1. Mise en Scene in film openings28 Weeks LaterMise en scne is important in any film, 28 Weeks Later is no different.The film surrounds a group of people trying to survive a ZombieApocalypse. Due to this, the group of protagonists are living all together in adark, dreary and claustrophobic boarded-up cottage. The lighting andcolour of the opening scene is dark, dim and somber; this immediately setsthe tone of the film and creates a negative impact for the audience. Thesetting is low-lit, with wax candles being used, perfect for the atmospherethe director is trying to create. As the characters, during the opening scene,are all sitting down to eat a meal, the props used are relevant to thecontext. For example, plates, wine glasses. Items such as axes are alsoprominent due to the nature of situation. The costumes worn by thecharacters are too, very dull, this also goes with the atmosphere of thescene, but these drab-looking clothes could also represent metaphoricallyhow the characters are feeling. The characters are supposed to look likethey haven't touched either their hair, or the females, applied any make-up,this is because, due to the world disaster, this would most-likely be the leastof their worries. Their facial expressions and body language show greatemotional pain and suffering, we can see they are unsure of their future andthe outside world. There are several characters living in one small cottage,therefore, this creates a sense of crampness and claustrophobia for theaudience, thus expanding the idea of how miserable the characters mustbe feeling.AEon FluxIncontrast to28 Weeks Later, this filmopening isverydifferent in itsatmosphere.The entire openingsequence is the protagonistspeaking a monologue about how she isworking as a secret assassin working forthe Monicans, a group of rebelstrying to overcome thegovernment. Throughout the entire sequence, itshows shot of the community in which the protagonist lives. She is explaininghow the government have bound the inhabitants and are usingpropaganda to brainwash the community people. The shots showingexactly what the government have been doing. e.g. humans are goingmissing, without a trace and the government are denying this. There are twopeople, giving each other a dirty look, this implies to the audience they donot like either each other or something the other has done. The setting ofthe opener is that of a parallel universe, as they are being watched in amuseum. Therefore any props that are used, including sun umbrellas andadvanced technology devices are CGI designed. Everything seemsmanufactured. The sun shines, which could pose as a juxtaposition for thenature of the film as we can see the community are not leading happy lives.The costumes, make-up and hair all vary depending on characters. Forexample, the protagonist comes into shot wearing a black all-in-one suitwith a black-tinted translucent head mask. The additional Monicans areseen wearing futuristic style safety clothing, with one male seen wearingwinged eye-liner; While the community people own re voluntary colouredtunics, their hair styled not extravagantly and their make-up is natural. Thefacial expressions and body language all depends on the differentcharacters. For example, at the very start of the sequence, to juxtapose howunhappy the community is, there is a slow-motion and sound shot ofchildren playing and laughing. However, if you watch the shots of theprotagonist, she is showing every stern emotions and concentration, struttingdown some steps. This tells the audience she is a very serious character,showing she is a confident lady and prepared to go to great lengths to 2. achieve what she wants. Lighting and colour within the scene are verybright and it is visually attractive. This is to do with the element of the filmbeing based in an alternative universe where everything is modern andfuturistic. However, as the colours and lighting are so vibrant, flashy andvivid, we assume this is 'too-good to be true', and know there will bemisfortune somewhere. The position of characters and objects within theframe also depends on context. For example, the community people areplaced sprodically in the sequence telling certain aspects of the story. i.e.they the protagonist is speaking about civilians going missing, there is a ladybeing grabbed When the protagonist is shown, she is seen walking throughpeople on her way somewhere. This tells the audience she is literally on amission.Tank GirlThis Post-Apocalyptic filmapproachesthisgenredifferently to my last two examples.The sceneopens with a shot of 2033 SanFrancisco where everywherehas been plunged into snow andice, due to an apocalypse. We are introducedthrough voice-over to a girl, who isvery tongue- in-cheek about the matter.The sequence then progresses to the girl, ridingalong on reindeer in the snow, wearingweather-appropriate clothing andaccessories. Shethen comes across dead,bloodied bodies inthe snow and walks up to them, to examine, explaining through a voice-overmonologue that these are Ripper left-overs. She explains The Rippersare a demonic army of blood-thirsty, human-eating, purse-snatching mutantcreatures. As she has large snow-glasses on, you cannot see her facialexpression, but you can tell by her body language, she is not easily phasedby circumstances such as this. Due to the snowy scene, the lighting andcolour of the scene is often bright, this shows the reader what theapocalypse has done to the country. The positing of characters and objects 3. within the frame is varied. The first shot establishes the setting of SanFrancisco and then when the scene changes, the protagonist is ridingforward, towards the camera, on her reindeer and then examining thedead bodies she finds in the snow.