opening sequence analysis - the walking dead

1. ANALYSIS OF
OPENING SEQUENCE -
THE WALKING
DEAD
AMELIA PICKERING

2. OVERVIEW
• The Opening title sequence to The Walking Dead
immediately gives the audience an insight into the films
main theme of the apocalypse.
• It is directed by Frank Darabont who gives the opening a
unique flare that grasps the audience using suspense and
tension. He and the title designer immediately set the tone
of the series as the horror/thriller that it is, shown in the
distorted decaying typography.
• The camera pan over lots of establishing shots which
reply on setting to portray the concept of the series. In my
opinion, this is one of the more well-made opening
sequences to a horror/thriller, as it experiments with a
range of shots and editing techniques and uses setting to
describe the lives of characters.

3. GENRE
The introduction of the abandoned cars,
derelict houses and dark lighting
immediately enforces the horror genre,
due to the connotations of alienation and
death. This is one of the main themes in
the film due to the apocalypse and the
audience is made aware of this, achieving
the aims of an opening sequence.
We see mise en scene such as the zombie
eye which enforces the horror genre.
The title of the film also highlights the
horror genre as it looks as if it is decaying
like the Zombies.
Because of these horror elements, it Is
likely to be aimed at a target audience of
young adults.
The editing uses jump cuts and sudden
movement which shocks the audience,
putting them on edge, and enforcing the
thriller genre.

4. INSTITUTIONS
The institutions that were involved in The walking dead are widely
known for series associated with horror themes. As it is a TV drama
it is presented by AMC and the executive producers are Robert
Kirkman, David Alpert, Gale Hurd and Glen Mazara.

5. THEMES AND TYPOGRAPHY
• The opening sequence explores the
theme of isolation and the horror genre
in his lack of characters and shots of
setting.
• The use of abandoned settings and no
characters, makes the audience feel
isolated and uneasy, fitting with the
horror genre.
• The typography used is black and bold
to convey the dark nature of the series,
with actors names in bold to highlight
significance.
• ‘The Walking Dead’ is shown in
yellowing brown letters as if it is
decaying, representing the zombies in
the series.
• The colours chosen in the opening
sequence are dark and dimly lit,
creating the mood and atmosphere fit
for a thriller/horror.

6. MUSIC BY BEAR
MCCREARY
The staccato music uses short
notes that are usually associated
with thrillers, which add a
uneasy, jumpy tone to the
opening sequence. This puts the
audience on edge as the sudden
loud notes cause them to jump.
This is effective as it is a thriller,
but also makes them want to
watch the rest of the episode to
find out what is going to happen.

7. MISE EN SCENE
Despite the walking dead not being a film, I decided to include it in my
research as it fits in with my chosen genre very well, and includes lots of
similar shots that I am hoping to include in my own opening sequence.
In the opening sequence of the walking dead There are lots of close up
focusing hugely on mise en scene. This lets the audience know the
genre of the series due to the arrows fitting in with violence and horror. In
my sequence I will focus on mise on scene and plan carefully what I
include in frames, so it has the desired effect on the audience.

8. NARRATIVE ENIGMA
I want to make my opening sequence stand out to an audience, so I
will include a narrative enigma to make them question why something
is happening. For example, in The Walking Dead, time is a very big
part of both the footage and editing as the speed of frames are
increased, reinforced by each shot panning onto the next. This makes
the audience question why it appears everything it going so fast
(representative of time, and how long the apocalypse has been going
on for).

9. EDITING
• The editing used in the opening sequence
of the walking dead is effective as it
seems to create a panic and represent
the lives of the characters being on the
run from zombies.
• The speed of frames are increased which
are then reinforced by each shot panning
onto the next. This makes the audience
question why it appears everything it
going so fast (representative of time, and
how long the apocalypse has been going
on for).
• The contrast and colours of scenes have
also been edited to give the sequence a
darker theme. This connotes death and
the struggle the characters face in the
series.

10. SETTING
The setting is very important in the opening sequence of the
walking dead as it informs the reader about the lives the characters
have been living. The flashing of the dark eye scenes mixed with
the mattresses, shows the extremes of being on the run for their
lives, and highlights the horror genre to the audience. In my
opening sequence I will ensure I focus on setting to get fit with
genre and get the desired effect from an audience.

11. CHARACTERS
One of my favorite elements of the walking dead's opening
sequence is the introduction of the main characters. In my previous
videos I have found that finding Actors for scenes has been
difficult, so in my opening sequence I will use footage with minimal
dialogue. In the walking dead characters are introduced through
broken and ripped photographs, again giving the feeling of a
mysterious apocalyptic world.

12. TITLE
The title in walking dead is also effective as it looks like it is
decaying. This hints to the audience about the zombie horror
theme of the series. In my opening sequence I will try to include
some form of typography that fits in with my chosen genre.

13. SHOTS AND MOVEMENT
It is clear from this opening sequence that this horror/thriller (which is
widely loved and has been popular for many years) is a great
example to help influence my opening sequence. There are lots of
establishing shots, long shots and close-ups which all set the scene
and add tension for the audience. Movement in this opening
sequence is minimal, however there is a lot of time editing which gives
the fast paced effect. This has influenced me and I feel I have more
ideas when it comes to planning my opening sequence.

14. CREDITS
• The titles do not move or fly onto the
screen they appear to always be there,
boldly visible. This could represent how
the characters are stuck and unable to
move anywhere.
• The speed at which the titles appear on
the screen increases as it progresses. This
shows how throughout their lives on the
run, it is becoming increasingly difficult to
survive.
• I believe watching and analysing this
opening sequence has helped me
understand what I need to include in mine
because I now have a better knowledge of
what credits to include to make mine more
authentic and believable.

15. MY FINAL PIECE
This title sequence is effective at using a range of camera shots
and mise en scene which links directly with the horror genre,
similar to those I plan to use in my final piece.
There is a lack of camera movement in this sequence to
represent how the lives of the characters are stuck in limbo.
However in my opening sequence I will try to experiment with a
range of movement in order to meet the marking criteria.
The use of building suspense by not introducing characters until
later on in the sequence is effective, and I will use something
similar in my own.
The soundtrack used in this sequence is also effective at creating
tension and adding suspense, due to the staccato. To achieve the
thriller genre in my own sequence I will build the instruments to
form a crescendo similarly to this.