Shaun of the Dead
This section will be analysing a poster used by Edgar Wright to promote the film Shaun of the Dead it will specifically evaluate the media language, institutions, genre, representation, audience, ideology and narrative presented within the poster.
media language
When focusing on the visual codes of Shaun in the poster for Shaun of the Dead by Edgar Wright, one can notice many aspects leading the audience to noticing his differeance from the zombies.
To begin with Shaun is dressed in a white shirt and red tie. The red tie not only is paralleled with the red tube doors but it also gives the audience the ideas that are associated with the colour red, such as romance. This concept of romance and love is also carried through his holding of flowers, traditionally seen as something a man brings to his partner.
All of Shauns colouring, clothing and props are constantly contrasted by the zombies, who are greyscale and more obviously, do not have any definition in their eyes. This clearly isolates Shaun from the other characters in the poster.
The gesture, body language and facial expressions also separate Shaun from the other characters and he is clearly uncomfortable and also appears slightly clueless to who is surrounding him, identifying the comedy in the film.
Revisiting the red tube doors it is made clear that the poster is appealing to a British national audience as they are instantly recognisable from the London tube.
To begin with Shaun is dressed in a white shirt and red tie. The red tie not only is paralleled with the red tube doors but it also gives the audience the ideas that are associated with the colour red, such as romance. This concept of romance and love is also carried through his holding of flowers, traditionally seen as something a man brings to his partner.
All of Shauns colouring, clothing and props are constantly contrasted by the zombies, who are greyscale and more obviously, do not have any definition in their eyes. This clearly isolates Shaun from the other characters in the poster.
The gesture, body language and facial expressions also separate Shaun from the other characters and he is clearly uncomfortable and also appears slightly clueless to who is surrounding him, identifying the comedy in the film.
Revisiting the red tube doors it is made clear that the poster is appealing to a British national audience as they are instantly recognisable from the London tube.
institutions
The institutions involved in the production distribution and exchange in this film are listed at the bottom of the poster. They include Working Title and Universal. The inclusion of the institutions on a film poster is important not only to recognise the companies involvement in the film but also to communicate to the audience a certain message of what this film will be like. For instance Shaun of the Dead is marketed as a British film for mainly British audiences, and that is also shown through its affiliation with Working Title, a former British independent film company.
However through further anaylis one can see that it is supported by Universal, a Hollywood studio system, thus changing how the film could be perceived as a mass film coroprotaiton trying to appeal to a particular national audience through a subsidiarity.
However through further anaylis one can see that it is supported by Universal, a Hollywood studio system, thus changing how the film could be perceived as a mass film coroprotaiton trying to appeal to a particular national audience through a subsidiarity.
genre
representation
The representation in this poster of Shaun of the Dead is an interesting one to analyse if focusing on the representation of the character Shaun.
He is instantly outcast from the majority by his normal colouring within the frame of the London tube doors. He is squashed in by a number of grey scale zombie, the zombies project an idea of a mass group void of individual. Shaun appears to stand out from the crowd, whether or not that is a good thing is yet to be decided.
However it then instantly appeals to a certain kind of audience member . It relates to someone who feels that they are isolated in their individuality this is reinforced by the tag line 'Ever felt like you were surrounded by zombies'. This typically relates to a member of the public who hates their job, or has experienced a situation where they have felt solitary.
He is instantly outcast from the majority by his normal colouring within the frame of the London tube doors. He is squashed in by a number of grey scale zombie, the zombies project an idea of a mass group void of individual. Shaun appears to stand out from the crowd, whether or not that is a good thing is yet to be decided.
However it then instantly appeals to a certain kind of audience member . It relates to someone who feels that they are isolated in their individuality this is reinforced by the tag line 'Ever felt like you were surrounded by zombies'. This typically relates to a member of the public who hates their job, or has experienced a situation where they have felt solitary.
audience
The target audience this poster is aiming at is a British 18-35 year old who preferred independent films from traditional Hollywood style genre films.
This can be inferred from, the director Edgar Wright, famous for his independent successes such as Spaced. The still fairly unknown actor Simon Pegg as the protagonist Along with the tag line and the obvious difference of Pegg and the other characters, instantly appealing to the individual instead of the masses.
This can be inferred from, the director Edgar Wright, famous for his independent successes such as Spaced. The still fairly unknown actor Simon Pegg as the protagonist Along with the tag line and the obvious difference of Pegg and the other characters, instantly appealing to the individual instead of the masses.
ideology
The visual codes in the poster for Shaun of the Dead suggest to the audience that the protagonist Shaun is outside of society due to his colouring against the greyscale of the other characters. This communicates that the ideology given in this film will most probably be a left wing idea.
narrative
The narrative of Shaun of the Dead can be seen in the poster mainly through the title, as a spoof of the original horror film Dawn of the Dead.
The faint ridiculousness of the spin on the original allows the audience to relax into the comedy of it whilst having some vague idea of what the actual theme of the film will be, which is zombies.
The faint ridiculousness of the spin on the original allows the audience to relax into the comedy of it whilst having some vague idea of what the actual theme of the film will be, which is zombies.