Hossam - Analysing the walking dead opening sequence

Media - Analysing The Walking Dead opening sequence

Hossameldin Elrayes

Micro features

Consists of:

• Cinematography

• Mise en scene

• Editing including sound

• What elements make this opening engaging for an audience?

Cinematography

• The opening introduces the main characters

• For example, the first photo of a person we see is the main characters in the news paper with the word “Shot”.

• This creates an enigma code and make it more interesting for the audience.

• Then we see a pan shot of an abandoned pharmacy, which states to the audience that the main character is injured in some way.

Cinematography

• All the shots are either Pans or zooms out.

• Plus, all the shots last for a maximum of a two second period and they are all urban. This tells us that the setting is in the city.

• This is to shock the viewer because if the image was left on for long enough, the viewer would get used to it.

• http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-walking-dead-seasons-1-2/

Mise en scene• This is flowed by two other main characters. One’s picture with broken glass

frame and the other’s is under the rubble.

• After the shot of the main character, we then a series of abandoned places, which were a house and a caravan, which are also enigma codes and then an abandoned child’s teddy bear.

• The abandoned toy could say to the audience that the owner of the teddy bear was either pulled away in a rush or something could have happened to them.

• This is because children don’t usually leave their toys anywhere.

• This is then answered by an image of crows eating flesh off the teddy later.

Editing including sound

• The type of music they use is called staccato.

• Staccato music means it uses short notes and short notes are usually associated with thrillers.

• There are also a very high pitched base.

What elements make this opening engaging for an audience?

• The enigma codes made by showing the audience abandoned places makes them ask themselves questions such as “what happened?”.

• There is also an enigma code when the audience see the pictures of the main characters.

• This makes them wonder if the characters will live or die.

Setting

• We know it is set in the city because the images of abandoned places are found in the city

• For example the abandoned roads.

Narrative/Theme

• Since it is called “The Walking Dead”, this says that the theme is about zombies.

• The main character is wearing a police uniform which tells us that he is a police officer.

• Plus, the teddy bear story is covered in one of the episodes.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59c842hVxD4