Buster Keaton exam question

 I believe that Keaton is an expressionist director. However, he can also use realism. According to Bezin, for a film to be realist, the director has to be invisible which is true for Keaton with his use of invisible editing as Keaton only ever uses very minimal editing and only edits when he needs to. To make his editing invisible, Keaton only cuts on an action which is shown in 'One Week' in the spinning house sequence where the only time Keaton cuts is when he jumps into the house. This sequence also matches Bezin's definition of realism as the house is always in the dead center of the screen with no change of camera angle, even when it's spinning around everything stayed in frame with the only visible cut being when Keaton jumped inside the house. Although, there is some expressionism in this sequence as special effects are used to create a storm and the house spinning around is used to create audience pleasure. Another reason why Keaton is more of an expressive filmmaker is because he uses Vaudeville act routines in his films such as the use of the ladder and In 'The High Sign', the use of the banana skin is used for audience pleasure which dates back to the 1890s vaudeville acts when slipping on a banana skin was used for comedic gags. However, in this nobody slips on he skin. This scene shows that the position of women in Keaton's films is progressive as she does not get pushed to the side as Keaton builds their house but instead, has a prominent role in the film alongside Keaton's character. The only time editing is visible in Keaton's films is in the dog chase scene in 'The Scarecrow' where Keaton falls backwards off the building and the camera cuts to him on the ground. This use of visible editing is quite jarring for the audience as we are not accustomed to seeing Keaton cut like that. Other expressionist films at the time which had a narrative was Melies 'A trip to the moon' which was a sci/fi film. This does not fit Bezin's description of how a realist film should be.

Keaton is very much an expressionist filmmaker; as shown in 'Cops' when a bomb is thrown next to Keaton's character. He doesn't realize it's a bomb at first but a lighter. This doesn't fit Bezin's description of matching reality and is done to create audience pleasure as in the early 1920s, the anarchist bombers were very prevalent in the media at this time so the 1922 audience would off been very familiar with the anarchists bombings as just before this was shown, the anarchist bombers who had been behind the 1920 Wall Street bombing were arrested. In the exaggerated chase sequence, every cop in town is chasing Keaton through the streets. This is both a mix of expressionist and realism as it isn't realistic that a short man like Keaton wouldn't be caught by the comedically large number of cops who are all represented as stupid, useless and pathetic as they don't see Keaton escape into a building two groups of cops ran past. However, it is realistic in the sense that the cops would be chasing Keaton who they think is an anarchist bomber. The representation of women in 'Cops' is not as progressive as in his other films as she plays the romantic interest who would only marry Keaton if he is a businessman. Once again, there is no editing and the police chase is in frame the whole time. Other realism films in the silent era were the Lumiere Brothers 'train pulling into the station' sequence. His stunt in 'Cops' make him an expressionist as Keaton's creative signature was that all his stunts were performed by him. The stunt in this film was when Keaton was shot up in the air and it cutted to Keaton falling on a passer-by. This does not fit in Bazin's description of realism due to it being an edit and was done for audience response. Expressionism is used in 'Cops' when Keaton tries to communicate with the horse by using a telephone. This is an example of modern technology being implemented into Keaton's films. 

In conclusion, i still believe that Keaton's films are more expressive than realist but his lack of editing and the representation of police matches reality does make Keaton a realist filmmaker in some aspects.

Buster Keaton

 In 'One Week', this short, both partners are shown to be equals and in a civil marriage with the wife helping him to build the house and is given a lot to do rather than being forgotten about and leaving her her husband to do all the manual work. In 'The Scarecrow', Keaton is playing the romantic suitor who is in a battle with his brother to win her over. However, she plays a bigger role than a love interest as she is involved in the chase. She is shown to be the dominant one in this scene as it is Keaton who struggles to get on the horse with his the romantic interest at the front. The conventions of Keaton's short films include keeping a dead-pan face in any situation which started with his Vaudeville acts. while other silent comedy actors at that time such as Chaplin would have different facial expressions,  while when a gag happened, the camera would cut Keaton keeping a 'dead-pan face'. Anther convention of Keaton is falling over but each time he falls in a different way and does not repeat the same fall each time. Another key convention of Keaton is his lack of editing in his films.  The action is played out on screen with fewer cuts which makes for invisible editing. Usually when Keaton cuts it is when action is playing out on the screen. The only time a piece of editing is visible (which is uncommon for Keaton) is when he falls backwards of the top of the building and cuts to him on the ground. This was necessary  to do as it would off been hard to frame Keaton falling of the house and landing on the ground in just one take. For the mise-en-scene in 'The Scarecrow', the table in the multi-purpose room is framed in the dead centre of the screen. This is so you can see them use all the functions of the house without having to cut. In 'The Scarecrow', Keaton's short stature is used for comedy when his Brother who is a lot bigger than Keaton, which allows for more comedy between the two of them battling it out as the romantic suitor.

