Romero created Night of the Living Dead, a revolutionary zombie horror to those that preceded, and influenced those that followed. Common codes and conventions which fit the zombie horror genre consist of confined spaces, whether in a house, graveyard or generally somewhere in which the victims struggle to escape. Night time tends to be when the zombies come out, and they usually move in a similar manner, of rigid movements, groaning with wide eyes and slightly gormless expressions. Clothing is commonly ripped, but will be of noticeable human clothing, which links the thought of them previously being alive, but now changed into the living dead.
Night of the Living Dead [George A Romero] 1968Romeros film is a low budget zombie horror, which goes against the traditional zombie that had already been created in various films that came before. Filmed in black and white, this is a classic film in the creation of zombie horrors today.
Opening with an establishing shot, of a long and winding road, with a car driving along. An Image Ten Production over the top of the shot in white, sans serif font. This goes against common horror films which typically use serif fonts to signify the genre of horror.
The shot changes as the car leaves the shot to a continuity shot of the car driving on another part of the road. Titles are then shown over the top of the footage of the car driving. The choice of font for the title is quite unusual, with night being in a serif font, but the with an outline effect rather than standard text. of the living dead is then typed in bold capitals, normal font. This emphasises the night, which is commonly scary and used as a main time period for horror films.
For the rest of the 2 minutes, credits show on screen as the car drives along, ending up at a graveyard. A common location in zombie horrors, as they commonly come out of their graves at night.
A sense of narrative enigma is created as it takes so long to find out who is in the car. But at 2.20 finally there is a shot of the two people in the car. However this seems to be the start of the main part of the film as opposed to the opening sequence. Throughout the opening sequence the non diegetic sound has been slow and sinister, which sets the atmosphere of the location being creepy.
This would not be an effective opening sequence for my film if I was to do something similar, as there is no variation of shots and angles. So I carried on watching the film, and here is a basic outline of the next few minutes of the film.
The brother and sister pull up at a graveyard, to put a new wreath on their fathers gravestone. There is a particular emphasis on the males annoyance of having to drive so far to do such a pointless thing.
As they get out the car, the radio turns on, stating that there has been a technical fault, which suggests foreshadowing that something is wrong.
Whilst planting the wreath, thunder and lightening can be heard, a use of pathetic fallacy. The brother then reminisces of when they were younger and he used to scare her, then realising she is still scared of being at the graveyard. He jokes about someone going to get them, and then a 'man' that can be seen in the background in various shots, attacks the girl as they walk through the graveyard. Trying to save her, the male jumps him, wrestling with the zombie. He is taken to the ground and hits his head on a gravestone. The zombie then turns to the female and she runs away. In the chase seen, there is an emphasis on non-diegetic sound, which builds up tension but takes out diegetic sound which loses some of the verisimilitude to the situation.
The Evil Dead. [Sam Raimi] 1982Budget: $350,000 Gross: $2,400,000 (USA) $29,400,000 (Worldwide)
In 1982, The Evil Dead won the Clavell de Plata Award for best special effects. In 1983, the film won the Saturn Award for best low budget film.
Trivia: The opening shot across the pond was filmed by Sam Raimi in a dingy whilst actor Bruce Campbell pushed him.
Most of the demon POVs were filmed by putting a camera on a 2X4 with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell ran along holding either side
Opening with titles on screen in red serif font, Renaissance Pictures Production and the film title.
Cross fade to a continuous tracking shot, traveling along a swamp - creates a creepy atmosphere for the opening. The non-digetic sound is slow and tense. Jump cut to a car driving along, shot through the trees. Audio bridge of a girl singing - creating narrative enigma.
Cut to a close up two shot of a girl singing and the driver of the car. Cut to shot of the people in the back and close up of the other male. Cut to high angle shot of the car driving, again through trees, signifying being watched. Jump cut back to the movement along the ground, now traveling across leaves.
Jump cut back to the female singing, driver joins in. Back to the movement in the woods.
The use of diegetic and non diegetic sound contrasts against each other, girls voice being light hearted and the sound of movement and non diegetic sound over the top feels quite sinister. Overall creates a build up of tension.
