Short Film Syntax and Semantics

Syntax and Semantics

One piece of coursework we did was a Zombie film, a genre that, while we can see the same semantical conventions from the films of past, we can also see how the syntax of the genre has evolved and changed overtime. Looking at a George Romero zombie, and then looking at a more modern film, such as 28 Days Later, the comparisons are easily seen at first. There are the same, stock type characters, the same basic story elements, the same technical elements (crane shots showing a zombie hoard, for example).  The way the story is told in the modern films is what makes it different from the past films. An example in our film is that the zombie’s stortline has been set up and has begun, but not as part of the film. Typically the film would begin with the origin of the Zombie outbreak, or at least have some sort of explanation scene in the beginning as to what has happened, but our film changes, leaving the explanation down to the audiences prior knowledge to the genre, but also leaving the core elements of it ambiguous.

This is what differs the film from others of the genre, the syntactical arrangement of the story keeps it fresh and different, whilst still being a recognisable Zombie film. Many Zombie films/ television shows are ever changing their structure, as the genre moves past its horror roots and becomes one of its own.  This was one of the main points when we were making our film; we weren’t doing a horror film, we were doing a Zombie one. 

Our film would carry across the elements from past Zombie films, when they were part of the Horror genre, and warp it into it’s one media and being, it would be both familiar and original at the same time.