Case Study 1: 28 Days Later

The opening of 28 days later is makes very effective use of micro and macro features.

Micro features
In the opening camera angles are used to create a sense of isolation, using numerous high angle shots to make the character seem powerless and insignificant.

This opening uses natural lighting which is very unusual in horror films but the film opens as the sun is setting this creates a atmosphere of fear as the protagonist is not only abandoned but has to survive a pitch black night on his own taking away his sight effectively, making him in a worse off position than if he had awoken in the day.

Putting the protagonist wear medical scrubs also makes him feel vulnerable along with the full frontal nudity shot of him at the start of the opening, as he has no option on what to wear and medical scrubs are very light weight and offer him little protection from the environment let alone zombies.

The sense of equilibrium is further distorted when the protagonist arrives at a church which has graffiti written on the walls which says “the end is F*cking nigh ” The fact the church has been defaced becomes even worse when it has been defaced with swear words.

Parallel music is also used effectively as it builds in tension using a drone of two notes and more instruments enter building up the texture of the music.

Macro features

28 days later is a horror film of the zombie subgenre.
The Movie is set in a abandoned hospital and London in a zombie apocalypse, shots of notable landmarks establish the setting.

The notion of abandonment is synonymous with horror as there is not protection for the character making them seem very vulnerable.

The main character is a young man, this is unusual for a horror film as women are usually portrayed as a the victims in horror films. He wakes up in a abandoned hospital missing what caused the zombie apocalypse, this throws the film out of equilibrium from the start.

The whole plot of the movie is for the character to get back to equilibrium surviving numerous zombie attacks and to find civilization again.

Some very effective iconography is used during the opening notably the city of London is flooded with rubbish creating a feel of pestilence. It makes you feel as if the city is infected along with the people who have become zombies. Also the wall of missing people creates a sense of despair and hopelessness as you know none of the missing people are no longer alive.




One of the opening shots from 28 days later. The protagonist is dressed very vulnerably with light weight medical scrubs and only a carrier bag to hold his possessions.