2. The film starts with a fast paced montage, this helps to set the tone of the
action packed opening. In this shot we see a man running but we never see his
face, this creates an enigma code for the audience as they want to know who
he is and why he is running. The running also links to the sub-genre of zombie
because zombie films often include chases and lots of running away.
3. This shot shows lots of blood flowing down a step. Blood is a very important piece of
iconography to the horror genre and this show helps to reinforce the idea of zombies
and violence into the audiences minds.
4. This shot shows a body on the ground with blood around the head. This makes the
audience link this with the last shot of blood and make them question whether this
was the running man from the start. Also it makes them aware that this man could
possible turn into a zombie as the sub-genre would suggest. As all the shots in the
montage are shown quickly the audience is forced to think about these things
quickly and make links between the shots.
5. The hand smearing blood on the wall suggests the man from the previous shots has
risen as a zombie. The blood again links to the sub-genre and the hand dragging
slowly down the wall creates a tense, scary mood for the audience.
6. This shot shows two teenagers, the protagonists. The drinks and snacks provide
the audience with the knowledge that they are watching a movie together. Rick is
grabbing a pillow which suggests that he is scared and that the movie they are
watching is a horror. The red walls, red sofa, and red pillow all connote blood
which again links back to the zombies.
7. This shot shows that the movie they are watching is a zombie film, this directly
connects to our storyline and provides a sense of awareness of the situation that
happens later on in the film for the audience.
8. Here we see the characters leave the house and we see their clothes properly for
the first time. They are stereotypical clothes for teenage characters e.g. A hoodie
and a backpack. This helps to connect to our target audience of 12-30 year olds.
9. The low-key lighting in the underpass creates a mysterious atmosphere because the
audience can’t really see what is happening to the man who has been attacked.
10. This POV shot shows blood on the fingers of the attacker and scratch marks on the
face and neck of the dead man. This makes the audience aware that it is a zombie
attacking the man. Also the screeches of the zombie scare the audience.
11. The reveal of the zombie is the most important shot of the opening sequence
because the tension finally reaches a climax of showing the audience what the
zombie looks like. They immediately realise it’s the same man from the montage and
know that they’re suspicions of him being a zombie were true. The make up on the
zombie shows it has been eating people because of the blood around its mouth, this
is a stereotypical type of make up for zombie movies. Also the veins and the sunken
eyes help to further show that it is a zombie.
12. The chase scene is fast paced and full of tension which links back to the opening
montage. Also the fact that Walter gets attacked makes the audience think back to
when he jumped out and scared Rick because it was dramatic irony, as he was the
one who was attacked.
13. The zombie being hit in the head to kill it is another stereotypical convention from
the sub-genre. The tension ends here and the audience have a brief moment where
they believe the characters are safe.
14. The reveal of the bite is a shock to the audience and makes them connect with the
character. The bite itself is another very important piece of iconography to the sub-
genre.
15. This shot shows the characters back at school the next day. The audience are
wondering what happened after Walter was bitten and are anxious to find out, this
is an enigma code.
16. The reveal of the newspaper makes the audience and the characters find out about
the seriousness of the incident at the same time, furthering connecting them. It also
leaves the audience wondering how the protagonists are going to deal with the bite
and the incoming zombie apocalypse.
