The Dead Zone

By Rebecca and Hajra

This wide shot of the house showing the full scale of the

house shows that there is no people around which links

to the thriller genre of the unknown. The lighting in this

shot is very dull and has a blue tint to it creating a

saddening mood to the atmosphere. The house looks

sombre and chilling in the blue tint.

In this shot there is very little light, and the background is misty; you can’t actually see much in the

scene, the enigmatic effect is established as not all is given away and the black shapes from the title text

look random and unrelated, this entices the audience as they are forced to continue to watch to understand

what they mean. The credits which are in white font stand out against the dark shot, creating a contrast

gradient and further plunging the background into a murky mysterious darkness. As the title sequence

continues and the shots cross dissolve into each other the slightly cryptic shapes remain exactly where they

are they are, prompting further confusion as to what they mean.

This low level wide shot shows one setting in which the

film is set in, the lighting is natural but the use of the sun

on one side and a shadow on the other creates

suspense. No genre is associated with the images but

the sound track is minor key which often used in thriller

films to create tension.

In this wide shot the colours and lighting contrasts to

others as it is sunny and bright. This challenges the

stereotypes of thrillers conventions as usually dark

colours are used.

The gradual build up of the black shapes appear more

as the opening continues.

In this scene there is a bit more light, showing a park

ground cast in shadow, which is a typical recurring thriller

convention however there is sun light and you can see

trees and sky. What is eerie about all of these shots is not

only the fact that they are dark, there is also an absence of

people or any movement at all, all the shots are static and

completely motionless.

The road looks mysterious which makes it look inviting. It is dark and the

fact that it is a road makes it more alluring. The black shapes are still

there, confusing the audience and building up suspense for the climax

when the actual title is revealed.

This high angle shot of the road again shows the town to

be deserted leaving the audience questioning the

opening. Again in this opening the lighting is low key

creating a tense atmosphere.

This is the point where the audience begins to

understand what the black shapes mean and

the climax of the opening sequence is

established, the audience can just read the

title. The lighting is still minimal and the dark

colours generally dominate the light colours.

This last shot of the title shows the build up of the jigsaw piece

which creates ‘ the dead zone’. The mood created by this shot

is dim and mysterious which is a thriller convention.

The font used is strong and edgy which warns us about the

danger within the film. The film opening doesn't reveal itself till

the end of the slow paced suspenseful opening, which also isn't

associated with thrillers as they are usually fast paced. This

part, where it is zooming out on the text is the only moving part

in the whole film which further emphasises its impression; and

adds effect to the opening title.

2:58.0:00

0:44

Setting looks

dark , bleak

and black

triangles look

odd and

confusing

1:06

This is also a

pleasant scene,

however, the

background is

blurry and the

black triangles

somewhat

disorientate the

viewer, the

lighting here is

perhaps slightly

blue tinted

however it is npt

as shadowy as

the other frames

1:29, the road looks

alluring, mysterious

as, there is an

absence of cars or

people, there is a

dark setting

1:51, more

black shapes

are dominating

this scene, and

another road

which looks

eerie and dark

and

intriguing, dark

lighting mixed

with the sombre

greyish tint, or

perhaps

desaturation

00:22

Here, the mis-en-scene is

strangely pleasant with

natural lighting, no odd

black shapes, it is a

comfortable frame of a

large, old fashioned house

with a white picket

fence, surrounded by

trees in full bloom and

green grass, this shot

seems to defy typical

thriller conventions

however the lack of

motion in the scene is

eerily questionable

2:13, here it is finally revealed what the

shapes mean, they build up the lettering

of the film title, there is a gloomy blue tint

used here, with a shot of another

road, the scene is completely

lifeless, hence corresponding to the film

title ‘The Dead Zone