The conventions of silent comedy's are present in Keaton's short films. In 'The Scarecrow', a ladder is used for the dog to run up. Using animals for comedy is also a convention of a silent comedy. Another convention of silent comedy films are the chase scenes. In 'The Scarecrow', the majority of the running time is devoted to Keaton's character being chased. He is first chased by he dog and at the end, he and his wife are being chased on a horse. The fourth wall is broken a couple times across both films. In 'One Week', as the wife is about to get out of the bathtub, she stops when she sees the camera and a hand then covers the lens. This is a very modern pun which you would expect to see in comedy nowadays.

A convention of silent comedy which is shown in the 'High Sign' is the use of the banana peel. Bananas were imported to America in the mid-19th century and were often thrown onto the street. When they rot, they got slippy. They were used for gags in silent fils in the 1890s Vaudeville acts. However, Keaton flips this convention by not having anyone tripped it. Keaton is portrayed as the outsider who gets hired to be a hitman and the protector for the same man. There is the use of the media when Keaton finds the hitman advertisement in the newspaper and falls off the bench straight after which is a classic Keaton gag.

In 'Cops', a convention of silent comedy is the use of animals for gags. Keaton uses a horse for the first part of the film. Modern technology is shown through Keaton using a telephone to communicate with the horse. At the police parade, a town is thrown which lands beside Keaton. This is a representation of the 1920s anarchists who bombed Wall Street in 1920 which killed 38 people. The audience would of caught on to the anarchist bombings were prominent in the media at this time. The cops are represented as ignorant, stupid, pathetic and weak as the whole police force chases Keatons character through town with no one catching him despite Keaton being short. Keaton plays the romantic suitor.

Pan's Labrinth

In the opening scene, subtitles are used to tell us the year this was set in and that the Civil War is over. This is because the Civil War plays a key part in the film and most of the film focuses on the fascists while making the fantasy more of a side plot. There is a voiceover being played over Ofelia's, with a close-up of her head on her side. A blue, cold lighting  is cast over her to show these are this is a dark ending. We then get a close-up shot of her eye to show her emotions. The camera zooms into her pupil which signifies going into the darkness which is the underground realm. We hear a voiceover wile showing us this world so we know what it is and why Ofelia escaped. As we get a deep focus shot of her running up these stairs. The camera then focuses on the light from outside signifying heaven and an escape from the bleak underground realm into freedom. This contrasts with before when the the camera zoomed into her dark pupils to enter the underground realm. An argument could be made that Ofelia thought up this fantasy world and is all inside her head. Her father has died so makes sense that Pan and the King acts as father figures for Ofelia. The Captain treats her with little respect due to being female and only cares for his unborn son. This could be why Ofelia is a princess in the underground realm and is important which the Captain does not regard her as. The enchanted creature takes the form of a fairy in Ofelia's book which shows this is what Ofelia sees him as. Another reason this underground realm is all in her head is because there are no one else her age there and after moving from the city into the rural area, she could dream this world up for her own fun. 

We see Ofelia is reading a fairytale book which shows she's mentally escaping from the real world into a fictional fairytale world where she actually belongs. We get a POV shot of her exploring the forest. When Ofelia finds the eye shaped rock, this sets up for the rest of the film and triggers multiple events which leads her to the underground realm. Putting the eye back in place leads to the first magical creature she discovers which acts as the catalyst for Ofelia finding out about her life she never knew about. Her mother having the flu and Ofelia having to stop the car for her foreshadows her death as it shows she's not in good health. This will lead Ofelia to take charge and stand up for herself. Ofelia and her mother don't have a good relationship with each-other. This is shown when she tells her to stop reading fairytales and when she doesn't respond to Ofelia's claims that she saw a fairy showing she's the anti version of her. She also wants her to call the Captain 'father' which is something she should not expect from her as he is new to When Ofelia meets the Captain, we see he's a fascist who only cares for the unborn child. He want's to shake her right hand showing he likes to keep order and tradition just like how he keeps checking the time and does not like it when they're late.

When Ofelia is reading a story to her unborn brother, the Del Toro is very free with the camera, allowing to move the camera freely but is not shaky but a smooth camera movement. There is not cut in this film but transitions to the unborn baby, to the Thorn tree in Ofelia's story and back to the room. This is invisible editing as it makes it easier to watch than constantly cutting. Del Toro's free camera movement was shown before when her mother is sat in a wheel chair and the camera moves down to her baby who the Captain places his hand on showing his unborn son is the only thing he cares about. The Mother in a wheelchair and the Captain standing over her shows his dominance. 

