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Allison Smith
ENGL 1065 – 101
10/9/2007
Scene Analysis Paper: 28 Days Later

Horror films can be satisfyingly formulaic sometimes, particularly the zombie genre. The

plot may be slightly different but similarities in story and technique give the audience what they

really want. Psychological tension and a fair amount of gore are two known crowd pleasers and

28 Days Later delivers both with a modern twist on the classic zombie genre (although “the

infected” are not technically zombies, they do have the same desire to kill). The twist comes

from director Danny Boyle’s clever hand in creating feelings of extreme desolation,

apprehension, and fear through impressive mise en scene, well composed cinematography,

editing that is graphically and rhythmically interesting, and levels of sound that only heighten the

experience. A segment that showcases all of these expressive techniques well follows Jim, the

story’s protagonist, through London after infection, evacuation, and devastation. It occurs early

in the film and does a great job of giving viewers a different way of looking at a subject that

could easily turn into a cliché.

One of director Danny Boyle’s most widely renowned films, 28 Days Later was

originally released in the UK November 1st, 2002. It was later released in the US on June 27th,

2003. The plot unfolds when an attempt to free lab apes by activists accidentally turns them into

raging zombie-like killers through an infectious bite. Cillian Murphy, a relatively unknown actor

at the time, plays the lead role of Jim. Jim wakes up in alone in a hospital twenty-eight days after

the outbreak. Emerging into the empty streets of London, he realizes that there has been a

catastrophe while he was unconscious. He is not totally alone though. After stumbling upon a

nest of “infected” in a church, he finds protection from Selena (played by Naomie Harris) and

Mark (played by Noah Huntley). They begin a trek to find other survivors, finally stumbling
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upon a father and daughter living in a hotel. Frank (played by Brenden Gleeson) and Hannah

(played by Megan Burns) join them in locating an army base. Finding the army base seems like

it will conclude the movie, but instead the greatest conflict arises as leaders reveal their intention

to rape Selena and Hannah so civilization can begin anew. Ultimately, Jims saves both Hannah

and Selena from the soldiers, escaping to later find help as the “infected” die from starvation.

The film uses the circumstances to examine the psychological effects that these life-or-death

conflicts have on a person, sometimes morphing them so dramatically they begin to resemble the

very thing they feared in the first place.

One of the most striking things about this film is the intense impact and pace of the first

twenty minutes. Audiences see these horrific images of psychotic monkeys infecting people

with what amounts to pure and bloody rage. Then the world is basically eaten alive by infection

and frenzy. That is just in the first five minutes. The film then picks up twenty-eight days later

after the infection begins with Jim, portrayed very precisely by Cillian Murphy, finding himself

alone in a deserted London. This begins a long segment that lasts almost nine minutes depicting

his awakening and then his understanding of what has happened. The second half of the segment

begins after Jim leaves the hospital and begins an eerie journey through the empty streets of

London. Trash is everywhere but there are no people or cars. The only other life is a bird here

and there. Jim eventually finds a paper exclaiming “EVACUATION” and then a memorial

covered in missing person’s posters. As the scene unfolds, the editing’s pace increases as the

score gets louder. Mise en scene creates a complete feeling of solitude; the shots of empty

London create heavy disorientation. While the segment’s second half is the focus of the analysis,

the entire segment builds an enormous amount of emotion in the viewer. The four main
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expressive techniques all work together to build a way of anticipation, dread, and fear as viewers

while advancing the narrative.

MISE EN SCENE:

The mise en scene of 28 Days Later does a great job of setting up the foundation for

visually understanding the film. It is particularly important in the second half of the segment as

there is no dialogue aside from Jim’s desperate yelling. The setting in this segment creates a

one-two punch: it creates an intense feeling of being alone and at a simpler level creates visually

awe-inspiring and disorienting shots of a London without cars or any human life. Much like “the

infected”, it has had its soul drawn out of it. It is incredible to think of the work put in to

arranging and filming the forty-three shots that view Big Ben, Parliament, famous memorials,

and busy intersections that make up the four minute long London segment. This impressive

setting is only enhanced by some very interesting and thoughtful composition.

London gives Boyle a lot to work with in filling the frame with interesting things to look

at and juxtapose with Jim; the composition creates some very attractive and powerful visuals.

The loosely framed shots that pan across a motionless London enhance the feeling of desolation.

Symmetry is also used to fill the screen artfully. In the eleventh shot, Jim’s silhouette is seen

approaching the Guards Memorial, which is made up of five black statues of soldiers in a row.

The frame is filmed with Cillian Murphy’s silhouette walking away from the camera on the left

so his dark figure is adjacent to the row of soldiers on the right for just a moment. Another

example of thoughtful composition occurs toward the end of the segment in the thirty-seventh

shot. Jim has at this point reached a large cylindrical memorial with an angel on top. It has been

covered with missing person’s posters. In the shot, Jim is walking around it to the right; the

angel on top is centered in the frame with the memorial filling the bottom. Behind the memorial
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are two square buildings on the left and right. The frame is beautifully symmetrical and eye-

pleasing; the effect focuses the light coming between the two buildings on the angel.

