Rec 3

Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes
Box Office: $9k

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: Rec 3 
2. Director & Producer: Paco Plaza
3. Release Date: September 7, 2012
4. Film Genre: Horror, Foreign

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: Clara and Koldo are in the middle of celebrating their marriage when all of a sudden Clara's uncle becomes very ill which causes him to attack everyone at the party. The uncle bites one of the women nearby and the women then becomes infected. Soon many others are turning and the wedding is turned into a complete disaster. Unfortunately, Clara and Koldo are separated and Koldo finds out that she is pregnant. He then panics in wanting to find her soon so he gathers a group that is willing to help him. Many of the members in his group get bitten and he is left alone. Clara reunites with Koldo when she is roaming around in an underground tunnel.  Later on it is discovered that the infected could be stopped by reciting a line from the bible, so the married couple then escapes. Clara is attacked by one of the infected that is deaf and can't hear the verse. She then decides to cut off her arm in order to stop the infection from spreading but ends up turning anyways. Koldo still attempts to save her by leaving the premises of the wedding but only discovers that they have been quarantined. Koldo is finally bitten by his wife when he kisses her for the last time. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: In the beginning of the film, the lighting is bright and sunny to make it seem like a beautiful, ordinary day for a wedding. While all the chaos is happening, the lighting gets darker, creating a more horrific and an uncomfortable feel. There are mostly canted angles used to make a scene very terrifying. Establishing shots and high angled shots are used to show the zombies closing in on the living. For example, in the scene in which the bus is under attack is shot from a security camera that is angled towards that setting. This shows how powerless the living were compared to those infected. Loud music was used whenever Clara or Koldo were killing off the infected. At the end dramatic and depressing music was used to show how in love the couple was and how unfortunate they were.
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is hopeless and very doubtful. 
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is dark, romantic and a bit funny. 

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: Loud music was used during the scenes that contained the most action in them. Romantic music was used whenever the married couple was together and it was replaced with depressing music when something terrible happened. 
6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The film presented music, dramatizations, black and white, color, background noise, and special effects. The film also began being filmed with a handheld camera up until the part when the infection gets out and ruins the wedding. From then on, a regular camera is used to tell a story. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message could be about death being the only thing that parts two people in love apart. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? This film supports this message by showing how hard Clara and Koldo worked in order to find each other in the end even after all of the terrible things that were happening. Throughout the entire film they never gave up. Koldo still kissed Clara even though he knew that there was a strong chance she'd bite him since she had already been infected. When they both get shot at the very end for getting out of their quarantined place, they still hold hands and die together.

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? I think the filmmakers wanted to feel frightened for both Clara and Koldo's lives. They also probably wanted the audience to feel sad in the ending for what happened to the happy married couple. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? Yes, it does appeal to the viewer's emotion. It made me feel terrified and sad about the ending.

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: How did the uncle become infected in the first place? 

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would recommend this movie to my friends. 

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film an AE because I thought it was cute and meaningful. I also enjoyed how the film was horrifying and gory at the same time. 

Land of the Dead

Time: 1 Hour and 32 Minutes
Box Office: $20.4 M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: Land of the Dead 
2. Director & Producer: George Romero
3. Release Date: June 24, 2005
4. Film Genre: Drama, Horror, Suspense

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: While Riley is out on the job of collecting supplies, he notices that the characteristics of the zombies are quickly changing as if they are retaining knowledge of their past lives. Riley builds "Dead Reckoning", a vehicle that is loaded with guns, and all sorts of explosives to help him make his way around the post-apocalyptic town. Another important moment is when the fireworks within Dead Reckoning that normally distract the zombies, are jammed. The zombies then become aware of their presence and go after them all. Back at the town in which the workers are collecting goods for, live wealthy survivors. At a neighboring city, the less fortunate live behind electric fencing that is where the workers also stay. Hoping that he'd make it into the wealthy town, Cholo goes to confront his boss who denies him a spot. In anger, Cholo steals Dead Reckoning which leads to a war between both him and Riley. Riley then gets his vehicle back and drives back to the city to discover that everyone is dead and decides not to kill one zombie. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: The film uses establishing shots to show the zombies and how they are gradually changing, appearing to gain knowledge through out time. High angle shots are often used as well to show the amount of zombies that roam around the town. Close ups are used to show the horror a character feels when encountering a zombie. It also helps to show the very gruesome parts such as a character being eaten which is effective in frightening the audience. Low key lighting is used throughout and flashlight lighting is used in replacement to make the scene more suspenseful. It makes the viewer uncomfortable with the small amount of light and very unsure on what will happen next. The music adds to the suspense and makes the zombie attack scenes much more intense. 
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is depressing and unsettling. 
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is suspenseful, gory and horrifying.

