This document discusses common codes and conventions in zombie movies. It notes that typical conventions include isolated groups of survivors, abandoned and deserted urban locations, and shots to the head as the way to kill zombies. It also lists common character archetypes that appear, such as the leader, children, betrayer, and characters who are among the first to die. The document then examines conventions for beginnings, endings, and three specific zombie movies: Warm Bodies, Zombieland, and Shaun of the Dead.

1. Codes &
Conventions
Zombie Movies

2. Typical Conventions
• A tight community of protagonists
• Isolation
• Apocalyptic world (deserted, smoke, dirty, trashed etc)
• Contrast between slow and fast editing
• Kinetic cameras for chase scenes
• Abandoned locations
• Urban (but deserted) locations
• Want to survive rather than kill the zombies
• Shot in the head to kill

3. Typical Character
Conventions
• Leader
• Children
• Betrayer
• Human sacrifice
• Eye candy
• Nerd
• The dumb blonde that dies first
• The fat person that’s one of the first to die
• The pretty “fit” lead girl
• The heroic “fit” lead guy
• Annoying “moronic” character that screws everything up

4. • The person who's emotionally attached to one of the
zombies and not want to kill them or keeping them safe in
a room.
• The person that loves killing zombies but whose eventual
cockiness gets them killed.
• The person that freaks out and eventually causes some
sort of disaster.
• The peacemaker who tries to keep people together when
they go for each other's throats.
• The love interest is there to inspire hope, no point
surviving if you can't share it with someone and continue
the human race.

5. Beginnings & Endings
• Cliff-hangers
• Everyone dies
• Zombies are killed/cured
• Show previous world
• Find out about what has
happened to cause
“zombie world”
• Introduce main
characters, of whom are
survivors of the “zombie
virus”

6. Warm Bodies
• Camera follows guy as he “talks”
• Camera goes to different people as guy “speaks” about them
• Shot is as if it is through “his eyes”, and them including him as
well
• Music & effect changes as he describes flashbacks (and they’re
shown)
• Flashback becomes IRL around him (becomes lighter)
• Lighting reflects his mood (sad/lonely)
• Flashback music becomes more flowing/light, showing they’re
happier when alive
• He walks slowly/sluggishly showing he’s sad/lonely
• He “talks” slower/ more monotone as he speaks of his day, but
lighter with more flow in the flashbacks

7. Zombieland
• No talking
• Everyone is running in slow-mo
• People run/fall towards the camera
• Everyone looks scared, running away
• Music is very “pumped”/action-like
• Zombies covered in blood, still quite fast and seem more
intelligent
• Set in daytime, normal looking scene except for chaos and
zombies/blood
• Credits are involved within the scene, bumped out of the way
by the characters ect – text in blood red

8. Shaun of The Dead
• Normal looking setting
• Bouncy music
• Everything in sync with music
• First close up you see, man just woken up “zombie-like”
• Typical men, playing video games in a messy house
• Tension builds up in mirror, pacey music, quick shots of
breakfast/tea making
• Playing zombie games – things start pointing towards zombie
• “They position the audience to think that the situation is very
normal, before revealing that a zombie attack has broken out –
Use & Gratification”