Existing Product Research (The Walking Dead)

The Walking Dead:

The walking dead cleverly incorporates a variety of Mise en scene.  The costumes used on all the characters are dirty, this suggests that they are in a time where there are no changes of clothes and that is not their main priority as there are other things going on. It also suggests that they are living rough. The costume colours used are interesting as they are khaki, brown, camouflage colours; the colours which people would normally wear in a jungle. This shows that they may be hiding from something and that they are trying to survive as if they were in a jungle. The lighting varies between the different settings and scenes. The producers use the lighting effectively to show the woman lying on the floor as there is only a top lighting of her face; therefore this allows the audience to focus on her emotions which portray that she is badly hurt. The makeup used in this allows the audience to identify what the characters are going through; the woman lying on the floor has sweat on her face which shows that she may be about to die. Also, makeup has been used on the man at the beginning as he has dirt on his face which also shows the audience that he has been trying to survive and has been through something previously. The props in the opening sequence are well chosen; there is a walkie talkie, and a crutch. The walkie talkie is effective as the man is alone at the beginning but it suggests that he is trying to find his friends and that he has support, it also shows that he is not alone and there are others. The crutch is also effective as it allows the audience to notice that what is going on is very dangerous and people get injured severely. The crutch used is also an old crutch, and not a new common crutch, this suggests that even the man is injured; they all take and use what they can find.

Cinematography has been used effectively to create an atmosphere and allow the audience to identify what the characters are going through. At the beginning there is a crane shot going down from the scenery to the man alone in a field that is knelt down. There are close ups of the characters face at the beginning to show their facial expressions, this is effective as they create tension because they look worried and distressed which then creates the same emotions through the audience. A medium shot of the car is shown so that we can see all the characters inside the vehicle. There is also a point of view shot of the road when the person is driving the car which helps the audience see what the driving is witnessing and going through. Panning is also used to show what the characters reactions are to what they're seeing, however the audience does not know what they are seeing which creates an enigma code.

The editing is used effectively as at the beginning of the clip there is a fast straight cut of the back of the man on the radio to his face and then to a lady in a dark room. This helps create a sense of tension as the lady looks in danger and looks hurt, however we can only see her face. This is effective as her whole body is unseen which creates an enigma code of what is wrong with her as she looks hurt. There is continuity editing as the scenes are all in order. There is a fade out then a fade in to another scene which shows that that occurred later on in the day, this is effective in allowing the audience to be able to identify that it is later

Audience:

The Walking Dead is an American horror TV series about a small group of people who are living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Its target audience would be those who are aged 16 to 40 years old. This is because it is a horror and would not appeal to people who are younger than 16, or older than 40. It is also for explorers who like to seek adventure like the characters within the TV series who are also in an adventure. Due to the blood and gore, people are attracted by this programme as they like to be frightened and placed on the edge of their seats as they would want to know what happens next due to the characters going through a time where any risk could cost them their lives, as there are vicious zombies lurking the streets.