Second Scene- Meeting Pan

 When Ofelia is introduced to Pan, he used his hands a lot which is the complete opposite to the Captain who's movement is very stiff while pan is very free with his hands. This shows he is a friendly character as he opens his arms in a warm, inviting and welcoming way. He acts as a father figure for Ofelia, guiding her on her quest as well as the King who is her real father. In another scene, Pan tells Ofelia off but later, he forgives her like a Father would do. This is why Ofelia is more attracted to this world as in the real world as she lost her father and isn't treated well by the Captain as she is seen as inferior in that world while in the underground realm, she is a princess. Pan has horns on his head which has similarities to the devil but is actually the complete opposite to him as his first words to Ofelia was 'don't be scared' showing he's a caring character who means well.

Pale Man scene

The Pale Man represents Fascism as it uses its eyes in its hands and sees only what it wants to see which links to the fascist regime as they believe their views are the only right one. The room likes like a church with stained glass windows and old murals depicting the pale man eating babies which looks like they have been there for hundreds of years which shows it was left undisturbed for a very long time as everyone in the underground realm fears him as he represents the devil of the underworld. There is a pile of shoes which links to the Nazis taking the clothes and shoes off the Jews. This is a direct similarity to the Captain having a feast which represents the pale man. This scene flips the meaning of lighting as warm lighting is used which is supposed to show comfort but this scene twists that by having the pale man in it. When Ofelia escapes back into her room, cold lighting is used which is supposed to show danger but in this scene, it is flipped to show the room as safety from the pale man. However, at the ending scene, cold lighting is used again when Ofelia is dying and warm lighting is used when Ofelia is reunited with her Mother and Father but in the pale man scene, it is the exact opposite. Ofelia is shown to be anti-authority and disobedient to Pan when she went against his orders and ate the food on the table. This is important as Pan wants Ofelia to be disobedient which she does in the final scene when she refuses to give her brother's blood to enter the world. The Captain shoots her and her own blood is used so she can enter. This was brave of Ofelia to go against Pan's orders as earlier, she promised to be obedient. 

Script- Action Plan

 Shot List 

SCENE 1

-Begins with an establishing shot in the forest to show the location of the action. This establishes the forest as the main setting of the film.

-In the opening, an extreme wide-shot will be used to get a scale of the forest so the audience can take in the setting as this forest will be used for most of my film.

- There is a POV shot of a frightened Terry running from the Android. We see him grab his gun from within his pocket when he is down.  

 -The camera follows the character through the woods as we get a POV shot of the Android.

- An overhead shot will be used, looking down on my characters. This is to create a sense of scale.

- A full-shot will be used so we get to see the Android in more detail.

- SCENE 2 

 We get a low level of shot of the android standing above Terry in a dominant way looking down at Terry as the Android is superior, making Terry look inferior looking up at him.

-When Terry falls on the muddy ground, a medium close-up shot will be used which shows the character from the shoulders up which allows to see the characters expression. 

-Another medium close-up will be used when the Android takes off his head. This is the shot that reveals he's an Android.

- When Terry falls on the muddy ground, a medium close-up shot will be used which shows the character from the shoulders up which allows to see the characters expression. 

-Another medium close-up will be used when the Android takes off his head. This is the shot that reveals he's an Android.

- We get an Extreme close-up shot of Stevie's lips as he say's an important line.

SCENE 3

- When another android walks out of the hollow cave, Terry spins around in shock. For this, I will use a whip pan shot, moving the camera from one shot to another creating a blur.

 - A cowboy shot is used to Frame the gun in Terry's pocket.

- A Full shot will be used to show the Android walking towards Terry.

SCENE  4

-An establishing shot is used again when we change location from the woodland to the underground bunker. 

- An overhead shot will be used to show Terry outside of the underground bunker with his hands gripped on the bars.

- A tracking shot will be used to follow Terry through the woods using a hand-held camera. <-a a="" an="" and="" android.="" android="" androids="" another="" army="" as="" at="" be="" belongs="" burnt="" button="" by="" can="" cave.="" close-up="" created.="" end="" ending="" enter="" extreme="" find="" flashback="" for="" free="" gate="" get="" grabs="" hand="" he="" high="" him="" hip-level="" his="" important="" in="" into="" inventing="" is="" it="" lab.="" lever="" line.="" lips="" nbsp="" neck="" night.="" of="" off.="" off="" on="" p="" pulling="" reaching="" revealing="" reveals="" s="" say="" scene="" self-destruct="" setting="" shot="" shoulders="" show="" skin="" so="" stevie="" survived="" switch.="" switch="" switching="" terry="" that="" the="" they="" this="" to="" trying="" twist="" unlock="" used="" waist="" way="" we="" when="" which="" will="" with="" working="">

- We get an Extreme close-up shot of Stevie's lips as he say's an important line.

