that the natural world is dangerous and the must hide from it.
Harsh lighting only ever appears on the zombies enhancing their features and their fearful appearance.
Also, when the characters first open the door to the young boy, they seem to be blinded by the light, implying that they have been away from natural light for a while maybe due to them being in hiding.

The location seems to be completely boarded up by wood, this symbolises their want to conceal from the dangerous, outside world.
If you look closely to the mese en scene of the house, it shows quite normal day to day items to make the story line seem as believable and life like as possible.
When the door is opened an you see outside, the location seems to be isolated in fields which conforms with the conventional horror genre of attacking those isolated and desolated.

All of the characters' clothing seem to be in harmony with the rest of the mese en scene. dark, plain, yet effective in showing the little the characters have, as well as presenting, once again, the chilling atmosphere.
The young boy's clothes are covered in dirt to symbolise his struggle and his fight against the zombies.
The boy is the only character wearing white perhaps foreshadowing that he is the only one with life or youthfulness left, and maybe the only one destined to survive.

Both make up and hair of the living humans is kept minimal to connote them living with the bare minimum.
On the other hand, the make up used on the zombies is strong and lurid to the viewer. The zombies are shown covered in blood to promote fear as it shows how they eat human flesh. They are also made to look pale to signify that they are "dead". They also have red eyes to also make them look inhumane and obscene.
The hair on the zombies is often made to look back combed and knotted, to imply their disarrayed way of living, as well as their lack of life.

The extreme close up shot of the boy eating really emphasises his facial expression and how hungry and fearful the boy is because of the zombie apocalypse.
The gif below shows yet another fearful facial expression, using a head and shoulders shot to emphasise it.

Throughout the sequence, point of view shots are used to create a more ominous and fearful effect on the audience, as well as a sense of realism almost as if it is happening to them.
The over head shot of the new zombie attacking the male character assists to prove how fearful the attack from a zombie is, as well as see how, up close, the strength of the SFX and how effective it.
The low camera angle of the zombie, when her eyes turn red, is a really effective shot to create trepidation and shock within the audience.
When the older male character is being attacked by the zombies at the end of the sequence, the camera angle is high and over the top of the male character to highlight the violence of the attack. The camera is also jolting during this part of the sequence to create the effect of the audience being part of the attack and maybe even doing the attack themselves.

The editing is very quick and fast paced, especially during the attack as it creates a more dangerous effect and fearful atmosphere.
Also, it is very effective as the audience is unable to see what is actually happening exactly creating an unnerving and ominous effect.

The off-screen non-diegetic sound effect of when the boy is allowed into the house, gives an almost angelic effect, perhaps suggesting that the boy may be a hero in the film.
The diegetic sound of the zombies, helps to create trepidation and fear within the audience. It also gives the zombies life as if they are real for the audience.
The diegetic sound of the walls crashing when the zombies break into the house, are harsh and generate a restless feel for the fear of being made jump for the audience, making the film much more scary as it always keeps the viewer on edge.
The off-screen diegetic sound of when the zombies bite the characters arm makes a repulsive and sickening sound for the viewer and is very likely to make the audience squeamish, making the film much more effective in its genre.

-Caera Mendez