Binary opposites

Shaun of the Dead-

 Liz & Shaun

 Shaun’s mum & dad
 Liz & David

Sightseers-

 Tina & Chris

 Tina/Chris & posh couple
 Chris murdering & Tina murdering

Similarities in narrative

 Both female characters change for male characters. Liz’s changes/ adaptations are subtle
 Both characters ‘have’ to become the hero, they are forced in to positions they do not want
to be in. Chris cleans up Tia’s mess when she kills the man with the caravan and Shaun has to
kill his mum.
 Coda’s in each of the films are similar
 Both sets of couples have a problem- Shaun & Liz= Ed, Tina & Chris= Martin. These are
stopping their relationships progressing throughout the film.
 Both films have mother figures- who are both needy
 Flash-forwards/flashbacks- reveals what happened to Poppy & Shaun of the Dead- possible
outcomes
 Foreshadowing-
o Tina’s mum- talks about going under the caravan
o Shaun goes to the shop & then the second time everyone is zombies
o Tina’s mum calls her a murderer before she leaves
o Tina draws picture in the book of the 2 of them on the viaduct
 Action codes-
o S.O.D- with an immediate pay off
o News man says how you can kill zombies- Shaun & Ed then kill the zombies
o Sightseers- tone/mood changes before murder happens
 Enigma code- opening of Sightseers-
o What happened to Poppy?
o Why does Chris kill?
o Why does Tina not jump?
o End of Sightseers is enigmatic
o S.O.D-
 Why is there a zombie outbreak?
 Will they survive?
 Who will survive?
 Will Liz take Shaun back?
 Character progression-
o Tina- immature/repressed but by the end liberated/active
o Shaun- he’s a slacker, immature, unmotivated but at the end he appears to be more
responsible- has changed a little bit (the change has been forced because of the
apocalypse, not because he wanted to)
 Cause & effect logic (basic decisions in the film that effect the narrative)
o Explicit- makes the narrative flow & move
o Chain reaction to what is happening
 S.O.D- Ed takes phone call zombies- know he’s not a zombie
 Zombies in garden-forces them out
 Bar goes on fire- forces them in to the basement
 Sightseers- guy drops the litter, Chris runs him over