The opening sequence of Shaun of the Dead depicts ordinary people going through mundane daily routines to portray them as being like "zombies". Various shots show people working dead-end jobs with little thought or commuters checking their phones in unison. These shots establish the film's theme of modern life creating zombie-like conformity. The sequence then introduces the protagonist Shaun through an unexpected shriek that subverts horror conventions for comedic effect while also potentially foreshadowing Shaun as the film's antagonist.

1. “Shaun Of The Dead” opening sequence
analysis
The Film “Shaun of the Dead” follows a group of middle class English twenty-something's
trying to survive the zombie apocalypse in a pub. The films title is a
reference to the successful zombie flick, “Dawn of The Dead” and the whole film
is a parody of the zombie genre. The film describes itself as “Rom-Zom Com” as
protagonist Shaun attempts to win back his girlfriend, Liz, in the midst of a
zombie apocalypse.

2. The opening sequence of the film
shows a variety of people working in
mundane, dead end jobs. The choice
to use these images at the start of
the film is to give the audience the
impression that these people are
already zombies by having to
perform the same routines everyday
with little thought. This decision is a
tongue and cheek look at social
normalities of modern life and asks
the question “would we notice” if
people started to turn into zombies.
The bright lighting in the scenes tells
the audience that the film isn't a
“freight-fest” like so many other
zombie films. The settings used also
reinforce this theory as supermarkets
in the middle of the day are
unconventional location choices for
the horror/thriller genre.

3. The camera then cuts to a group
of people in a bus stop; some of
the group stop and check their
phones in synchronisation;
reinforcing the idea of the people
turning into zombies by doing
everyday things in an odd
synchronisation. It also shows the
rate of people who are starting to
turn.
The Camera shots have stayed the
same throughout this entire
sequence; a mid-shot of the scene
with a slow pan that cuts to the
next shot. By repeating this shot, It
once again reinforces the idea of a
mundane conformity that is
turning everyone into zombie and
makes the audience feel like an
onlooker, not actually connected
with what's going on, but watching
from a far.

4. The next shot differs from the rest
of the opening scene, indicating a
change in the story and pace of
the film. The scene starts with a
low angle shot of a shadow with a
pair of stumbling legs. This is a
classic shot used within horror
movies and is usually used to
introduce an antagonist by making
him seem more physically
As the camera pans up, a loud shrieking frightening.
can be heard, which is revealed to be
the protagonist, Shaun. This can be
looked at in one of two ways: the first,
and simplest, of these is that this is just
another joke that makes fun of the
horror genre that audience will
appreciate. The second is that this
foreshadows some of the events of the
film, it’s Shaun’s actions that cause
himself and his girlfriend to split,
suggesting that maybe the biggest
antagonist of this zombie flick is Shaun
himself.

5. The Next shot differs again, with the
proxemics showing the close
relationship of the characters Shaun
and Ed. The lighting in the scene is
light once again, but also creates a
shadowy effect on the set which
reinforces the horror aspect of the
film.
The only dialogue we hear in the scene is
from the character of Ed who says “haven't
you got work?”. This reinstates the idea of
the general public already being zombies,
having to do the same tasks repeatedly. The
camera angle zooms in slowly towards the
two characters creating a tension on screen,
this tension is then diffused by the question
Ed asks, adding a comedic element to the
scene and surprising the audience