ASSIGNMENT 9: OPENING SEQUENCE

ANALYSIS

Ingrid De Souza

Jhané Ormsby

Fatou Panzout

Group names & Responsibilities

Task 1 Task 2 Task 3

Ingrid Purpose/Conventions MES Narrative Theory

Jhané CAM SAM Sound Narrative Theory

Fatou Editing Narrative Narrative Theory

Film Details

Genre Horror

Year 2004

Director Zack Synder

Main Actors Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer

Film: Dawn Of The Dead Genre: Horror, Thriller

Template Notes

PURPOSE (GENRE)Genre Proof

Thriller

Drama

Zombie films

Sci-fi

Purpose of the opening sequence

The purpose of this opening sequence is.. To leave an enigma to the audience of

what might happen to the people being attacked by the zombies

It’s kind of a trailer of the film, leaving the audience wanting more and more

It gives away of what might happen in the film

ConventionsGeneral conventions of genre

Conventions in Dawn of the Dead

Similar films

1. Conflicts Death The last house on the left

2. Innocent death Possession Paranormal activity

3. Suspense Science lab The Amazing Superman

4. Usually shot in an urban setting

Transformation Hulk

5. The hero is always the only one to be able to solve the problem

Authority in charge Batman

Camera Shots, Angles and Movement.

The Camera section has been split up into three categories:

Shots

Angles

Movement

SHOTS

In the open sequence close ups were presented which added to the enigmas and expressing facial expressions.

How did these people get to this mental state?What happened?Are they suicidal?What caused this?Is this contagious?

Expressing facial expressions and the reactions to the problem.

Angles

There are canted/oblique and low angles presented In the opening sequence of the film and therefore can create or show higher authority from another characters, therefore making them feel of a lower status or self esteem in the film.

This shows a dominant image which the character plays as the characters look as if they have confidence and control over there issues.

Movement The camera movements presented which I have spotted are zoom and panning

The camera zoomed right into the mouth to express the use of blood presented and potentially highlighting the torture.

Panning is presented as the news reporter reports to the mass public the actions taken out to solve this deathly issue. The panning presented causes more tension and adds gravity and depth to the wording/reporting.

Mis-en-scene LIGHTINGThis is natural lighting.

In this screen grab, you can notice that the lighting used is a low key artificial lighting.

This is a natural lighting, however it seems like it has a low key lighting as well.

However, when ever a zombie appears, it seems like there’s sort of a red tone on the lighting.

Mis-en-scene: CharacterTerm Screen grab and Annotation

Representation

Body language

Costume

Props

The body language of the character beside is more of an authority body language. Just by the way he’s standing up and looking towards the other characters demonstrates that he’s in charge.

The image shows a man transforming into a zombie. However, the lighting with a red tone connotes death; for him turning into a zombie it represents death.

The costume the zombies wear is all torn and stained from blood from their victims. It looks really dirty and ripped.

The circled area are camera’s and microphone, showing the position the characters play in the film. E.G. being a news reporter or being in authority.

Editing

Diegesis Continuity Editing Pace Time Cutting Transition Special Effects

DiegesisDiegetic Non-Diegetic

• The Characters within the scene can hear him• The murmuring coming from the reporters

• The sound coming from the zombie overlays the interviewer talking

• When the zombies are attacking they’re screaming• The characters can hear the gunshots going off• The soldiers shooting the guns within the field of

vision

• Whilst it is transitions, the sound effects of the zombies encounter that only the audience can hear •Its not within the field of vision, but only to the audience and not the characters

• Again within the field of vision, the zombies are encountering their attack

• The characters are encountering the attack

• The score music drowns the diegetic

Continuity EditingSound Bridge

Whilst these clips are flowing and transitioning into each other, you hear that male character is being interviewed

You hear him continuously being questioned until it gets to the actual clip, where you see who is he.

This can be effective because its creates enigmas.. Who is speaking ? What are they talking about etc..

Also its effective because the continuous editing matches his speech and what he’s talking, giving the audience a small insight for what they should expect.

Continuity Editing

A AB

• As they transition they show how time goes

• The eye line match cut is effective because you want to know in shot A what he’s looking as you have a small glimpse of what it is

• Shot A in the last glimpse, shows from the point of view of the camera

Pace

Mid paced but it gradually gets faster This creates enigmas The quick cuts affects the audience as it

thrills them and also gets them questioning

Most of the shots are short and efficient

Time

• Each of these shots are shown in an abstract form, differentiating the times that are passing.

