Opening Sequence Analysis

http://vimeo.com/32365995

Here is a link to the opening sequence of the 2004 film Dawn of the Dead. The actual film replicates zombies attempting to take over and infect the world. The opening sequence is clearly very effective in terms of conveying horror and horrific imagery in order to shock the audience and make them feel frightened. There is also many techniques in regards to the camera work, mise en scene, editing and sound which all highlight a typical representation in regards to cultural aspects as well as gender and ethnicity.

The sequence begins with a  high angle mid-shot focusing on the upper section of a large group of trees which could be done to symbolise nature, peace and beauty. The beauty element is implemented by the noise of birds. This creates a larger effect on the audience later as the sequence begins peacefully but then becomes much darker, more graphic and more horrific later. However it is also possible that the shot replicates to the audience the notion and feeling of desertion as nothing other than the trees can be seen. The next shot is shown very quickly in the sequence almost as though peace is being passed through quickly replicating how peace is over quickly. The next shot is simply a black screen with some of the opening credits written in dark red. The use of red is done to replicate blood, a typical image for zombie films. This is also the first time horrific imagery can be seen in the sequence. Slightly before the next shot is shown very gruesome and gushing-like non-diegetic sound which replicates bodily fluids being eaten. Again another typical characteristic of zombie films which also emphasizes the horror aspect. The next shot is then shown which is a low angle long shot of a large group of Islamic men bowing down. This helps replicate how the human race will be, in essence bowing down to the zombies and also helps bring forth the theory that religion (in this case Islam) brings the community together and ignites passion. It is also notable that all the Islamic people bowing down in this shot are men which clearly shows a typical representation that men are superior to women as there is notably little to no women in this shot. Throughout the clip there are brief but graphic clips shown which is then cross-cut amongst the credits, all the credits have the same font and transition to the next shot emphasizing how the zombies repeatedly kill. Clips are then shown  of the actual zombies with blood across their mouth clearly showing that they have just killed, the clips of the zombies at first are all extreme close-up almost as though the camera is taken a P.O.V shot of the victims, again making the situation more frightening. The use of very quick, rapid editing help convey to the audience that no one can understand the situation around them, which in turn reflects the characters in the film as no one can fully understand how the zombies became zombies or if they actually have come from somewhere. It is clear that no one understands what is happening as a voiceover taken from a press conference about the zombies is being played during the brief extreme close-ups of the zombies, from the voiceover the audience are able to hear journalists asking questions about the zombies and the response from the man is always "we dont know" or is incredibly blunt as though he is unsure of his answer. The use of the word "we" shows that he is speaking for the people and therefore the whole human race. This could overall show how humans never understand their surroundings and are always reluctant to admit it. During one of the questions the camera zooms in from a mid-shot of the man responding to the question to an extreme close-up as he begins to answer, most likely this is done to show how the questions are being dawned upon the man and how he is very scared about the situation. It is notable that the man has a lot of sweat across his forehead clearly showing that he is either severely stressed or scared or maybe both. Before the man answers the question he shakes his head as if he does not want to answer the question showing man's reluctance and vulnerability to things they do not understand. The journalists which ask the question are both men and women, this corresponds with the earlier shot of the Islamic group in which there is no equality shown and men are superior which represents the different cultural aspects of the Middle-East and Western Society. Very incidental, typically western music is played in the background amidst brief clips of mostly men fighting the zombies across the world whilst women cater for their young children. This highlights the masculinity of men as the strong, powerful and warrior-type figures while the women are shown to be more maternal and emotional. The use of the incidental music helps highlight a sense of a duel between the humans and the zombies, the music notably does not match the imagery being shown which could be an indication that nothing is normal anymore and does not make any sense as everything has changed in society because of the zombies thus creating a very helpless and depressing atmosphere amongst the audience. This continues to be cross-cutted much more frequently with the title sequence reinforcing that the zombies are taking over, the use of using even faster editing amongst a different variety of clips also help conjure up the sheer scale of the zombies to the audience as completely different images are shown from across the world however they all share very distinctive similarities mostly interlinked with the notion of carnage and destruction. Previously the majority of the shots shown were extreme close-ups of zombies which highlighted how they were taken over, whereas at this point the majority of the shots shown are showing humans (most typically men) fighting amongst themselves as though they cant understand which people are zombies. This highlights the theory that men turn against eachother in desperate times of need just so they as individuals can survive. The notion of carnage is clear through the brief clips such as trucks exploding, people fighting against police (which also shows how authoritive figures can be seen as the enemy by people in desperation to survive). As the sequence carries on it is notable that the editing becomes much slower using longer clips which aren't as brief as the previous clips, these clips include a low angle shot of a few office chairs. This specific shot could correspond with the very first shot of the sequence as they both highlight a feeling of desertion by people and reinforces the sense of helplessness amongst the audience. The army is also shown near the end to shoot what looks like a very innocent man, this shows the theory that authority turns against its on people just because the people get in the way. Once the man is shot the soldiers continue to shoot which indicates that there probably were zombies near the area however no one begins to help the man and they simply leave him to die, again reinforcing the sense of hopeless and helplessness. The final shot shown shows zombies taking over a news broadcast whilst the camera takes the point of view  of the reporter who sees all the people around him die very graphically right before a zombie jumps on top of him and seemingly kills him. The music stops soon after this point which could show how the zombies have effectively won the duel against man subsequently showing the notion of helplessness for the final time. Since the humans all seem to die horrific deaths it is clear that this is trying to show how man can essentially never win and will always die whilst the zombies (ironically) live on.