Horror: Zombie - Individual analysis of a title sequence (Screenshots+ Link to video)

Individual analysis of a title sequence

Since our film is a zombie horror, I will be examining a title sequence of the same genre, the title I have chosen is the 2004 remake of the Romero classic "Dawn of the dead".





The first shot in the title sequence is of a flock of birds flying away, the natural environment creates a sense of peace and silence, however the birds then flee from the area and this lets the audience know that something bad is going to happen, this is foreshadowing what is going to happen in the film, with the bad thing being the zombie apocalypse.

First shot from the "Dawn of the Dead" title sequence

A black background is used when showing the title of the film and the various people it accredits its creation to, this is effective as black is often associated with death and evil. Along with this the text used is coloured red and this connotes to the thought of blood, The text is then edited off the screen in such a way that it is similar to that of flesh being torn or blood being smeared, These factors suggests that the movie is a horror/action movie. After this we see a large number of people praying which tells us they may be scared and they feel that the force they are against is so powerful they have to resort to the hope of divine intervention.

After this a very short clip of a close-up with what appears to be a zombie is shown followed by the title of the film is shown in blood and “dawn of the dead”, this should confirm to the audience that the film is about zombies. The different parts of the title sequences are separated through the credits, each clip is very short and this leaves the audience questioning what is happening and making them want to know more. In the title sequences we are shown an interview which takes place, this is used also as a narrative to the title sequences and tells the audience that the movie is about undead zombies. In this interview, the actor is from the original "Dawn of the Dead", a nod towards the original.

Zombie Close up

Ken Foree, The original dawn of the dead actor.

Following this there are various scenes of violence and mayhem shown, this is done using common conventions that would be associated with violence (Fire, Broken glass, Riots). Mixed with this are also various shots of mutating cells, suggesting that the outbreak is virus or infection related. Numerous news broadcasts are also shown which suggest to the audience that this is a wide scale issue and it also adds to the plot of the film.

Mutating Cells, From the title sequence.

The use of handheld cameras provide unstable footage and the audience are shown the panic and confusion that the undead are causing. The way that the handheld cameras are so unstable gives the audience a sense of how the characters must be feeling, frantic and desperate, even scared.

There is also a point where soldiers gun down news reporters which gives context to how people are dealing with the apocalypse, it shows that people are not coping well and are killing each other through fear. which also introduces the cliché of "who's the real monster?".

Throughout the montage of clips, non-diegetic music is played and it is the opposite of what people would associate with a horror action movie. This song is also different to the fast paced editing, Upon research of this song, "When the man comes around" By Johnny Cash, I found that it is a song about religion and most of the lyrics used are quotes from the bible and the book of revelations. This song is effective in Dawn of the Dead as the song has parallel themes to the movie.

Finally, at the very end of the clip we are introduced to a possible main character who appears to have been in some sort of car accident, covered in blood.