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: The eerie sounds used in the film provide a chilling sensation when the viewer knows that something bad is about to happen. At times, the sounds go completely silent, followed by loud and creepy music that makes the audience jump. 

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The physical qualities presented in the film are music, dramatizations, background noise, black and white, and color. Black and white is used in the beginning to show the television broadcast about the infected  and later color is used to show the present tense of the town. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message of the film is that we live in times in which the wealthy are seen as more superior than those who are not as wealthy. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film sends this message by showing how the two different ranks are separated, one within a well protected town and the other in a vulnerable city.

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? The filmmakers probably wanted the audience to feel anger towards Kauffman and the wealthy for being selfish and not wanting to help out those who aren't as wealthy.  They also probably wanted the audience to feel sorry for those living outside the town on the city streets. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? The film does appeal to the viewer's emotion. It made me feel irritated with the wealthy and sympathy for those living on the city streets. 

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: What made the surviving zombie smarter than the rest?

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would recommend this movie to my friends. 

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film a P because it was pretty interesting.

Night of the Living Dead

Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes
Box Office: $12M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: Night of the Living Dead 
2. Director & Producer: George Romero
3. Release Date: October 1, 1968
4. Film Genre: Horror, Cult

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: Johnny and Barbara are at cemetery to visit their father's grave when they notice a mysterious man across the way. Johnny jokes around and says that the dead are roaming around until the man actually ends up attacking Barbara. Johnny attempts to save her but is knocked unconscious and the man still chases Barbara up to a deserted farmhouse nearby. Barbara meets Ben who helps her kill zombies and boarder up the farmhouse. An emergency broadcast tells stories of the dead committing violence and attacking the living. Ben hears cries for help from Harry and Helen whose daughter was ill. When Ben discovers them, he is upset that they didn't go upstairs to help him barricade the house and suddenly the group is confronted with heaps of conflict and disagreement. Due to their inability to work together, most of the group ends up being eaten and although Ben survives the longest, he is accidentally killed in the very end being mistaken as a zombie. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: The film uses Gothic music to add to the horror and suspense. The film being black and white made it appear simple yet unique and allowed it to emphasize the mess of  blood. The editing of the film made it appear frantic in order to startle the audience. Along with this type of editing, a lot of extreme close ups were used to show the characters' terror. Whenever a new character was introduced, canted angles were used to set their trustworthiness. 
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is frightening and suspenseful.
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is dark and eerie.

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: The film uses eerie and Gothic music throughout to add to its horror. Loud and disturbing sounds are also used to help scare the audience during unexpected times when a zombie appears and attacks.

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The physical qualities presented in this film were dramatizations, music, background noise, and black and white film. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message of the film was that even during the most tragic of times, people should work together and help each other out so that they can accomplish much more than what was originally intended alone. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film has great strength in sending this message by showing the consequences that the characters face in the end when they are not getting along and are busy doing their own thing. 

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? I think the filmmakers wanted to be frustrated with the entire group for not getting along. I also think they wanted the audience to be scared since there were a lot of scenes in which zombies popped up out of the shadows. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? The film did appeal to the viewer's emotion. It made me feel sorry for Barbara for losing her brother during this time. It also made me feel very irritated in the end when the group wouldn't work together which led to them all dying. I felt very frustrated when Ben especially didn't make it because he worked so hard in surviving only to be shot in the end because they thought he was a zombie. 

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: What exactly caused the dead to rise? 

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would. 

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film an AE because even though it was made in the late 60s, it still contained a strong and unique central message. It also had a great story and was filmed very well. 

