Shaun of the Dead

 The film starts with Shaun looking out of it and not paying attention to what Liz is saying. There is a close-up shot of Shauns's face which zooms out to reveal Liz sitting opposite him. At first, we are to believe it is just them two in the scene but later the camera pans to the left and right to reveal their friends are also with them. This could be because he's thinking how to change his life around and change for Liz. It starts of with a shot-reverse-shot between Shaun and Liz with Liz saying she wants Shaun to want to change. It is then revealed Ed was in this scene the whole time and the way he is framed shows him between the couple. This tells the audience the only thing stopping Shaun from changing is Ed. In this scene, Liz is clearly shown as middle class with her wanting Shaun to take her to a fancy restaurant for their anniversary dinner. Ed is shown to be working class with him on the fruit machine and constantly swearing. The couple are then interrupted by Bev and Dav. It is clear Dav does not like Shaun as he accuses Shaun as not liking his mum as he has not yet introduced Liz to her. He's saying this stuff too Shaun as he likes Liz. Bev is middle-class as she forces Dav to go to the Theatre with her which is a middle-class trait.  Ed is clearly holding Shaun back as he is the complete opposite to Liz. It is Ed who gave Shaun the idea to go to the Winchester pub for their night while Liz wants to go to the restaurant with all the posh meals whereas the pub Shaun wants to got to doesn't serve food except snacks. At the end of the opening scene, there is the use of fast-editing to show Liz, Bev and Dav calling Shaun which shows Shaun who can't take the constant haggling of them. There is a lot of pressure being put on Shaun especially from Liz who wants Shaun to change. Liz denies to not liking Ed but in reality she does and she feels he's holding Shaun back. 

Shaun's relationship with Ed

Shaun and Ed are two 29 year old's trapped in a student inflected adolescence, playing video games and surrounded by sweet wrappers. At the end of the film we see a more mature Shaun, now living with Liz. After being dumped by his girlfriend Liz, and getting drunk down the pub, Shaun and Ed play music until late and revert to their adolescence as symbolized by their reversed baseball caps. Another example of Shaun resorting back to his adolescence is reminding people how Phillip [his stepdad] is not his dad. Scene repetition is used a lot such as Shaun walking to the shops except the second time Shaun is oblivious to everyone being zombies as he's still thinking he's living a romantic comedy. Another use of repetition is the montage of three hypothetical attempts to recue Liz with a different outcome are played out.

Shaun of the Dead- Narrative Structure

Shaun of the dead fits Todorov's Narrative Theory as the film begins with an equilibrium with Shaun and Liz  living their lives as a couple as usual. The 'girl in the garden' disrupts this equilibrium as this is the first time Shaun finds out about the zombie apocalypse and realizes he can't live his life as normal. Stage 3 is restoring the equilibrium. Shaun's flash-forward attempts are his plans to restore the equilibrium by saving Liz and his mum and going up against Pete who they believe is a  zombie. Stage 4 according to Todorov is the resolution as the equilibrium is restored. This occurs in Shaun of the Dead when the army rescue Liz and Shaun from the zombie attack. Stage 5 is a new equilibrium with some things  changed. This happens in the film when we see Shaun living with Liz while a Zombie Ed is living in the shed. Shaun of the Dead also fits Propp's character theory with Shaun playing the Hero role, Ed playing the Sidekick, Liz playing the princess and Dav playing the false hero. Shaun of the Dead also fits Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey which states 1. The Hero departs his normal life- this happens when Shaun has to adapt to the zombie apocalypse. 2. They have to adapt to this new world and overcome the challenges- This happens when Shaun and the group have to act out being zombies so they don't get caught. 3, Returning to normal life with a new skill- For Shaun, its when he has decided to act is age and get his life straight. Binary opposites in Shaun of the Dead include Mature vs Childlike between Shaun and Liz.