28 Days Later

Analysis Of 28 Days Later Opening scene

The scene opens with the protagonist of the film being shown in a extreme long shot entering a church. The shot is taken at a high angle which makes the protagonist seem small, and vulnerable which causes tension among the audience because it gives the impression that he may not be perticullarly able to defend himself. The setting itself is a church that is shown in low key lighting. This makes a perfectly ordinary setting, one that a lot of people would go for safety at times of need seem alien and intimidating, emphahsising the backwardness of this new London the protagonist has woken up in. As he then climbs the stairs the camera gradually does a tilt shot upwards to reveal the words written on the wall "the end is very fucking nigh" it is written in a deep red colour and the shock of seeing such profanity in a church shocks the audience and implies even that it may be written in blood. So far everything shown in the scene is out of the norm and doesn't seem to make any sense which creates a enigma that keeps the viewer watching. What has happened and where has everybody gone?

During the scene there is very little ambiant noise and no score playing in the background. The complete absence of sound for such a long period of time makes people feel nervous and anxious, however a ominous score begins playing with sounds like a church bell ringing to amplify the horror the protagonist is looking out on, as he looks out we get a long shot of hundreds of dead bodies piled high in a church. As he looks out over the scene is dismay we get a medium shot of our protagonist to show the expression of confusion and shock on his face. The director uses this to instill the same emotions with his audience as they generally use their heroes as a guideline for how they should feel and think about things that happen in movies. As he then says the single word "hello" two people among the bodies spring up and turn to stare, the way they are behaving in such a setting is inexplicable to the point where it is unnerving to see these people staring in the midst of such carnage.

The protagonist then proceeds to walk away towards the sound of banging inside the church. The protagonist is shown in a low angled shot gradually approaching the door, the shot lasts a long time which builds up the anticipation felt by the viewer as they wait for something to happen. The banging however remains asynchronous and gradually gets more and more frantic. The desperation of the banging is very unnerving becuase of the dramatic irrony of the situation. The audince knows by now that whatever it is making the noise can only bring harm to our protagonist but he rather foolishly keeps on going towards the source of the noise. When we eventually find the source of the noise it turns out to be a priest, however this is identified by the costume he is wearing. The reason this character was used by the director is to shock the audience, of all people the most peacefull are generally the men in the priesthood who are trusted and respected but to see one acting so violently implies that the horror of the situation is minor compared to places elsewhere in London.