The Walking Dead is a popular zombie apocalypse TV series based on comic books that has aired for 11 seasons since 2010. It follows survivors facing challenges in the post-apocalyptic world. While cast members change as characters die, Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride have been mainstays. Season 5 had the highest viewership with over 17 million people tuning in. The show maintains recognizable stylistic elements between seasons like ominous opening music and title design. This document then provides a detailed description of the camera work, sound, mise-en-scene, and props used in an early scene from the pilot episode that introduces the main character Rick Grimes.

1. HORROR/SCI-FI TV
RESEARCH
The Walking Dead

2. context
The zombie apocalypse series, "The Walking Dead" (TWD) was created based on the
comic book series by Robert Kirkman. It was first aired on the 31st of October 2010
on AMC, then premiered internationally on Fox International Channels during the
first week of November. Over the past 11 seasons and 177 episodes TWD franchise
has gained millions of fans worldwide. Due to it’s high popularity creators have
made 6 other spin-off shows, their most popular being ‘Fear The Walking Dead’, not
only do they have spin-off shows, but they also have made games, appealing to a
younger audience (teens), broadening their audience.
Each season follows the same group facing the challenges of the apocalypse, losing
people along the way and finding new friends or enemies. Therefore the cast is
forever changing, however Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride have been with
the show since it’s release in 2010. Whilst fans argue season 1 was the best, season
5 was the most successful in views – with 17.29 million turning in on the 12th of
October 2014 & about 5 million more watching within the next 7 days.

3. House style of TWD
Throughout all 11 seasons TWD has kept a house style recognisable
by any fan. Just from the first beat fans of TWD will recognize the
show playing, as every opening sequence possesses the same eerie
music through all seasons. It also adopts the same font in every
opening sequence, however in any text added to the sequence the
font contrasts each other, with one half being in a normal font and
the other being bold.
Most series have their own unique opening sequence, showing
items/places that correlate to the themes of the upcoming series.
Every sequence finishes with a title card with ”The Walking Dead”
on it, in its logo.

4. camera
The scene begins with an establishing wide shot of a road, in the far distance you can see a car driving
along the empty streets, suggesting isolation and a ‘strangeness’ instantly. Soon we can identify the car as
a police car as the car gets closer. The camera pans, following the cars tracks.
He leaves the car in a longshot, emphasising his loneliness in the chaos that lays around him. The camera
slowly zooms in on his face to a close-up, to reveal a concerned look on his face as he watches what’s left
of the world. There’s a POV showing what has disturbed the sheriff – things like abandoned children’s toys
and games, suggesting whatever happened was abrupt. The camera is unstable, conforming to the usual
conventions of a horror TV show. An over the shoulder shot is used to show a sign reading “NO GAS”,
signifying the sheriff has read the sign. The camera then cuts back to him in a mid shot showing a sense of
defeat, he turns and the camera faces his back. Slowly the camera zooms into his back, as he begins to
cautiously turn to face the camera, it is now a close-up showing a fearful expression plastered across his
face.
The camera then cuts to a low angle showing his fear, as he lowers himself to see what is making the noise.
A pair of small legs come into frame, walking past the camera - the sheriff has an anxious look on his face.
The camera cuts to the POV of the sheriff, watching the legs coming to a halt as the figure picks up a
stuffed bear.

5. Sound
Throughout the entire scene the audio is minimal, with the occasion pleonastic sound like the tweet of a
bird. There is no backing music, signifying his loneliness in the new changed world. It could represent the
calm and beauty that is left when everything stops.
Another piece of pleonastic sound includes the buzzing of flies around the decomposed bodies. The gas
sign clattering in the wind is another piece of pleonastic sound, highlighting the emptiness in what would
usually be considered somewhere busy.
The diegetic shuffle of feet startle both the sheriff and the audience as it contrasts to the silence we are
used to in this scene. Finally, we see the first use of diegetic speech “Little girl?”, the concern in his voice is
audible.

6. Mise en scene
Throughout the scene, ambient lighting is used as the scene remains outside. The sun is shining brightly,
creating a bright scene.
This scene is set at an abandoned gas station, this conforms to horror conventions. Cars lay all over the place,
some tipped over whilst others were merely just left. Masses of litter, toys and food has been left covering the
floor, suggesting no one is able to clean it, possibly due to danger, possibly due to bigger priorities. Tents are
have been abandoned implying something dangerous made everyone flee the scene. They also used a
motorway – something which is usually busy with cars on 24/7, however it is isolated amplifying the change
from normality.
Many props have been used throughout this first scene, including tipped over cars, abandoned tents and
deserted children’s toys creating a sense of danger as these valuables were obviously left in a hurry. The sheriff
wields a gas can, suggesting his car is running low on fuel and is in need to refuel or he loses mode of transport
& safety.
The protagonist of the show is Rick Grimes, who is dressed in his sheriff uniform, however this is ironic as
officers are meant to hold a degree authority and power, whilst in this new world they’re merely the same as
everyone else. His sheriff hat becomes his signature look, and eventually gets passed down to his son – this hat
is iconic and instantly recogniseable to fans. The dead are dressed in normal attire of the 2010s, with lots of
prosthetic makeup to make them appear as rotting zombies. Finally the young girl Rick encounters is dressed in
pink pajamas with fluffy rabbit slippers, emphasisng her youth and innocence. This sparks sadness in the
audience as they realise the girl lost her life so young and has to live as a zombie.