Zombieland Title Sequence Analysis

Mise en scene

Zombieland

This scene shows a zombie pouncing on a person who is running away from it. It has been shot from the point of view of the person running and the shot is low angle close up of the zombie on his body eating his flesh. The reason this shot has been used is because it give the zombie a great deal of power making him seem more intimidating and ruthless. The most distinct colour used in this shot is red, the red is shown from the blood and wounds of the zombie. The connotations of the colour red are pain, blood and anger and I believe that applies to this scene. Sounds such as screams from the person being attacked and grunts and munches being made by the zombie are all diegetic and are effective for making this scene more tense and realistic. This scene is set on a street with destroyed and exploding vehicles this helps the scene seem more dramatic. Natural lighting has been used to portray the zombie in more detail so that it can scare or discomfort the viewer early in the movie. The make-up used on the zombie to make him seem more terrifying is fake open wounds around his face and head and fake blood covering his face. He also seems to have meat in his mouth from the person he is eating. The actor used to be a zombie seems to look like an average middle aged man which would imply that every is in danger.

This scene shows an overweight man running away from the zombie which is chasing him and is in the background in this scene and out of focus. A mid-shot is used in this scene to show the expression on the boy’s face and to show the zombie that is behind him. This scene takes place on a football field which is ironic because the boy is running away from person down the field, which is what would occur in the sport. The time of day this scene was shot at seems to be at night however the stadium lights are on giving the scene a source of light, which also allows the viewer to see what is occurring in this scene in detail. The make has been used on the zombie and we see the typical blood on the zombies face and clothes. This allows the viewers to determine that this is a zombie. An average fat teenage boy is used to show how vulnerable 

they are when a zombie apocalypse occurs.

 A high angle shot has been used to show a man sitting on a toilet. This angle makes him seem weak and vulnerable. This scene is set in a public toilet and this particular shot is set in a cubicle. They use this setting to express how vulnerable anyone is when they are on the toilet. A small amount of lighting is focused on the cubicle to draw the viewer’s attention to it. Violins are played slowly in the background to gain tension to the scene then a sharp loud clash of noise is used as the zombie appears to startle and surprise the viewer. The sound used is non diegetic. The director purposely chose an actor that looks weak and vulnerable for this scene to emphasize how weak anyone can be in this situation.

The main colour used in this scene is grey, the connotations of grey are bland, dull and boring. They use these connotations to surprise the viewer as the woman glides across the ground spraying blood on the floor. A bird’s eye view long shot of the ground is used to fit everything in screen and show the entirety of the woman’s glide cross the ground. It also leaves space for the text that is shown in this scene which is rough, bold and dirty like the road. The text was used to blend into the road. The setting of this scene is at a road which is used to express the dangers of the road. The woman in this scene is made out to look like a mother. We get evidence of this from the way she dresses, the way she looks and her car. Diegetic sound has been used to surprise the viewers as the woman crashes her car against the lorry.

 The main colour in the this scene is green. The colour green has connotation of nature, grass and good. This is in contrast of the action which is occurring in this scene. The shot used is a mid shot of the man. The mid shot is used to fit his body, his weapon and the zombies in the background. The setting is not made very clear because the background is blurred and there is plants covering most of the background. The effects of this are that it creates a sense of mystery about where this scene is taking place. The zombies, as usual are made to look disgusting and threatening with fake blood and wounds on their body's and face's. Diegetic sound is used for the smashing of the glass in this scene. The title used in this scene is bold, capital and red. Red is used to represent the blood in this scene. The capitals and the bold in the title is used to draw attention to it.