Post-Apocalyptic films

1. Post-Apocalyptic films

2. Themes • The themes of post-apocalyptic films vary but often reflect modern day fears. For example in the 50’s it would have been about the cold war, now days its about global warming etc. • The film is always set after some catastrophic event. For example the road is set after a natural disaster. • Not only do P-A films provide us with the vision of a horrible reality but they also question whether the human race in general deserves to survive. In the Road people are turning to cannibalism and this makes us query whether their vile actions gives them right to a life on earth.

3. Setting • The setting itself is always somewhere normal (town, city, rural but habituated) . The point of these films is to show normal people after a disaster and how they deal with their altered normality. • The seen is usually dark, dingy, misty and is either very crowded and loud with lots going on or the opposite; very silent almost like a ghost town.

4. Narrative • Post-apocalyptic films all tend to follow a similar narrative pattern; equilibrium, interruption of equilibrium, return to altered equilibrium. (as in relation to Todorov’s narrative theory. Furthermore it doesn’t follow this exact pattern. We only find out about the equilibrium as the narrative often starts after the tragedy has taken place. We often only find out about the characters equilibrium through flash backs. • It is obvious the audience want to see the characters striving to survive and continue living, however this is the nature of the genre itself. They also want to understand how and why the setting ended up in the state of present it displays. • The reason these films tend to follow the structure explained above is because they don’t only want to know the background and the struggle, they want to see reward. The audience become so involved with the character that the emphasise with them and want them to reach some sort of prize at the end of their struggle (altered equilibrium). • The end: the world is still some what bleak but there is some sort of hope that the human race may still survive.

5. The Road • An example of a post-apocalyptic film that begins after the disaster and displays the characters previous equilibrium through way of flashbacks. This is extremely effective as it shows us how we got to the point we are at. It also allows us to realise the life the characters used to lead are far gone and what they now experience on a day to day basis and the people they have become is far removed from what they once knew/were. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY A link to ‘The Road’ Trailer.

6. Mise-en-scene Lighting- The lighting is usually dark, dingy and distorted. It usually appears as if the air is thick and cloudy. The sun mostly never intrusive or dominating and it is mostly overcast whether. Costume- the costume choice is often the characters normal clothes but torn up, dirty, worn. They look as if they have worn the same clothes for years although it is often only a few days/weeks into living in their new excruciating circumstances. Setting-As explained in slide 3. Camera- there is a lot of establishing shots to show the audience the extent of damage to the surroundings and to emphasise with the characters situation/living conditions. There is also a lot of close ups to depict and display the characters emotions. Once again to help the audience relate.

7. character • The character tends to be a normal person. • Often it can be someone who isn’t doing much with their life and the situation they’re thrown into is finally their chance to be something or do something important. A perfect example of this is the movie zombie land. Despite being a comedy it carries the post-apoc’ theme and the main character is one with little going for him, yet he ends up being one of the last survivers.