Zombieland

Time: 1 Hour and 28 Minutes
Box Office: $75.6M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: Zombieland
2. Director & Producer: James L. Frachon, Ruben Fleischer
3. Release Date: October 2, 2009
4. Film Genre: Comedy, Horror

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: An important moment in the film is when Tallahassee and Columbus meet when  Columbus asks for a ride. Tallahassee was on a journey to find twinkies when the both of them ran into Witchita and Little Rock at the supermarket when they fall into their trap. Witchita and Little Rock then took their guns and stole their car. Later throughout the film Tallahassee and Columbus run into the girls again but are held hostage and agree to work as a team. They all take refuge at Bill Murray's house and meet him but Columbus accidentally shoots him mistaking him for a zombie.When Columbus and Witchita almost kiss, Witchita remembers to not trust anyone and escapes with her sister to go to an amusement park. While they get there, Witchita and Little Rock are chased by zombies and Tallahassee and Columbus save them. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: Medium, high angle, over the shoulder, and panorama shots were used throughout the film. Lowkey lighting was mostly used to make the settings very dark and mysterious as well as scary to roam. The music is loud, upbeat, sometimes suspenseful and fast when action is occurring. There is comedic narration used in the beginning of the film to explain the rules of Zombieland in order to survive. The editing helps the film appear more fast paced.
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is humorous and gory.
4.  Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is post-apocalyptic, gruesome, and adventurous.

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: The music and sound used in the film are loud, suspenseful, and at times upbeat. 

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: Music, narration, dramatizations, special effects, background noise and color are physical qualities presented in the film. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message of the film is that it is always important to work together in the times of chaos and need. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film communicates this message clearly by the characters always sticking together when zombies come along which allows them to survive in the end. 

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? I think the filmmakers wanted the audience to laugh and see the importance in working together during an emergency. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? Yes, it does appeal to the viewer's emotion. It made me feel sympathy for the characters and made me feel much at ease when they were getting along with one another. 

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: What ever happened to Columbus' family? 

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would because I thought it was really good, it was funny and amusing to watch. 

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film an AE because it was well put together and had a strong central message that actually made sense. 

Return of the Living Dead

Time: 1 Hour and 31 Minutes
Box Office: $4M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: Return of the Living Dead 
2. Director & Producer: Dan O'Bannon
3. Release Date: January 1, 2002
4. Film Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Comedy

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: An important moment in the film is when two employees, Frank and Freddy, that work at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a toxic gas into the air that causes the dead to rise and kill everyone for their brains in Louisville, Kentucky. At first Frank and Freddy discover the split dog that came back to life and then realize that everything else that was once dead in the warehouse reanimated. They both then discovered that the zombies don't die after you damage the brain, creating even more conflict. Frank and Freddy then call the warehouse manager who decides that they should burn the first zombie to cover up the evidence of what occurred in the warehouse. However, that only caused the toxic gas to be spread throughout the air and be evaporated in the clouds to then be rained on the cemetery. Eventually all the dead reanimate wanting to eat human brains to relieve their pain. After most of the punk teens and city people die, the manager finally decides to call the army for help. The army then sends a missile to their location which then releases the toxic even farther away from its original location. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: The film uses high angle shots to show the setting of a certain scene. The film often uses medium shots to show when everything chaotic was occurring such as the dead retuning and attacking the living. Close ups were used to show the corpses' faces and the process of everything dead returning to life. Classical music was used during the scenes in which everything was still calm. Whenever the punk teenagers appeared on screen, loud punk rock music was played. The music when the zombies attacked was loud and intense which added to the action occurring. 
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film was suspenseful and humorous. 
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film was adventurous. 

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: The film used more calm music towards the beginning of the film when everything was still normal. As soon as the toxic gas was released, the film's signature song started playing which included loud and suspenseful characteristics. Punk rock music was used when the teenagers were present on the screen. 

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The physical qualities presented in the film were dramatizations, music, color, special effects, and color. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message could have been to not make the same mistakes that have been done in the past, that way history doesn't have to repeat itself. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film did an amazing job sending this message because earlier in the beginning of the film Frank explained to Freddy the incident that happened within the Medical Supply Warehouse in 1969 and how the army tried to cover it up and move on. However, due to Frank's stupidity, the same tragic thing occurred when he accidentally released the toxic gas into the warehouse.

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? The filmmakers may have wanted the audience to feel ashamed of what both Frank and Freddy did. They also wanted the audience to laugh and be frightened by the zombies. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? The film made me laugh and feel frustrated with all the chaos the pair of worker's caused. 

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture:  What is the toxic gas? 

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would because I think they'd like it just as much as I did since it's actually a pretty funny movie. 

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film an AE because it was incredibly entertaining and creative for an old film. 

