This is the scene from "Welcome to the Tombs" in which the Governor flips a shit and kills his entire group with the exception of Martinez and Shumpert (awesome name btw), whom I'm assuming are his henchmen, and Karen who escapes by pretending to be dead. Now, I don't watch the series and only read a brief synopsis of the episode to understand the context of the scene. I find that analyzing a sequence from something you have no knowledge of can help to avoid over-analyzing. Anyway, let's get started.
First off, we have a very dynamic scene, quite typical of a car chase in modern cinema; dynamic shots, the viewpoint switching between a profile shot, a low-angle shot, frontal shot, etc. The shots themselves are very short, about a couple of seconds each, which gives the scene a fast rhythm.
The absence of music and very aggressive car noises (horns blaring, tires screeching, engines roaring) are already preparing us for imminent violence. Added to that, we have the shot of the Governor leaving his car shouting angrily. The panoramic follows him, so we have a view of the Governor striding angrily towards the group of people who are advancing rapidly towards him. The shot is typically confrontational; the straight road stretching from the background up to the foreground, the Governor's back towards the camera and the angry group directly opposite, facing him. The rhythm is still fast, switching rapidly between the characters, all of whom are shown using medium close ups so we can clearly see their expressions and emotions. However, while the other characters are shown with an immobile camera, the camera follows the Governor; he is the character the audience should focus on during this sequence.
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| Typically confrontational view |
The shot immediately before the massacre, the spectator is warned of what's going to happen by use of music and a dolly zoom. A dolly zoom gives the disturbing impression of vertigo (and was famously used in the Hitchcock film of the same name), changing the perspective of the background while the character remains the same size. Here, the dolly zoom gives the impression of the Governor slipping from reality, detaching himself from the situation at hand. The music accentuates the effect, a low menacing note that gets louder, turning into a ringing noise that drowns out all other sound. This ringing noise is the sound you hear when you lose focus, whether it be because of heatstroke, a concussion or anger; it signifies a loss of control. This is a subjective view; we are experiencing the scene from the Governor's point of view. The spectator knows something bad is going to happen.
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| Example of a dolly zoom from the 1975 Spielberg film, Jaws |
The suspense doesn't last long; the ringing and the music stops abruptly, interrupted by the ripping noise of the machine gun, rapidly ripping us from a subjective point of view to an objective one; we are now observing the scene from the outside. The shots switch rapidly between the Governor and his people, before lingering on his two supporters, Martinez and Shumpert, after the Governor moves off screen. The sound of the machine gun and the screaming indicating he's continuing his killing rampage, we see the shock and fear of his supporters, who quickly move behind the jeep; this is to further impact the viewer, and insist upon the horrific nature of the scene, a leader killing his followers.
The killing is separated into two distinct attacks: the first is directly after the Governor's loss of control. He's using a machine gun, a very unrefined weapon, and is shot from his right side, his eye patch facing the camera. This symbolizes that he is lashing out, blinded by his rage.
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| Eye patch turned towards the camera, symbolizing the character's blind rage |
The second occurs once the initial attack is over; he turns around, so we can see his eye, and takes out his handgun, a far more precise weapon. There's a pause between both attacks, and the situation changes dramatically. The last man standing has a rifle aimed at the Governor, when the others had no chance to defend themselves. The Governor appears completely in control, and knows exactly what he's doing. The Governor is shown from a low angle, while the man opposite him is filmed from a high angle. This gives the impression that the Governor is dominating the other man, and he is far more intimidating because he is put in a more powerful position. We are looking down on the other man, who hesitates; we know immediately what the outcome of this stand off will be.
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| Angle of shot shows that the Governor dominates the other character |
The Governor then stumbles over, as if in a trance, to where the other bodies are lying, and very calmly begins shooting the corpses, in case any are still alive. This just adds horror to the scene; desecrating corpses is taboo in our society, and in this case there is no need; the people are dead anyway. We can hear crows in the background, carrion birds that are associated with death, adding to the idea of a massacre. We can tell that the Governor does not regret his actions, because he returns to shoot the corpses.
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| The Governor returns to shoot the corpses, adding to the horrific nature of the scene |
The next shot shows us that Karen has survived the massacre. She is at the foreground of the shot, and the close up lets us read her terror clearly. The Governor is shown once again from a low angle, so in a position of power. The spectator feels empathy for the character, because we are put in her position of weakness, and can see her fear. A corpse is on top of her, adding to the horror. However, it's also useful; the corpse looks as if it's embracing her, protecting her from harm. Indeed, the Governor's right side (the side with the eye patch) is slightly inclined towards her; he doesn't see that she is still alive.
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| Karen, protected by the corpse above her |
As soon as the Governor is out of shot, she starts to breathe again and the music starts up, inviting the spectator to feel her relief; the violence is over.
Again, I don't watch the Walking Dead, so there could be nods to earlier situations in the series, or other symbols unique to the series that I've missed. But apart from that, here's an outsiders analysis! :)
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