• It also shows that the different times that have taken place throughout the cuts

• This type of time is a “story time”

• The time is being stretched therefore showing the different segments that are taking place within the cuts/shots.

Cutting (Cutaway)

• By the vital pieces of information you know that the film will be based on zombies.

• The pictures above show that human race and their cells are being contaminated by whatever the disease is.

• This could effectively answer the audiences enigmas as to why and what is causing the disruption throughout the sequence.

Transition Cross cutting is shown through the cuts. It goes from one cut to another with no

special transitioning. The pace is quick and fast. This builds the enigmas as to what it is

that’s happening

Special Effects

• The special effects is in a TV format, connoting the reality of the cuts

• With the use of this effects this also shows that its non-diegetic

• There’s also a touch of colour filter. Some of the shots had a red/orange tone to it.

• This connotes that a symbolism of death, violence, danger, aggression etc

Sound The category sound is split into three elements:

Diegetic sound

Non-diegetic sound

Sound effects

Diegetic sound Diegetic sound are sounds of which is in the characters world and therefore

can potentially effect the character or their actions. Diegetic sounds were presented throughout the opening sequences.

A prime example of this are:

The praying/chanting at the beginning of the sequence.

The man seen to be a man in higher class (and of a higher status) answers questions from the worried public and publicity.

Non-diegetic sound

Non-diegetic sounds are sounds of which only the audience can hear. This can also be used as a narration into a movie of over voices.

This is presented in the film with the over voice , added music and score music.

Sound effects

Sound effects  are artificially created or enhanced sounds and are added on top of imagery. Again, many are presented throughout the opening sequence including between transitions.

Sound effects were added such as

1. Zombie scream

2. Natural sounds inputted

3. Gun shot

4. Heart beating

5. Scream

6. Tv crackle

Other … Other Sound effects were added and created in many

specific ways such as:

1. The use of sound bridging –between various clips shown

2. Volume Control- the soft music was altered to be like

background music to focus on the words being said.

3. Dialogue (American Accent)- interviewing the news

reporter/president.

Barthes Theory Barthes theory ;

The audiences experience of the narrative involves ANTICIPATION and EXPECTATION of a resolution to disruption/conflict; Barthes theory of codes of encourage the audience to seek answers and clues to make them anticipate outcomes.

These ‘codes’ were identified as: Enigma Code Action code Semantic Code Symbolic Code Cultural Code

Barthes-Enigma Code Enigma codes are narratives set up as puzzles to be solved portraying

a sense of mystery to engage the audience within a particular sense or sequence.

Images such as the ones portrayed makes the audience questions like: How did they get into such state? Is it air-born? Is it deathly? Are they

dead or alive? Can they recover? Etc.

Barthes-Action Code Action Codes are codes of behaviour which leads the audience

to expect certain consequences based on other films or genres and their conventions.

Opening title sequence-Dawn of the Dead- 2004 Horror Films

Action- A possessed/infected person is held down on a hospital bed.

Assumption- The nurses and doctors are going to use the captured person as experiments to try and cure or resolve this problem.

Barthes- Semantic Code

Semantic codes shows connotative meanings of characters, objects, locations etc.

The same features are presented in iconographic features and experience about these denotations and connotations.

An example of this would be:

Romance Horror

Red in romance films are seductive.

Red in Horror films are deathly.

Barthes-Symbolic Code Symbolic codes can be seen as binary opposites. Symbolic

features often signify oppositions and create juxtapositions. For example: Short and Tall, Day and Night. In this case, it’s between the sane people who are not infected

and the people who are infected and therefore turned to zombies.

The ‘zombies’ The normal and sane people.

Barthes: Cultural Code Cultural codes are outside the text and often refers to things within popular

culture within historical events.

An example of this would be the health during the times of the war period and therefore there was a fascination about keeping alert and the constant watch of the news.

Narrative - Structure The opening sequence is structured in a non linear

format. Its not a whole narrative but its an enigma It is presented in segments, showing the changes

in time and the locations

Enigmas

Why is this person like this? What caused this? How did they become like ? Were they contaminated ?

Narrative Theory –Propp

Propp’s theory couldn’t be applied to our opening sequence as many of his features hadn’t taken place within the opening sequence

Narrative theory

Cameron

Cameron’s theory couldn’t be linked into this opening sequence because:• It doesn’t have split screens or flash backs or flash

forwards