- When Stevie and Terry turn around to see the third android, will use a whip-pan. 

-When we see the switch on Terry's neck, revealing that h's an Android, I will use an extreme close-up shot on this.

For the Android, I will use a person to be the android. I made the android less robotic and more human-like by them wearing hoodies. Each android will wear a different coloured hoodie so you can distinguish them from each other and so they don't all look alike. The main Android wears a red hoodie.  The hoodies will be useful as it confers that the story is set on Earth and not on an unknown planet which would be more difficult to accomplish a set for another off-world planet.

For Terry, he'll be wearing a white coat that represents a lab coat as he is a scientist that created the android. This coat will show Terry has an important status as he is a scientist.

- A full-shot will be used to show the yellow hooded Android staring at Terry and Stevie where it will focus on the Android in shot instead of the forest around him.

- An enigma code in this film is presented at the start when the Android is chasing Terry through the woods and we don't know the reason.

- Another twist ending revealed is that Terry is in fact an Android who was created by the Android chasing him. There are clues which suggest this including Terry spilling coffee on himself and sparks fly off him but does not notice this. This is revealed when the Android digs into Terry's neck to reveal a switch.

Locations

- Most of my film takes place in the woods with the two characters- the Android and Terry (it's creator) so I will film these scenes in a woodland area in Westerham. There is a cave in these woods with a gate blocking the entrance which will be used to show Terry running into it. The cave will be used for an underground bunker in the film. This cave will also be used at the end to show the twist ending that there are more Androids that we didn't know about.

-I have done a location scout at Westerham woods which is where most of my film takes place in. I will have to wait to dark until I film takes place in the evening.

- There will also be a scene in a Lab where we see Terry invent the android as well as the self-destruct button. This could be filmed in a kitchen as I have no access to an actual lab.

Props

- Gun prop which you make yourself. It will be used for Terry to shoot the Android.

- Self-destruct button prop.

- A red laser beam will shoot from the Android's arm.

- Two plastic knives which the Android will use on Terry.

- Fake blood to put on Terry's neck.

- Fake CCTV camera that will be used to spy on Terry.

- Masks which I will use for the face of the Android.

-  Green, orange and blue hoodies which I will use for each Android to distinguish them from one another and give the Androids a modern look.

City of God analysis

 City of God opening scene analysis

Cinematography

The streets use cold lighting and is shot through a blue filter to show these as the bad days. Even some of their shirts are blue reminding the viewer these are dark days. Its very claustrophobic with the houses packed together and having the gang chasing the chicken through the streets. When we see Lil Z, it is always a close-up shot of his teeth when he's laughing like a psychopath. He is the first person we see with a gun showing he's the leader. When we see Rocket standing in-between the police and Lil Z's gang we get the camera panning around him all sped up taking us back to the 60s. The chicken is shown to be escaping Lil Z and his gang, this represents escaping the 'City of God' which doesn't happen and isn't easy to do unless you have a dream and follow it like Rocket does. When we transition back to the 60s, warm lighting is used to show the 'good old days'. We finally get to see the sky and a whole field compared to the lack of space and claustrophobic in the present. The houses have space in-between them and are on the same level which is not the case for the favelas in the present.

Editing

Fast-paced editing is used when the see the gang chasing the chicken through the streets. A handheld camera is used here so the camera movement is all over the place and is very chaotic. We finally get a break from the chase to see Rocket and his mate walking down the steps slowly.

Mise-en-scene

A key prop used in the opening is Rocket holding the camera when he's between the two sides which will be important later on in the film as the camera is the reason Rocket manages to escape from the 'city of God' chasing his dream of being a photographer for the newspaper. Back in the 60s, when Rocket introduces himself, we get a camera shutter clicking over a close-up shot of him foreshadowing the camera playing a key part in his life and associates a camera with this character already.

Performance

 As soon as we are introduced to Lil Z, we know he is the villain of the film as his evil laugh and wide grin

 

Essay

How are the ideological themes and issues in your chosen films resolved ?

In this essay, I'm going to explore the theme of maturity in 'Shaun of the Dead'. At the end of 'Shaun of the Dead' we see Shaun now living with Liz in the same flat that Shaun was living in at the start of the film. For 'Trainspotting', I'm going to talk about the theme of drugs which leads to the end of Trainspotting where we see Renton walking away with the drug money to start a new life.

