Frames Within Frames: DAWN OF THE DEAD

how Romero creates mini-tableaus within scenes, divides characters, and more

You could freeze Dawn of the Dead at almost any moment and find an intentionally crafted, beautiful and/or horrifying, highly effective image.

Today we look at how Romero uses objects, doorways, and more to put his characters into frames within frames.

(We took shots from only the film’s first 40 minutes, and still couldn’t fit them all!)

Small and Imprisoned

Whether using plane windows, new or crumbling architecture, or stairwells and stair railings, Romero shows *everyone* trapped at many points.

Objects to Frame and/or Divide

Sometimes Romero uses objects to create a more aesthetically pleasing frame around a character, such as the vending machine behind Peter (Ken Foree) (top photo).

Other times Romero uses objects to draw lines between characters in conflict, such as the cords of the plane’s instrument panel dividing Flyboy and Trooper (David Emge and Scott Reiniger) (bottom photo), while they argue over plans.

Doorways

Romero uses this classically liminal space to frame characters time and time again — and a shopping mall provides plenty of different doorways for his purposes.

Lost in Space

In many shots which aren’t trapping the characters within doorframes or other objects, Romero goes hard the other direction:

looking up at the ceiling to make characters look trapped from all sides, or showing them small against the vast sky to make them seem lost.

Combinations

Of course, Romero gets in a few shots which combine two or more of the above — dividing via frames while putting characters against the vast sky, or using doorframes to trap characters in a smaller space while showing their relative tiny size against a landscape.

Takeaways

One of the reasons Dawn of the Dead endures to this day is every shot adds to the overall effect.

All the above techniques achieve broadly similar things: making us feel the plight of characters trapped and confined in a terrifying world which is somehow at once vast and too-small.

By using a variety of techniques in highly intentional ways, Romero ensures no character or viewer escapes unscathed.