The Walking Dead

1. The Walking Dead
Louanne Honey

2. PURPOSE
The Walking Dead is a zombie
survival show that’s purpose is
to entertain and make money to
sell its franchise/merchandise
better. It makes its audience
feel attached to the characters
created within the show so that
when they are in tough
situations we care about their
well-being and pray for their
survival. The Walking Dead
makes us feel on edge and
anxious.

3. Form & Style
The Walking Dead takes on a zombie apocalypse theme
with the basic narrative of simply surviving it. The
atmosphere and mood is very gritty and bloody, the rating is
18 so the show goes all out when it comes to gore and
death.

4. Content
The key action in the show is the main group
surviving by killing zombies and fighting
against other human groups that want the
main groups recourses, food, revenge etc.
The shows main character is Rick Grimes
(played by Andrew Lincoln), an American cop
who wakes up from a coma only to find the
world he once knew is gone and is overrun by
the un-dead. He eventually is reunited with his
wife Lori (played by Sarah Wayne) and son Carl
(Chandler Riggs) where they build up a group
to survive. Other key characters in the show
are Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), Glenn Rhee
(Steven Yeun) and Hershel Greene (Scott
Wilson). The setting of the show attends to
change each season but we always follow the
same group and they always stay within
America.
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)
Glenn Rhee (Steven Yuen)

5. Content
The shots in the series will usually be establishing shots, keeping us up to
date where we are if the characters are somewhere new and mid-shots
allowing us to have a full view of the person and action we are seeing.
The soundtrack for the walking is mainly acoustic and ‘folk’ sounding; it
aims for a raw feeling. This could be since any ‘modern’ sounding music in
this world no longer exists and would feel out of place within the show
due to the setting, tone and mood.
Soundtrack Examples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ygjTn6q-
c&list=PLTYa2cwsW2Gi3NK2weOvUIJnAQJbVNCYt&index=6

6. Meaning
The Walking Dead makes us question our morals and humanity. How far would we go to just survive? It
makes us wonder if we could do the same or would do the same as the characters in the show if there
were no other option.
The show also raises question on religion especially through the character Hershel a man of God and faith,
who claims this is all parts of Gods plan but eventually finds that even that seems hard to believe.
Season 2 and 3 of the show goes into politics and where democracy lies. Whether its easier to allow one
person to make all the decisions to shield others from this new world, or let the hard choices be shared
out e.g. handling a human life.
Altogether the show conveys a lot of issues on our morals and how far we are willing to stick by them if
we put ourselves in this world and situation.

7. Genre
The Walking Dead fits into the serial, horror
fiction genre that brings new experiences
to the genre by simply being a TV show.
Most zombie based media focuses on a
survival group at the beginning of an
apocalypse and we see them simply
surviving – however since the walking dead
is a TV series we see them not just surviving
around this new world but living. If there’s
a zombie in the background the group
doesn’t always see it as a threat since they
are now used to this world and how to deal
with the issue if it gets closer, it still makes
the audience feel uneasy since we’re not
actually there but the characters act fairly
calm around them (in certain situations).
The walking dead shows how humans act if
we adapted to a zombie based world.

8. Target Audience
The Walking Dead has the highest total views compared to any
series in cable television history as of 2015. It is averaged that
most of the viewers are between the ages 18-49 and hits a more
male based audience with its gritty tone.

9. Frequency
The walking dead always begins in October, airing at 9pm (except
for the first season that aired at 10pm). The end date for each
season is around March time (again except for the first season
which had less episodes, finishing in December). Between October
and March there a Mid-Season finale, where the show will go on a
short break and return usually between Jan-Feb.

10. Production Process
The Walking dead was an adaption of a comic of the same name by
Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.
Idea

11. Production Process
In January 20th, 2010, AMC officially announced that it had
ordered a pilot for a possible series based of ‘The Walking Dead’
comic book series. It would have Frank Darabont and Gale Anne
Hurd as executive producers Darabont writing and directing.
Development
The pilot began filming in Atlanta,
Georgia on May 25th 2010 after
AMC had officially ordered a six
episode first season.

12. Production Process
Pre-Production
Casting
The first season writing staff consisted of series developer and executive producer Frank
Darabont (who wrote/co-wrote four of the six episodes), executive producer Charles H.
Eglee, executive producer and creator of the comic book Robert Kirkman, co-executive
producer Jack LoGiudice, consulting producer Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara, all of whom
contributed to one episode each. Along with Darabont, who directed the pilot episode,
the remaining five were directed by Michelle MacLaren, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Johan
Renck, Ernest Dickerson and Guy Ferland
Location
The Walking Dead is mostly filmed in Georgia.
Casting
The main cast is Andrew Lincoln who plays the main protagonist Rick Grimes. Alongside
Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh), Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes) and Chandler Riggs (Carl
Grimes).

13. Production Process
Production
Shooting
The series is completely shot on 16 mm film. David Tattersall was the director of
photography for the pilot episode with David Boyd as the director of photography
on the remainder of the episodes. Production design is done by Greg Melton and
Alex Hajdu.
Booth at the 2010 Comic-Con with
a scene from the pilot for the
promotion of the series.

14. Production Process
Post-
Production
The effects team includes veteran special effects makeup designer Gregory Nicotero,
special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam
Nicholson and Jason Sperling.
Bear McCreary was hired to compose the score for the series. McCreary stated that
the main theme was based on his viewing of production designs for the opening title
sequence. Instead of doing a full theme song as with his earlier works, McCreary
chose to use a simple, repeating motif from the strings section.
Gregory Nicotero is an executive producer and the key special effects makeup artist
on the series. Each walker is put through "zombie school" and is taught how to
move like zombies. There are three levels of zombie makeup: Hero, Midground, and
Deep Background. Hero zombies are featured walkers and are completely made
over from head to toe. Midground zombies get highlights and shadows on the face,
but do not get close enough to the camera to require full makeup. Deep
background zombies often wear masks and are only meant to be used as a
backdrop.

15. Production Process
Distribution
The Walking Dead debuted during the same week in 120 countries. As part of an expansive
campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, AMC and Fox
International Channels coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event on October 26,
2010. The stunt involved invading 26 major cities within a 24-hour period, starting with
Taipei and Hong Kong, and ending in Los Angeles for the U.S. premiere.
Action figures of characters from the series were created for release in November 2011
and have continued throughout the years with eight line-ups. The figures, which are
manufactured by McFarlane Toys, are designed to resemble the actors on the series.
Figures created to resemble the characters as drawn in the comic book were released in
September 2011.