Sunday, 28 October 2012

Zombieland Title Sequence


The title sequence to the film Zombieland, shows miniature clips from the film. The clips used show graphic sections to the scene, and mainly show humans running away from blood-thirsty looking zombies.

Zombieland is about "A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, and a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the Last Twinkie and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America." - IMDb.com


The main colour used for the typography is red. This connotes death and danger, which is true to the film, as the film shows blood and gore throughout. Also, the typography in the title sequence is fixated to certain parts of the scenery in the shot. For example, at the start, the words "Columbia Pictures presents" is fixed to look like it is attached to the building  as it faces the same direction and slanted the same way as the building. Also, the typography moves as if it has been hit by something, which shows panic and as if someone has run into it due to rushing away from the zombies. 

The music used for the title sequence is what could be classed as heavy metal. The use of this type of music genre, adds to the fast pace of the characters. It also contrasts with the way it has been edited, as everything is in slow motion, yet the music makes it appear that the film should be fast paced. The music also connotes danger, as it is usually associated with scenes that have car chases or on foot chasing. It is also usually used in crime drama television shows - which involve death and violence. 

In each of the shots in the title sequence, there is some sort of blood. Also, there is normally a character running away from a zombie, with panic and fear on their faces. By the scenery  you can tell that the film is set in a town/city location, due to the amount of shops and people. By the apparel, you can also tell that it is set in present times. Also, each location in the title sequence, has either violence or someone about to die. Just by the first scene, you can tell the film will involve death, as someone is falling to their definite death. The scene after confirms the fact that the film involves death and violence, due to the way the may is spitting up blood, and the cuts and bruises on his face.

By making the entire sequence feature in slow motion, emphasizes each scene, and draws more attention to the detail trying to be communicated. For example, instead of having each scene fast paced, which is what I expected, it allows the audience to view the scenes for longer periods of time, and allows them to look around the scene more and absorb more of what is going on in the film. The use of the slow motion, also contrasts with the film itself, as the characters are clearly in a rush to get away from the zombies, but the editing makes it appear as if they are not moving. It could also connote that the humans do not stand a chance against the zombies, due to the fact that the slow motion could represent them not escaping in time.

The camera angles are mostly close-ups or wide shots. The use of these two camera angles, allow the audience to see what is being shown in the sequence. The close-ups show more details and emotions on the characters face, and allow the viewer to understand the kind of situation they are in at that moment in time. Also, the use of wide shots also allow the audience to see more of what is happening in the shot, and in some cases, allows them to see things that the characters might not be able to see (if they are turned away).

Overall, the title sequence as a whole, communicates the fact that the human population is in trouble by a zombie attack. It also reveals that the film will involve lots of gore and bloody scenes, and involve death and comedic moments, as the bridge tries to kill the husband.

Thursday, 25 October 2012

Continuity Sequence



Continuity Sequence

What went well

These are the things that I thought went well, such as: I think as a whole, we worked well as a group. We all helped by sharing our ideas, contributing while filming by creating dialogue, the acting and doing camera work and as a whole, got on well. I also thought that the way the sequence came together was good, as I thought it would appear to be too jumpy. The actress' worked well together as well, making the video seem more realistic, and not revealing too much about what is about to happen in the video.

What could have been improved

There were some parts of the video that could have been improved, such as: even though the video as a whole was good, there were a few minor jumpy sections. For example, when Kate sits down, the camera paused, and moved a little, then resumed to the same places. This did not need to happen, and the camera could have stayed in the same position. 


What I have learnt

I have learnt that, I should leave a few seconds before stopping the recording to allow space to cut the ending off, as it could cut some of the dialogue if its cut too quickly. Also, I have learnt how to work final cut pro, and how to use the basic editing features like cropping parts off a video clip. Finally, I also learnt how to film certain camera angles, and to follow the 180 degree rule.