Shaun of the Dead

Film trailer analysis

Used: mid shot,
panning upward
This is the first major clip from the trailer and
introduces the main character. The first shot
shows him walking slowly forward in dim
lighting before the camera pans upward to
show his face. This gives the scene a comical
effect as the viewer will have at first believed
that the feet belonged to a zombie. Already,
it is obvious that this film is not going to be
entirely serious. This is a use of
foreshadowing as later in the trailer zombies
can be seen with Shaun.
Used: extreme close
up shots, jump cuts
A long string of extreme close up shots are
shown in succession through a series of jump
cuts as a voice over can be heard in the
background. This decision was made in order
to show the viewer that the main character-
now known to be Shaun- is in fact an
ordinary man. The jump cuts in particular
were decided upon to show the passing of
time. The extreme close ups are not
particularly pleasant and have low lighting,
most likely in order to show the boring
repetitive nature of the every day life of
Shaun.
Used: close up shot,
over the shoulder shot
This particular shot demonstrates how Shaun
sees himself as the viewer is positioned in an
over the shoulder shot. Again, there is dim
lighting and the voiceover talks about how
sometimes modern life is not for you. This
comes together to provide the idea that
Shaun is unhappy in his day-to-day life and
wants a big change to take place. This gives
the impression that a change will be coming
later on in the film.
Used: close up shots,
jump cuts
The second use of jump cuts being used to
show the passing of time is shown here. This
time there are close up shots of more
mundane tasks. Once more, this gives the
viewer the distinct impression that Shaun is
bored and wishes to rush through these tasks
just as much as anyone going to see the film
itself. The colour scheme that has been used
and items shown suggest that Shaun is not
very wealthy as there is no specific theme,
not does anything appear to be of great
quality in these scenes.
Used: establishing
shots, wipe
transition/cut
Here, there is far brighter lighting as the
voiceover talks about people working a dead
end job. This is ironic as the lighting gives the
impression of hopefulness and a sets a nice
atmosphere. However, the jobs being shown
are both minimum wage and extremely
repetitive. The wipe transition that is used is
somewhat cleverly disguised through the
similar colour schemes in the two scenes.
The clinical, clean, white setting in both of
these scenes makes the nearby appearance
of zombies even more shocking through this
sudden juxtaposition. The choice of location
could also be a reference to the cult classic
horror movie Dawn of the Dead, which was
set in a shopping centre.
Used: video editing of
static
In post-production it is clear that images of
static and effects to make a shot appear
grainy have been added. This gives the
impression that the scenes are really
emergency broadcasts instead of high
definition camera shots. This makes the
scenario appear far more realistic and
somewhat more scary for the viewer and the
scene is viewed through the point of view of
somebody watching the television. As well as
this, there is direct address in the form of eye
contact from the news reporter.
Used: handheld/shaky
camera shot
In this scene, Shaun and his friend move
from the sofa to run away from the zombie
that begins to chase after them. During this
shot the camera is shaky and therefore must
have been handheld as apposed to being on
a tripod or a crane. This decision has been
made in order to make the scene appear
more chaotic as if the camera and therefore
the viewer is also in danger from the zombie.
This decision adds drama to the trailer as it
remind the viewers that, although this is a
comedy, the zombies are still a real threat to
the characters.
Used: over the
shoulder shot, focus
(forefront)
This particular shot was used to add dramatic
tension to the trailer. The focus on the
forefront of the shot makes it so that the
viewer is forced to pay more attention to the
weapons in Shaun and his friends hands. The
fact that the viewer is seeing this from over
their shoulders and the focus is on them
rather than the zombies not too far away
from them gives the impression that the
main characters will easily win. This is quite
the contrast already to the boring life that
Shaun had at the start of the trailer and gives
the impression that he is better at this than
his actual job.
Used: pan shot, high
angle shot
This shot is shot form a slightly high angle to
show that the characters are just out of the
reach of the zombies, although this gives the
impression that they are reaching out for the
viewer instead. The use of a pan shot also
shows just how many zombies there are and
this is effective as a way of producing fear
and showcasing the extent of the terror in
the current situation.
Used: establishing
shot, use of tripod
The use of a tripod is extremely effective as
Shaun crashes through the door into the
establishing shot of a dark, crowded shed.
This shows his character grown to a fearless
individual and the scene could represent how
he has been able to break through the
stereotype of his personality, as well as how
he has managed to survive and protect
others around him. This could be argued
further by the fact that him breaking down
the door lets light into the dark shed, much
like him fighting the zombies has given him a
renewed vigour for the future.
Used: 180 rule
The film trailer showcases the 180 rule in
this scene as it shows Shaun leap across the
bonnet of a car holding a bat in one hand,
with loud music playing that mainly features
drums and an electric guitar. This music
simulates an erratic heartbeat and the
building adrenaline as Shaun encounters any
zombies. The 180 rule in particular works
well here as Shauns entire motion is able to
be shown while still cutting between
different shots in order to keep up the fast
pace the trailer is now consistently using.
Used: midshot, point
of view shot
Here there is a midshot, followed by a point
of view shot and then the camera reverts
back to the original midshot. The item this
focuses on is that of a standard shotgun.
Both of the clips showing the midshot
produce the idea in the viewer that Shaun
has grown courageous as he is quick to act
and aim the shotgun. The point of view shot
however is quite shaky and gives the
impression that he is still nervous. As well as
this, it temporarily puts the viewer in Shauns
position and this would increase their
understanding of the situation.
Used: midshot to close
up shot through a
zoom
As the music reaches the end and a loud cry
of Shaun can be heard, the trailer begins to
close with a zoom feature on Shaun himself.
Through this the viewer goes from being able
to see a midshot to a close up of his face,
clearly showing an expression of shock
horror. This neatly concludes the main
section of the trailer as it gives the
impression that he will survive until the end
and will become increasingly more important
as the film progresses.
Used: editing of text in
a sans serif font
The text that is shown throughout the trailer
is most important at the end as each word
appears individually on screen. The use of
sans serif font shows that the film is not
sophisticated, nor does it require someone
particularly intelligent to watch it. It is
marketed as a simple action comedy. The
graphic of the zombie hand comes in last to
confirm that the dead are indeed zombies.
As well as this, it is a parody of the film Dawn
of the Dead- a cult classic horror movie
focused around zombies that changed the
genre dramatically.
Used: change of focus
The change of focus from the foreground to
the background is used as each character
speaks. At first it is Shaun and his friend who
speak, before they pause for the zombie to
make a noise. This is used in a comedic
manor in order to provide comedy relief at
the end of the trailer and to remind the
viewers that the film is not entirely serious.
 To Conclude
The Shaun of the Dead trailer shows a film of the action/comedy
genre created in 2004. There is a wide variety of shot types, editing
techniques and sound used in the trailer and the placement of
everything in accordance to the mise on scene is carefully thought
out. Overall, the trailer appears to be successful in its promotion of
the film as it allowed for the viewer to still be surprised if they were
to see it in theatres, while also providing sufficient information to
introduce the concept in a short amount of time.