Zombieland is a 87-minute zombie comedy horror film set in a post-apocalyptic United States. It follows a group of survivors who band together to help each other in a world overrun by zombies. The film uses genres of horror, comedy, and road movie to tell the story of the characters' journey to reach the Pacific Playlands theme park on the west coast. Through its cinematography and editing, the opening scene effectively establishes the horror genre and creates tension during a chase sequence between a zombie and a man. The film's target audiences are mainstream genre fans, with its messages emphasizing the importance of having a survival plan and not facing the apocalypse alone.
2. Film 1 - Zombieland
• Explain the basics about format and say what you’re going to be talking
about
• Zombie land is a mainstream feature film, with a running time of 87
minutes and, in the UK, a 15 certificate. I am going to present work about
• Narrative and narrative theory
• Genre and sub genres
• Micro analysis
• Audience
• Messages and Values
• Purpose
3. Zombieland – Narrative
• Explain the basics about plot/timeline/setting/characters
• Zombieland is a film about a group of people coming together to help
each other in a world after a zombie apocalypse
• It has a mainly linear narrative with some character flashbacks
• It is set in a post-apocalyptic version of the real world, in the United
States
• It has one main narrative thread – the characters meet up and have a
mission to get to the Pacific Playlands theme park on the west coast.
• It has small cast of main characters and a small number of additional
characters
4. Zombieland – Narrative theory
• Todorov’s ideas about narrative theory fit quite well to Zombieland’s
narrative but in an interesting way – with most of the theory ideas being
forced into the opening of the film
• Equilibrium – we see the world as it is falling apart but we know the equilibrium that
has been lost – the world we know now – and we see the new equilibrium that has
been established at the start of the film – a few survivors at terrible risk
• Disruption – This has happened at the start of the film – the world we know has
come to an end
• Recognition – We are introduced to the situation by our central character showing
he realises what has happened
• Reaction – most of the film is the reaction to the situation, built on Columbus’
introducing the film with his rules for survival which he builds on as the film goes on
• Re-equilibrium – the group come together having survived for the time being – there
is no talk about how on earth they will keep on surviving but we can enjoy the
resolution of his crisis.
5. Zombieland - Genre
• Explain the main genre of the film
• Zombieland is a horror film – it is a film about people trying to cope
with the fact that the world is not at all like they thought it was and to
be put at terrible risk from monsters
• More specifically, its subgenre is a zombie horror film – so the
monsters take a particular form – the undead – and the risk is of
being caught and eaten but also of being turned into a zombie. This is
also a modern kind of zombie movie where the zombies can run
• However, more than that it is a zombie comedy-horror film – it is not
focussed on how frightening or terrible things are but also uses a
number of subgenres of comedy.
6. Zombieland – More on genre
• Explain more about genre
• It’s possible to look more at the different comedy elements
• It’s a character comedy – it’s built around two male stereotypical characters – the
loner geek and the hard man – and around two less stereotypical female characters-
the two street smart sisters.
