Shaun of the dead opening sequence analysis
- 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