A key convention of many zombie films is the mise en scène and atmosphere in which the scenes take place – typically post-apocalyptic settings involving abandoned, deserted and ruined buildings or entire towns, which add up to a dreary atmosphere and sense of isolation for the protagonists. In 28 Days Later Danny Boyle creates this atmosphere very effectively through his choice of locations and effective mise en scène. The audience is placed in an environment which is familiar to many viewers (London), but desolate and empty as the protagonist explores it for answers. This leaves the viewer curious as to what has happened but also provoking some degree of shock as they see the post-apocalyptic version of familiar places.
Following the opening scene set in a dark laboratory where the “infection” is violently released, our attention is switched to the main protagonist – a man who wakes up in a seemingly empty hospital, alone. He begins his search for answers by looking throughout the hospital while calling out “Hello?” In this scene, it is clear to the reader he is alone – diegetic sound is nonexistent apart from his own voice and actions, while the mise en scène establishes this as a place of disaster – overturned tables and trolleys, as well as broken vending machines are clearly shown in mid and long shots of the protagonist, with a very slow pace of editing allowing the audience to acknowledge the lack of life in the hospital and London throughout the scene. Corridors are shown littered with cans, chairs and other pieces of litter adding to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, with the protagonist shown isolated in relatively long shots, as he walks around confused and lost, often taking up very little of the frame as the stillness of London and the hospital is emphasised.
Exiting the hospital, our protagonist walks throughout London in near silence. Ambient lighting adds to the atmosphere, with dusk creating a moody overtone for the long shots of our protagonist. Non-diegetic music slowly begins, gradually increasing in volume and pace throughout the relatively long scene, enhancing the isolation as the audience and the protagonist realize the full extent of what has happened. Despite his continual calling of “Hello”, the audience is well aware that he is alone, with longer shots being used as he passes an overturned double-decker bus and various landmarks in London that enhance the reality of the situation to the audience.
With the pace of the non-diegetic music and kinetic camera movements gradually increasing, it is evident that the protagonist is becoming rather self-aware and agitated at his loneliness against the dead silence of London, encountering further debris as his initial confusion and disorientation turns to fear and shock through faster edits and kinetic camera movements, as well as a faster pace of non-diegetic music. After accidentally setting off a car alarm, the protagonist encounters a ruined news agent, picking up one of the many strewn around newspapers, and confirming his initial fears of an apocalyptic event and global chaos.
The scale of the disaster is evident when the protagonist discovers hundreds of makeshift flyers and posters asking for help with finding missing people, and various prophetic warnings about the nature and scale of the disaster, as the non-diegetic music and pace of editing picks up further in speed, allowing the audience to fully empathise with his panic at the situation. The scene is concluded as he walks out of frame as the camera zooms in on a picture of a lost child, with the non-diegetic music stopping and the screen fading to black, leaving the audience pondering the protagonist’s odds of survival.
Throughout the scene the mise en scene of the deserted London is emphasized through consistent use of lingering shots and long shots, both used to show the stillness of the city and the isolation of our protagonist, the only visible movement in any shots. This contrasts the later sections of the scene where the emphasis is less placed on the mise en scène and abandonment but rather the use of rapid editing and more kinetic camera movements focus on the panic of the protagonist at realizing he has woken up into an apocalyptic event and is (seemingly) alone in London.
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