At the beginning of Shaun of the Dead, the shuffling 'slacker generation' is parodied in the title sequence. Shaun and Ed are portrayed as an exhausted generation of 'zombies' playing video games. For a lot of the film, Shaun has no idea that there are zombies as shown by him walking to the shops with zombies everywhere and him being oblivious to it. For this scene, Wright shoots a hand-held track to follow Shaun from his home to the shop across the road. The effect of this gives realism to suburbia.  The final scene of Shaun of the Dead shows Shaun has grown up and matured as he's no longer living with Ed and reverting back to their adolescence like getting drunk and listening to loud music while wearing backwards baseball caps. However, by the end, Shaun and Liz have both settled their differences and 'meet in the middle' as Liz wants to spend their day in the pub - this differs from earlier when she breaks up with Shaun for him wanting to go to the pub for their anniversary dinner. Shaun asks Liz for two sugars in his tea, something which he hasn't had since he was a teenager so he hasn't matured completely. Ed was holding Shaun back such as when he doesn't answer the phone to Liz for Shaun which was the catalyst to Shaun and Ed's breakup.

In the pub scene, It is Shaun who has to turn his life around and act like the hero by sacrificing himself so the others can get in the pub. Shaun even acts like an action hero symbolised by him showing up after they think he's dead with just his arm coming into frame to grab the bar snacks and we see him with his tie around his head and blood stains on his shirt. Shaun is also the one to shoot the zombies which is not something you would expect in a British horror movie as guns are not easy to get hold of, especially for a regular guy like Shaun, but here the pub comes to his rescue by providing him with a weapon from the wall.

In a way, the zombies are used as a way for Shaun to get back together with Liz as Shaun manages to handle tough situations and show his bravery by distracting the crowd of zombies so the others can get in the pub. Shaun stands up to Ed and finally gets the nerve to tell Ed he's holding him back which makes a change as he was constantly defending Ed like telling Pete to "Leave him alone". When they are all in the basement of the pub, Ed stays behind while Shaun and Liz escape symbolising Ed no longer coming between them and Shaun finally makes the decision to choose Liz over his friendship with Ed.

In Trainspotting, a central theme explored is heroin addiction. Renton has an overdose in the pub where he falls and surreally sinks into the carpet and loses touch with reality. We see him being taken to hospital in a POV shot with Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' playing on the soundtrack making this scene so ironic. The combined effect of the POV shots is to make Renton seem like he's at his lowest point and close to death and to place us in his rapidly dying body. The film heavily features British music culture in the 1990s. It starts with Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life' a song from 1977, and ending with 'Born Slippy' by Underworld from 1996. It takes the audience on a journey moving from punk to rave. In the overdose scene, Renton is seen at low-level, worms eye view that communicates a sense of life with limited ambition. Renton is literally at his 'low life' and when he falls on the floor after overdosing it represents his life being one step away from the gutter. Later on, when Renton is back in his room after being brought home from the hospital, there are sequences that are clearly reflective of Renton's deranged mind. His hallucinations seem real to him but have a dream-like quality or more the taint of a nightmare. When he hallucinates Tommy's baby on the ceiling it shows an addict enduring 'cold turkey' as he's forever disappearing and escaping.

Renton's nightmares only really become inescapable when he fights his addiction. Renton is shown to be a smirking cynic so his final treachery is not expected. He only shows compassion towards Spud as it's him that gives some of the drug money he stole from Begbie and put in Spud's locker. Renton's relationship with his parents is awkward; a sense of failure and disappointment overlaying their disgust at his addiction. McGregor plays Renton as a likeable person. What prevents the audience from despising Renton is the fact that we are positioned in the narrative to follow his journey. At the end of the film, Renton leaves Spud, Begbie and Sick Boy, and runs off with the money received from a drug deal. Renton has quit heroin and is going straight. He's leaving his violent friends behind.

In both Shaun of the Dead and Trainspotting, gaining maturity is seen as a way to move forward. Maturity as a way to be saved in Trainspotting is literally represented by Renton's parents who lock him in a room and refuse to let him out until he is clean. In both films, gaining maturity is seen as a way to move forward. Shaun is never going to move forward unless he stops living with Ed and moves in with his girlfriend. And in Trainspotting, Renton needs to stop living with heroin in his life as a way to move forward and to 'choose life' instead. The zombies in Shaun of the Dead also look a lot like those addicted to heroin or having an overdose in Trainspotting so they could have a shared enemy.

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.