SOTD and Trainspotting Quiz

Trainspotting Themes

• Friendship, addiction, and materialism are the core themes.

Shaun of the Dead Themes

• Change and friendship are the prevailing themes.

Trainspotting Narrative Elements

• Edinburgh versus London represents a binary opposition (North vs South divide).
• Renton undergoes a character arc, initially ripping off his friends but ultimately desiring change and buying into capitalist society.
• Renton is a humanized, flawed character that the audience can emphasize with.
• Voice-over narration fosters alignment, he eventually chooses to "Choose Life" and embrace capitalist society.
• Begbie serves as the antagonist, justifying Renton's actions.

Shaun of the Dead Narrative Elements

• The cyclical narrative mirrors the opening in the ending, highlighting Ed's lack of maturity.
• Shaun's character arc involves increased domestication, reflected in the ending sequence.
• Shaun and David's opposition is emphasized in the bar sequence.
• The audience has a privileged spectator position, aware of his mother's infection and events from the opening montage.

Trainspotting: Producer Intentions

• A realistic portrayal of the highs and lows of drug addiction and the desperation it brings was intended.

Trainspotting Opening Scene

• The character is immediately disillusioned with society, voicing the perspective of heroin addicts.
• Rock music in the beginning transitions to rave music by the end, forming a narrative time journey.
• Binary opposition is present through the football team, representing outsiders of society.
• Renton undergoes a character arc.
• Heroin is not initially portrayed as a narrative obstacle, aligning with the director's intention to initially present it as fun.

Trainspotting: Move to London Sequence

• Music marks the passage of time.
• The voice-over narration adopts a cynical, apathetic tone.
• The binary opposition between Renton and Begbie highlights Begbie as an obstacle in Renton's narrative arc.
• Smaller frames create a feeling of suffocation and being trapped.
• The London versus Edinburgh binary opposition highlights the north/south divide.
• Begbie lacks a narrative arc and has no redeeming qualities.

Trainspotting Ending

• Renton's character arc concludes with him joining society, marked by a sense of resolution.
• The protagonist is flawed, having double-crossed his mates.
• The ending is cyclical but more positive than the beginning.
• Renton embraces a life he has previously criticized.
• The happy ending challenges narrative conventions.
• The deaths of innocent characters (the baby and Tommy) reinforce the message that drugs kill innocent people.

Shaun of the Dead Opening

• The theme revolves around change, specifically Shaun's maturation.
• A tilting shot depicts Shaun walking like a zombie, symbolizing the "slacker generation."
• A love arc is established between Liz and Shaun.
• Shaun and David are in binary opposition with David embodying everything Liz lacks in Shaun.
• A montage of zombie-like behavior foreshadows the film's events.
• Ed embodies a stereotypical rom-com archetype, reflecting the drives and impulses traditionally associated with white males.

Trainspotting Opening (Mise en Scene and Performance)

• Pale makeup makes Renton appear unhealthy and malnourished.
• He wears dirty, ill-fitting clothing.
• The voice-over narration has a cynical tone.
• A manic laugh after being hit by a car shows his apathy and lack of care.
• A hypnotic fall during heroin use and foul-mouthed delivery captures the exhaustion of Generation X.
• Varied set design includes bright colored walls, cracked windows, and random furniture.

Trainspotting: Binary Opposition in Move to London Sequence

• The north versus south divide is highlighted.
• Capitalist society is represented with London as a land of opportunity through shots that tilt into the sky, a montage of smiling faces, and fast-paced, energetic music.
• London feels like the better place to be versus Spud in a gutter and gray streets in Edinburgh.
• The reality of living in London is not a dream-like state, showing Renton living in a dirty bed-sit and eating pot noodles.

Shaun of the Dead: Narrative, Mise en Scene, and Performance

• The narrative is mainstream.
• The opening and ending feature a tilt shot of Shaun shuffling and yawning like a zombie, presenting him as already a zombie.
• The opening montage shows people at a supermarket and bus stop using phones, presenting the slacker generation as exhausted and reliant on digital communication.
• The film follows zombie genre tropes, where one friend is attacked before others.
• Shaun's unwillingness to grow up, mirrored by Ed, serves as a narrative obstacle.

Shaun of the Dead: Narrative (Ending Sequence)

• Cyclical Narrative: Shaun is more mature and domesticated in the ending, revealed through the Mise en Scene of the flat.

  • Shaun's flat is a physical manifestation of shaun as a character and this progression from chaos and laziness has evolved to domestic and grown up to reflect Shaun's maturity.
  • The removal of Ed as a narrative obstacle aids Shaun's maturation, aligning with romantic comedy conventions.
  • TV channels being flicked through are similar to the video games in the opening, showing that disposable celebrity culture hadn't changed and that life in general has remained the same.

• Shaun Character Arc:

  • Maturity is achieved through the lack of Ed, allowing Shaun to pursue his relationship with Liz.
  • Shaun playing video games with Ed shows he still has younger interests popular with the slacker generation and values his friendship.

• Themes of change and friendship are important.

• The binary opposition between Ed and David during the bar sequence highlight David’s lack of loyalty and Shaun’s rise to leadership.

• A linear, single-strand narrative supports Shaun's character arc and eventual resolution.