Another angel appears again in one of the most interesting shots in the entire film. Jim

has been walking in the bright streets for the last few shots when there is a straight cut to an

extremely high long shot from what appears to be a church tower looking down on a desolate

intersection. The angle alone has the visual impact of being at the hanging at the apex of a

rollercoaster. However, an angel in shadows to the left side of the centered intersection makes

the frame’s composition even more interesting and adds a note of symbolism. Boyle uses this

composition to create a feeling in the viewer of watching this all unfold, like watching a lonely

ant in an empty ant farm, but he does so in an artful way that gives the viewer just the right

amount of visual information.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

28 Days Later uses an interesting choice for lighting and thoughtful camera positioning

and movement to add another layer to the second half of the segment. While the lighting in the

first half has the realistically dull pallor of a hospital, it is contrasted by an unexpected amount of

sunshine. It would have been completely reasonable for Jim’s search to be through the infamous

grey English rain, but instead Boyle puts him in the bright sunshine1. This is very atypical for

the horror genre when low light and shadows are often used as a primary way to increase mood.

This creates a very different image and style than if it took place at night, during a storm, or in

some kind of low light. The end result is a genuinely disturbing segment that retains fear that

despite its unusually bright lighting.

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It is interesting to note that Boyle would later direct a film titled Sunshine starring Cillian Murphy. The film’s
subject revolves around mystical aspects of sunlight and the sun’s energy.
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The variation of position and movement are really the highlights of cinematography in

the segment because they add to a feeling of desolation and paranoia. High angles coupled with

extreme long shots are used more as the segment intensifies. The first seven shots are all level,

but the eighth shot uses a high Dutch angle to view Jim walking by an overturned bus. The shot

is effectively disorienting and emphasized by being preceded by the long and level shots. There

is also an excellent shot/reverse shot at the very end of the segment. The camera begins in the

fortieth shot at a low angle close up over Jim’s right side as he reads a piece of paper. Then there

is a straight cut that begins panning to the left at the same angle and distance on his other side as

he looks down. This kind of movement is jarring and creates a feeling of energy. However, the

most effective (and surprisingly traditional) use of camera movement is a sudden extreme swish

pan in shot twelve. Until this point in the film, movement has been restricted to simple pans

around Jim or up and down as he walks. The frame first shows a deserted street but quickly pans

to Jim picking up paper on the sidewalk. It creates an intense visual movement which is

emphasized by drums kicking in at the exact moment of the pan. It is another use of a

disorienting shot that creates a lot of energy. This use of camera position, angling, and

movement build upon the mise en scene to create an intense visual experience for audiences.

EDITING:

The visual energy of this film would not be effective without thoughtful and well-paced

editing. The second half of the segment employs a variety of match cuts to create continuity and

add an artful flair. There is a particularly interesting cut from shot six to seven as Jim walks then

yells “Hello” as he turns around. Only the sudden change in camera distance makes the cut

detectable but the effect is slightly jarring. There are several match cuts that copy movement,

such as Jim picking up papers on the stairs. Graphic matches are also employed to create smooth
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transitions. Shot nineteen and shot twenty are graphically matched because both are deserted

intersections composed similarly in the frame. It is the series of zoom in/zoom out shots at the

end of the scene that create the most drama; shots thirty-five through forty all zoom in and out

very fast going from Jim to the missing person’s posters. The pacing’s rhythm goes from longer

shots to increasingly shorter with very quick cutting. It is a technique used by most horror

movies or thrillers because it undeniably creates tension, anticipation, and excitement.

SOUND:

In this segment, sound is expressed most effectively though a score that increases

dynamically as Jim finds out there is no one to answer and a startling unexpected car alarm. The

score plays a big role in this segment but the film does not rely on it to give it substance. Instead

it moves at the same pace as the editing, complimenting its rhythm and speed. Composed

primarily of drums and high pitched guitar, the melody itself is very emotionally engaging and

tightly wound as violin strings. An alarm is also used to in a jump-worthy shot of Jim touching

an abandoned silver Mercedes. While the drums have kicked in, there is not much ambient noise

other than Jim’s foot steps. The screeching car alarm is very startling and continues to ring off-

screen in several shots, continuing to grate on the viewer’s already stressed nerves. These

intense sounds work well in this scene to compliment the editing and entice the audience to keep

viewing.

Viewing this segment in the theatre for the first time was the most memorable piece of

the film; its use of expressive technique make the scene different, dramatic, and very engaging.

It is an important segment because we see a Jim’s reality shift 100% in about five minutes and by

experiencing it with him, viewers become emotionally involved in not only the story but in his

fate. While all the expressive techniques work together to make the segment so important, it is
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the mise en scene that makes it so breathtaking, disorienting, and horrifying. Attention to

graphically appealing composition of these settings only adds richness to the visual foundation

that mise en scene gives viewer Views of great cities as desolate wastelands are a frightening

concept for modern individuals living in privileged countries. . The shots shift reality for the

viewer just as Jim’s reality is shifted. Through these sophisticated techniques, Boyle makes 28

Days Later a richer and visually stimulating film that can be appreciated on many levels instead

of being one-note like many of its torture and gore infested contemporaries.