Shaun of The Dead: (Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg 2004) Title sequence deconstruction.

Titles: The title sequence starts after three to four minutes of dialogue between the main characters. It then fades to a tracking shot of a man pushing trolleys whilst Universal Pictures Studiocanal and working title films rolls. Then it cuts to a tracking shot of a lady at a till with A WT squared production title. After this it crosses over to a tracking shot of people waiting for the bus whilst another title rolls. And finally the tile of the movie Shaun of the Dead is written on the street floor whilst another tracking shot passes by. All these scenarios are very common in day to day life. It gives the film a very realistic and mundane feel. It gives the sense that all is normal and makes the viewer question what is the worst that could happen?

Sound: The opening sequence begins with the audience being cut to a black screen hearing the song Ghost Town by The Specials. This is a very spooky sounding song and alludes to the title of the film. This song also represents the 1970s and youth culture. As Ghost town reaches the start of the speech a last orders bell in the pub cuts in and we are greeted with the blank expressionless face of Simon Pegg. During all this Ghost Town is being played in the background of the pub on the juke box. This music also sets up the Zombie thriller feel with its haunting melody which will carry on through the rest of the film. The dialogue is shared between the main characters. The camera then cuts to another main character playing on a fruit machine with diegetic fruit machine sounds. As this character continues to play he gets angry with the game and starts to progressively hit the buttons harder and harder as he swears. This is where we hear a diegetic button mashing sound. After more dialogue is shared

between all of the characters an off screen character shouts and proceeds to throw a packet of nuts at the main characters face. This is emphasised by the crushing sound of food packaging. Then more dialogue is shared. During an intimate scene, where the main character discusses their relationship, the man tries to hide his mouthful of peanuts by only chewing when the woman is not looking. This is where a non-diegetic sound FX has been added in to add to the comedic value. Throughout the whole pub scene the odd clank of snooker balls is heard to remind the viewer that they are in a pub. Finally the last orders bell is heard again and Ghost town starts to fade in. As we roll into the title sequence switch I have previously mentioned a kitsch jazz organ comes in with a bouncy uplifting beat soon to be accompanied by tormented la las whilst the camera tracks through the different everyday scenarios.

Editing: As the sponsors fade Ghost Town starts to play and is soon cut off by a loud pub bell. It then cuts to a shot of the man characters face whilst he finishes a pint. The pub scene afterwards consists of continuous crosscutting discussion talk between the groups of main characters only to be broken up by an odd long shot. E.g. when one character is on the fruit machine and when the same character orders drinks. Towards the end of the pub scene the pub bell rings again whilst Ghost Town shortly fades in and is cut off gain by the pub bell. It then cuts to the shots from the tile sequence firstly being the old man pushing the trolleys then as the camera tracks it crossfades to a supermarket ladies at their tills and again to people waiting at the bus stop using the same cross fading method. Finally it cross fades to a backstreet full of zombie like youths. This is when the title of the film has been added in towards the bottom of the screen to give the illusion that it is on the road in front of them. This was done post production.

Camerawork: From the bell the camera slowly tracks away from the main characters face as he stares into the lense. From this, as previously mentioned the groups of character start dialogue about their relationship. This involves crosscutting to and from the characters faces. This is broken up firstly when the camera pans quickly from the main characters face to his best friend on the fruit machine. This is followed by a long shot of all 3 characters. After this it cuts back to the dialogue which now includes the whole group. Throughout this dialogue an odd over the-shoulder shot is thrown in to help break up the cross cutting. Finally as he takes a sip from his pint the camera tracks back in on his face and a bell is heard again. This mirrors the start of the sequence and helps give it a cyclical feel. As the titles roll the camera tracks from left to right for each scenario. The first being in a car park where a man pushes trolleys. The second is of a supermarket with rows and rows of cashiers. Thirdly it is of people standing in a line at the bust stop. Finally it tracks to a crowd of teenagers walking down a road in zombie style doing the same actions. All these scenes are foreshadowing the events which are to come later in the film. Mise-en-scene: The pub is authentic and gives it a realistic feel to the audience with such things as speech being heard from extras in the background as well as the landlord shouting out and the ringing of the bell for last orders. You can also hear such things as the smashing of glasses and the noise on the pinball machine. People sat in the background at old wooden tables with the smoky haze lingering around the lights making it harder to see. You also see things you would expect such as glasses, beer mats and old pictures on the wall. The tile scenes also follow this generic ideal. Conclusion: Overall I like the way in which the conversations were very comical and snappy with other people commenting on the main characters relationship. Throughout this sequence there is a little indication that hints at the genre of the film, namely Zombie comedic gore. I would aim to use this sly, witty foreshadowing to help add depth to my own film.