Similar Film - Shaun of the dead.

Shaun of the dead.

Shaun of the dead is a 2004 Zombie comedy film made in Britain. The film is based around the activities of a man named Shaun (Simon Pegg) who manages to battle a zombie apocalypse focused on the streets of North London.  The film was a 15 certificate and was filmed on a $5,000,000 budget. The film was bafta nominated and In 2004, Total Film magazine named Shaun of the Dead the 49th greatest British film of all time. 

The film its self contains an impressive amount of fake blood and the make up on the zombies is realistic. Also in the film different types of weapons are intoduced at different parts of the film. Some of the weapons spades, records, snooker que's and a cricket bat. Using these types of weapons could be inappropriate in a film unless it was a 15. So if we want to use similar ideas of Shaun of the dead then this is another reason to make the film a 15.

(film trailer, Youtube.)

Possible Film Distributors

We are creating a Zombie film which may also include comedy, horror and also action. This combined will create a very distinctive genre that will stand out to distributors. Distributors  such as Universal maybe interested because they have distributed films such as "Kiss Ass" which contains action. Also, Columbia Pictures distributed "ZombieLand" which contains horrors and comedy in one film.  

Genre Research

Comedy...


A story that tells about a series of comical events, intended to make the audience laugh. It a is very open genre, and so it crosses over with many other different genres.


There are many different sub-genres for this film, these include;


Parody: A story that mocks other genres, people, fictional characters or works. This includes, sarcasm, stereotypes, mockery of scenes and symbols or lines from other works. Such stories may be "affectionate parodies" which merely mean to entertain those familiar with the source of the parody... or they may well be intended to undercut the respectability of the original inspiration for the parody by pointing out its flaws


Action Comedy: A subgenre which emphasizes physically humorous antics, unorthodox body-language and oftentimes exasperating situations.


Comedy Horror - Black Comedy: A parody or satirical story that is based on normally tragic subjects
                            Zombie Comedy: Aims to blend zombie horror motifs with slapstick comedy


Comic films began to appear in significant numbers during the era of silent films, roughly 1895 to 1930. Toward the end of the 1920s, the introduction of sound into movies made possible dramatic new film styles and the use of verbal humour.

Certificates.

The bbfc classification for a 15 rated film is this...
         

Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be  acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines/15-2/

Other films that are 15's that are similar to our genre and intentions for our film are things such as Shaun of the dead, Hot Fuzz, Zombie Land and Kick Ass. The reason we have decided to make our film a 15 is so that we can use a certain degree of violence, Horror, some forms or imitable behaviour and also incorporate some forms of offensive language. These things will be involved because we are aiming to create a zombie film and will logically involve guns, knives, etc, an amount of fake blood, and because of the amount of controversy between zombies and humans there may be some types of discrimination toward the zombies which some people could take offence too. The 15 rating will also help as a way to gain interest from our target market, as the people we are aiming will understand from the rating that it will contain some explicit material and will therefore intrigue the audience. The reason why we have decided to go for a 15 rating rather than a 12, even though that could attract a larger audience, is because it would limit the quantity of realism under the intended circumstance that is trying to be displayed in the film. 

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Genre Research.

Horror...
Horror film is the term used to describe films that are designed to attract a negative emotional reaction from an audience by showing elements of fears, this is done by involving shocking images, and controversial themes that are created to startle the viewers.
Horror films could also involve sub genres such as:

• Body horror 
• Comedy horror 
• Gothic horror 
• Natural horror  
• Psychological horror 
• Science Fiction horror 
• Slasher film 
• Splatter film 
• Zombie film 

The horror film genre started in the early 1900 with a range of silent films, which then developed into films such as Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931. More resent films are things like Shaun of the dead and Zombie land. These two newer films will probably provide inspiration for our own. We will also probably look into films like Hot Fuzz so we can develop our film and appeal to a larger range of target audience.  

In our film we will probably try and involve comedy horror and Zombie film's as well as some forms of action. 

Similar

There is a similar film to what we are looking at, for example Zombie Land, Shaun of the Dead.


Shaun of the dead 

Shaun of he dead was produced in 2004. Shaun of the dead was the first of its's kind by being a 'Zom-Rom-Com , which is a zombie, filled romantic comedy. Although attempts of doing a zombie movie mixed with comedy has already been done but 'Shaun of the dead' was the first true success. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, created the usual zombies, which include, such as the zombies being idiotic creatures. The characters find the themselves looking to hole up somewhere safe and although made a light- hearted and happy fundamentally a sad unhappy ending.

Zombie Land

Zombie Land was produced in 2009. This film shows a different side to Zom-Coms, by focusing less on the characters themselves and more on the friendships the make. The characters don't really have names, and go by the places that they have been and where they are heading. The film play emotion along side the comedy, using interaction with the other surivers as a source of the comedy. The zombie are faster moving then usual, and there is also a scientific cause of the virus.

Zombies horror has recently become more popular, not just in film but in TV shows, games and books. One of the big zombie things at the moment is 'The walking dead' franchise, where a series of comics has been adapted into a TV show

The zombie horror has become widely known. Zombies can create fear, tension and comedy within audiences and have become well know and all round accepted.