Opening Analysis: 'Dawn of the Dead'

Analysis of the horror opening Dawn of the Dead

The opening begins with a calming pan shot of a mantle piece with family photos on it. This shot makes the audience feel safe and at home (leads them into a false sense of security) so that they are then more shocked when the action begins. There is then a zoom in shot heading towards the door which creates an enigma for the audience as we want to know its significance or what is behind it. Non-diegetic sound of violins then starts playing to build tension. A wide angle shot of the room is then taken as we see the door, which has been left ajar the whole time, suddenly begin to open. There is a slight sense of discomfort when you see a door left a jar open on the audience, it adds a sense of mystery. There is then a close up of the door as it then begins to open. Shallow focus is used so that we know this is a key moment but it also blurs the background so we only see an outline of what is left behind the door. There is then a wide angle of the two characters in bed (comfort) which juxtaposes the scary girl (discomfort) that we are about to see. There is a wide angle shot of the girl who is hidden by a shadow but a small amount of blood can be seen on her dress. This allows the audience to immediately know that she is either a victim or attacker. This continues for a few seconds to build tension and add suspense for the audience. She then steps forward into the light which reveals her blood covered mouth. We then hear diegetic sound, on-screen of the dad reacting to the sight of his daughter who assumes that she has been harmed so runs to hug her. A close-up shot then reveals the child biteing the dad in the neck which juxtaposes his exclamation 'call an ambulance' as there is then an enhanced diegetic sound of the father screaming. There is then a medium shot to capture the three characters and the mum (female so perceived as a victim) pulling the child off. There is then a shallow focus from the end of the corridor which represents the fear of the unknown. The child is pushed onto the floor towards the camera. Another shot then captures a birdseye view of the dad falling back onto the bed holding his wound on his blood stained shirt, which was once pristine white. This could be a visual representation of the exchange from innocence to corruption.

[analysed up until 1:36]