Planet Terror

Time: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes
Box Office: $25M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: Planet Terror
2. Director & Producer: Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez
3. Release Date: June 21, 2007
4. Film Genre: Action, Horror, Science Fiction

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: An important moment in the film is when Cherry quits her job for the last time. There is a dispute between two men at the military base which leads to one of the men shooting at the other but accidentally missing, causing a toxic gas to be released. When Joe is inspected at the doctor's office, the infection and its symptoms are shown. Cherry gets her leg eaten by zombies and uses a stick as a leg in order to walk around during the chaotic times. The group ends up being held hostage by the military. Cherry is then given a gun as a prosthetic by Ray which allows them to kill those holding them hostage and being able to escape. Ray gets shot, and the helicopter picks them up to take them somewhere safer. 

2. Atmosphere of the Film: The camera angles that were repetitively used in the film were extreme close ups to show the hideous symptoms of the infection, and establishing shots to show how mysterious the setting is. The lighting was very low key which made every scene appear to be in a really dark location. The music used was loud, suspenseful, and unexpectedly played at a random times to give the film an eerie feel. The editing makes the film appear grainy and a bit like a montage. 
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is suspenseful. 
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is gory and disgusting. 

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: The music used is very loud and rapid making the scenes more intense. 

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The qualities presented are music, dramatizations, special effects, and color. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message is to keep going and never give up.  Just "reach up" when you fall. 

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film does a good job in communicating its message. The strengths were the pep talks between the characters that inspired the other to keep going. 

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? The filmmakers wanted the audience to cringe and laugh. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? The film made me laugh and feel really disturbed with all the gory scenes. 

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: What happened to the brother that was told the secret recipe?

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would recommend it to my friends because I found it pretty amusing and funny to watch.

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this movie and AP because it wasn't that bad of a movie but it also wasn't that excellent. 

28 Weeks Later

Time: 1 Hour and 40 Minutes
Box Office: $28.6M

Film Analysis

Step 1: Pre-Viewing

1. Title of film: 28 Weeks Later
2. Director & Producer: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
3. Release Date: May 11, 2010
4. Film Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Step 2: Viewing

1. Important moments: An important moment in the film is when the family lets the little boy inside their home because that was when all of the infected began to attack. Another important moment is when Don's kids cross the river when they weren't supposed to. Don visits his wife when he pursues his kids but is bitten and kills her for having done that. The siblings get separated adding more conflict to the film. Doyle, the man who helps the children was burned alive after he helps their group escape from the military. Lastly, the kids fall down the escalator in which causes the children to fall to the floor with the most zombies. Andy is bitten but doesn't turn and Scarlet shoots her father in defense from the attack.

2. Atmosphere of the Film: The film used birds-eye-view to show how small District 1 was compared to the rest of the post-apocalyptic world, extreme close-ups to show the spreading of the infection and the fear within a victim's eyes. The lighting is low key to make it seem more scary and mysterious as to what will pop out next since the dead are always lurking in the shadows. I've noticed that the film uses one song over and over again during the parts when things go chaotic and for when the characters are in trouble.  
3. What is the mood or tone of the film? The mood of the film is depressing. 
4. Explain the look of the film: The look of the film is post-apocalyptic and adventurous.

5. Explain the use of sound/music and/or sound effects in the film: The music used (the signature song) gets loud intense whenever there is a zombie attack. 

6. Physical qualities presented in the film: The film uses dramatizations, music, special effects, background noise, and color. 

Step 3: Post-Viewing

1. What is the central message of this motion picture? The central message is to be cautious in who you trust, even family members.

2. Consider the effectiveness of this film communicating its message. As a tool of communication, what are its strengths and weaknesses? The film shows strength in communicating this message because of what Don did to his wife - he just abandoned her when the infected attacked. Another example would be when the men in the military began killing everyone- infected or not. 

3. How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond? The filmmakers probably wanted the audience to feel anxious and hopeless for the main characters. They also probably wanted the audience to be angry at Don and the military for what they had done. 

4. Does this film appeal more to the viewer’s emotion? How does it make you feel? The film does appeal to the viewer's emotion. It made me feel sorry for the children for what had happened to their mother. It also made me angry for when the father and military betrayed them.

5. Write a question to the filmmaker that is left unanswered by the motion picture: Was Andy immune to the virus like his mother?

6. Would you recommend this movie to your friends? (Y/N)? Yes, I would.

7. How would you grade this movie? (E-NC) I would give this film an AE. I believe that the filmmakers did a really great job with the story and its central message.