The document analyzes the opening title sequence of the film Zombieland. It discusses how editing techniques like continuity shots and slow motion create tension. Iconography like gore establishes the horror/comedy genre. The titles reflect themes of danger and the apocalypse through their design. Unanswered questions in the sequence create intrigue for viewers. The main character is introduced through his narration about surviving the zombie apocalypse. Cinematography uses point-of-view shots and angled shots to generate an abnormal feel.

1. Analysis of Zombieland

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. 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’

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. -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.

10. -Cinematography
There 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.

11. 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.