Cut back to inside of the car and quick cut to the car breaking around a corner. Which creates a bit of a false scare as you expect something bad to happen with the screech of the breaks.
Cut to the movement in the trees, now picking up its pace.
Jump cut to a red truck driving along the same kind of road as the car.
Cut to inside the car - first bit of speech - asking where they are. Gives exposition into the location of the film.
Jump cut to the thing in the forest, which is moving faster each time it cuts to it.
Cut back to the red truck, back to the map reader, cut to the driver looking back, cut to the woods, dutch angle of the truck. - a fast sequence of editing, building up the tension. Over which diegetic sound of the map reader is trying to work out where they are. Cut to the woods, close up dutch angle of the truck - a common signifier that somethings not right, in this situation can signify danger.
Cut to the map reader, cut to high angle shot of the car though the trees, cut to close up of the map and the guy saying here as he points. Quick cut to steering wheel, diegetic sound of swerving and honk of truck. Low angle shot through the gap of the steering wheel with the driver and 2 characters in shot.
Colin [Marc Price] 2008
Production Company: Nowhere Fast Productions
Distribution Companies: Kaleidoscope (UK) Walking Shadows (USA)
Box Office Figures: $798 (UK) (1 Screen)
Storyline - "Our hero Colin is bitten by a Zombie; he dies and returns from the dead. We follow him as he wanders through suburbia during the throes of a cadaverous apocalypse."
£45 budget, 97 minutes.
The opening production logo was animated white text on black background, a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound over the top, linking it in with the film. Following is yellow text on screen, in capital serif font 'a nowhere fast films production' Diegetic sound of car alarms and fireworks over the production titles, which then cut out as the first shot comes on screen of the front door. There is slight camera shake. The shot lasts for just under 60 seconds, of a person coming through the door and leaning against it, out of breath and shouting 'Damien'. It then pans and tracks the male into the kitchen where he stands staring out of the window, listening to the diegetic sound of what is outside. First cut is just after 3 minutes, to a close up of his face showing his emotion, disgust. The opening sequence consists of 6 cuts in the first 4 1/2 minutes, which creates a very slow paced opening, but allows the viewer to take in all that is on screen, emotions, mise en scene, etc.
Carriers [Alex&David Pastor] 2009
Distributors: Paramount Vantage (USA)
Box Office Figures: $90,820 (USA) £69,224 (UK)
Storyline - "In a world devastated by an outbreak, Brian, his girlfriend Bobby, his brother Danny and their friend, Kate, are heading to a beach where the brothers spent their childhood vacations expecting it to be a sanctuary. When their car breaks down on the road in the desert, they negotiate with a man called Frank, who is also stranded but without gas. He is trying to get his daughter Jodie to the hospital (she is infected with a disease of some kind), they all decide to travel together." [IMDB]
The opening sequence, after the production logos and text, begins with an old home video of the two protagonists when they were younger on a beach. We later find out that this is where they are heading to in the film, and gives an insight to their childhood. Along with the non diegetic music, this opening creates a dream like memory of which has changed dramatically. Lasting 90 seconds.
The way in which it changes from this scene into the current time is through a pan up to the sky, and then changes to the next scene as it continues panning through the sky, ending upside down shot as a car comes closer, then carrying on and turning right way round again as the car drives on. This is an unusual way of changing setting, but is visually interesting. The non diegetic sound blends over the music of the last shot as the panning of the sky came down to the road, and there is a binary opposition of music tastes, from piano to heavy guitar. A series of shots of the outside of the car and inside gives exposition into characters and what they are doing - 4 young adults going surfing. Mise en scene of cigarettes and beer are stereotypical of this age range. By 2 minutes, the opening has shown some background information on possibly 2 characters. Also given a little bit of an insight into the main characters, - the guy playing 20 questions is probably cleaver as the girl takes a guess that who he is thinking of is a politician. The driver is drink driving therefore a bit of a rebel. However there is no clear anchorage in the opening that this is a horror film.
28 Days Later [Danny Boyle]
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