• It’s a physical comedy – it treats a lot of things that could be presented as horrifying
as actually being funny
• It’s a situation comedy – the central character finds himself stuck in his situation and
is trying to find an answer to it
• It’s also a road movie – it’s about the adventures that happen on the way to their
destination – and just a little bit it’s a romance
• Ultimately it’s more of a lighter road movie/comedy with a horror setting than a
horror film with comedy
7. Learning Aim A – Cinematography and Editing
An analysis of a scene at the beginning of Zombieland
to demonstrate my understanding of the film uses
cinematography and editing to establish genre, develop
the story and create meaning for the audience
8. Shot 1 – First stage establishing shot. The world in space gone terribly wrong
• A shot that uses a famous image of the world seen from space to show how much things have changed
• Extreme long shot of the whole planet as it turns
• Editing - The shot continues and uses the turn of the earth to refocus…
9. Shot 2 – Second stage establishing shot - a continuation of shot 1 as the camera zooms in on the sports field
• The movement of the camera (although a CGI effect) is effectively ‘zooming’ in and showing more clearly
where this next sequence is going to take place
• It’s a fairly quick zoom to create the effect of us falling into the stadium and this speed is picked up in the rest
of the sequence
• Editing – Again the shot continues and we ‘fall’ into the stadium, refocussing the shot for shot 3
10. Shot 3 – Medium shot – floor level but flat angled shot
• We recognise where we are because the green grass and field markings make sense from the zoom in to the
stadium. Composition point - In the long shots the grid forms leading lines on the screen
• Composition – the footfall is around a rule of thirds hotspot
• The camera is still not still, it quickly zooms out and pans up to show…
• Editing – a continuous shot that reframes with the zoom out into Shot 4
11. Shot 4 medium 2-shot tracking back from the action as the action runs into the shot
• We are watching a chase scene
• We have established we are with the person being chased and not with the zombie chasing because of the opening
sequence and because we started this sequence with the person’s feet running. That is developed here by the person
dominating the front of the screen
• There is depth of field but not complete and the person is a little more in focus
• Composition – the man’s head is around a rule of thirds hot-spot (as is the Zombie’s)
• The camera continues to move and then cuts to
12. Shot 5 – Long high angled shot – still camera at first then panning slowly left
• A different look at the chase – showing the zombie gradually catching up with the man
• The shot is framed with space for them to run into and pans left to extend that space
• Composition the man and the graphics on screen fit the grid and are around rule of thirds hotspots
• We cut from this as an establishing shot to a differently positioned shot…
13. Shot 6 – as shot 4 but things are becoming more desperate
• The depth of field is more shallow and the zombie is less in focus this time - going against expectations
perhaps, because if he’s close shouldn’t he be more in focus? It’s extending the chase time…
• Composition – heads around rule of thirds lines – man’s eyeline on centre line
• Camera continues to track back from them as they run forwards…
• Cuts to a zoomed in version of the earlier establishing shot – again more desperate?
14. Shot 7 – level medium 2-shot showing how close the Zombie is to catching the man
• Composition - There is some symmetry either side of the centre line – man one side, zombie the other
• The shot pans as the zombie catches up…
• Cuts to a CU as he catches him
15. Shot 8 – medium two shot as the zombie catches the man – one of several in a very fast-paced editing sequence
that shows the moment of capture
• Composition - On level man in centre of shot with zombie around rule of thirds hotspot
• Shallow depth of field – the background is out of focus, all of our attention is on the moment of capture
• Fast paced editing around the moment that he’s caught – to reinforce the dramatic moment
16. Shot 9 – High angled long shot still camera
• No move camera movement now the chase is over
• Not convinced high angle shot gives us any power here – maybe just gives some sense of safety that we are further away
from the kill
• Composition - - on centre line of the shot close to the centre of the frame
• The cut away to distance suggests that we’re safe
17. Shot 10 – close up still camera
• There goes that safe distance from the action
• Composition - The figures crowd out the screen
• The cut back into close up is a shock to us.
18. Zombieland - More micro analysis…
• And then you need to do that again for mise en scene and for sound
• (You could alternatively edit out a short section of the film – or ask
me to do it for you – and then record a ‘critical commentary’ over the
top of it, a bit like a director’s commentary. But you don’t have to –
you can do this with screen grabs and comments in the powerpoint).
19. Zombieland - Audience
• Who are the core and secondary audiences for this film? Think about
different demographics
• Social class
• Age
• Gender
• Psychographics – lifestyle issues like ‘being a genre fan’
20. Zombieland – messages and values
• What does this film have to say about the world? Not ‘what happens’
but what is it actually about?
• Family – it’s better not to be alone?
• Be brave – it’s worth it?
• Have a plan and try to follow it?
21. Zombieland - Purpose
• What is the film for? Does it achieve its purpose?
• It’s a mainstream Hollywood movie so one of its core purposes is to
make money
• It’s a horror film so it wants you to jump and be afraid
• But it’s also a comedy so it wants you to laugh too
• Like all projects it is also about developing the careers of the cast and
crew
22. Zombieland – does it achieve its purpose?
• Budget estimated at $23.6m – box office estimated at over $100m – it
was a financial success.
• The rest is up to you – does it make you laugh/cry/jump/and so on?
• Does it successfully promote the idea that it’s better to be with other
people?
