Analysis of Zombieland

How are the titles edited with music/sound/shot types - think about the pace of the edit?

The main editing in the title sequence is the fact all shots are in slow motion, seeing every single drop of blood from a zombies mouth splatter floors, walls and windows. The effect of this is creating a tension between beauty and horror as each shot seamlessly fades in between each other, with the final shot fading to black signifying closure; possibly death.

This opening stands out in editing. There is a static filter at the start, distorting vision and giving off an unsafe feeling and telling the audience that something is not right. Most shots in the opening are continuity edited together to make it seem like everything is shot from a single camera, even by zooming out to get a good view of the half-destroyed planet then zooming back in to another part, all in one motion. This effect is very comfortable for the eyes but very strange on the mind. A slow motion effect is used and works very well. The titles are uniquely used, placed to fit with the scene and getting smashed by something in every shot. The non-diegetic sound works well with the slow motion shots, creating the needed comedic atmosphere within the title sequence. It feels fast paced while in slow motion. 

How do the titles reflect the narrative/themes/genre of the Film?

The titles are a consistent theme throughout the film as they are always used to help convey Columbus’ list of rules. These titles are almost entirely 3D, look very realistic and usually interact with the film in some way, such as on the scene for Rule 2: Double Tap, when blood splatters onto the title. During the main title sequence, all fonts are red, capital letters and are a strong solid sans-serif font. The red colour signifies blood and danger, which zombie films are typically associated with. The strong font signifies how powerful and overwhelming the zombie apocalypse is. These titles interact with the events going on in the shots, as they are usually pushed apart or tilted/twisted when people run past them or into them. When the Zombieland title appears it illustrates someone trying to escape from zombies, smashing through a window and the title with a crowbar.

How is music and sound used in the film opening - remember silence is sound

• The opening sequence uses sound effectively to frighten the audience at times during the opening sequence, such as in the bathroom scene and when the zombie jumps out at the start. These sort of loud, sharp sounds are conventional of the horror genre and their purpose is to make the audience jump.

• There are additional soundtracks playing in the background throughout the opening sequence which sound strange, such as at the very start what sounds like the beginning of the American national anthem on electric guitar soon turns sour and only ends up being sounds of bass tones –like something turning into a zombie.

• The main soundtrack for the opening is “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica, ambient church bells ring throughout the song symbolizing that “your time has come”. The theme of the song is death, very relevant to a movie based around the living dead. All music and sounds used within the opening sequence is non-diegetic and are either low-pitch tones or high-pitch, nothing ever ‘normal’. This is conventional of the horror genre, as low-pitch tones are designed to cause discomfort and build tension while high-pitch tones add tension or surprised to a scene.

What iconography is used and how is it used to develop genre? 

Also in the title sequence we see a large amount of gore this is a big part of iconography as we see gore in most horror films.

The iconography shown in the Zombieland title sequence follows the codes and conventions of a horror/comedy film as shown in the snapshot below. As the overweight man is running away from a zombie stripper.

How is the narrative established - if you had to sum up the 'story' in sentence what would it be?

A narrative is set through the titles. The apocalypse is shown in action during the sequence, so we know how the apocalypse happened. We're not given a story, but a series of violent shots representing the end of the world through a zombie apocalypse. So we get a background, but nothing else from the titles, as the titles exist purely to excite the audience and attract them.

If I was to sum the story up in one sentence it would be... ‘A male character has to help the world recover from a zombie apocalypse’

Does the Film opening contain enigma codes?

There are a few enigma codes included in the opening, such as:

•Why are there Zombies?•How are there Zombies?•How has the protagonist survived?•What is he going to do?•How is he going to do it?•What else is on the list?

These all help to build the temptation for the audience, as they will be intrigued to watch the rest of the film to find out the answers to their questions.

If the film introduces the main character how does the director develop the characters that we see?

The main male protagonist (called Columbus, although not named in the opening sequence) is the character we are introduced to in the opening sequence. He is never seen on-camera during the opening and is established through his voice-over, which sets the narrative as he details what has happened to America and how he’s survived so far. From what we know he is a smart individual who knows how to look after himself, as he is giving you a list of rules to help you survive a zombie apocalypse.

-Mise en scene• Multiple locations are shown throughout the

opening sequence, from Washington DC ,to an American football field, to a bathroom, to a strip club, to a wedding, and every single one of them has zombies attacking humans. This signifies that nowhere is safe, not even when you feel comfortable because that’s when you’re most vulnerable, and before long will become a “human happy meal”. This can create a sense of unease for the audience.

• Most of these locations mise-en-scene represents structures and vehicles as destroyed or vandalized conveying to the audience the mayhem these zombies have caused, and implies there is no place of safety and the only option is to run.

•There is a mix between daytime and night-time scenes, but most shots are of low-key lighting. Low-key lighting and night-time shots are conventional of the horror genre as it establishes a sinister feel for the audience.

-CinematographyThere is a use of continuity editing during the opening sequence to add a horror element. For instance the eyeline match during the bathroom scene. The person sitting on the toilet looks up from his newspaper to see something on the floor off-camera in front of him. This raises audience curiosity and guess what?

The first shot in the opening sequence is handheld camera shot, to help convey the point-of-view shot we see. The use of a point-of-view shot is to put us into the shoes of a character in the movie, and this character we see through is killed by a zombie, so in a sense right at the start of the film the audience are killed, a very odd feeling but strengthens the fact the protagonist is one of very few survivors. Some shots shown are angled, giving a feeling of abnormality.

 Overall, I think this has to be one of my all time favourite film openings as even though the short duration of it is 4:31 minutes, so much goes on such as introducing the survival rules, having the opening credits, setting up the genre and context and more. Also, a lot of clever editing techniques and shot types have been used to add interest to the film and a lot of exciting set design and composition is involved as well. I will be referring this when developing ideas for my film opening.