Other zombie movie introductions

Day of the Dead (2008):
The film opens with titles, very basic, with a black background and red digital style credits. The use of titles has been used in film less and less. Although a good title could become famous (such as in reservoir dogs) and can help to build the tension surrounding the film, it also breaks up the action, slowing the pace. The typical audience of a zombie movie mainly has a need for action. Although tension does build the viewers enjoyment level, it is action they really crave. This is why a prominent opening title screen was not used in my production.

House of the Dead:
House of the Dead is a popular video game, and in this conversion of the games into a feature length film, the main element is pure cheesiness. The characters are introduced via freeze fame with a voiceover giving a basic explanation of each character and their backgrounds. This removes the mystery and disposes of the need of storytelling. This method can be seen as skipping all of the hard parts of a narrative so I decided not to include this in Biotoxic either. The cheesiness of the film comes to a climax when the island they go to is called the island of the dead by an old fisherman. This method succeeds in making the film laughable and amateurish. It does not draw you in. I decided that a cheesy movie was not the best way to create my film.

Dawn of the Dead:
The last of the classic title “…of the dead” zombie movies. This title has been overused so I did not use this for my piece. Dawn of the dead begins with a long introduction, giving a bit of back-story to the characters. As with other films the main character is introduced very early on. Despite a slow beginning the action soon begins. The young couple are asleep in bed when a girl appears at the door. This is the first use of a child as the outbreak of the virus. What this film does really well is show the juxtaposition between ideal the suburb shown at first to the destruction and chaos of the outside wild after the outbreak. I attempted to make this one of the prominent features of my film as I believe this is the reason that Dawn of the Dead has become of the most popular zombie movies ever.

Night of the living dead (remake):
The film opening is set in the traditional setting of a graveyard, enveloped in mist in an attempt to increase the tension. Naturalistic lighting effects are used to portray realism to the viewer, helping to drag the audience in. Dramatic irony is also used to help build the tension. The man is trying to scare the woman with tales of monsters in the graveyard. This Ironic as the audience know they have come to see a zombie film and they understand that the very thing he is joking about will very soon become real. The thing I liked the most about this film is the natural feel that you get from it. I attempted to recreate this by using no unnatural lights, except during the news report, seeing as this is meant to take place inside a studio.

28 weeks later:
The introduction of 28 weeks later is a very good example of building tension quickly and putting action early on in the film. The lighting is low, dark and unnatural, from candles. This creates a spooky atmosphere. The characters are then rapidly introduced. It is hard to tell which, if any, we be the main character. When a child appears at the door they have an argument over weather to let him. The use of a child as the cause is a common tool used in this style of movie. The innocence and fragility of the child clearly contrasts the brutality of a zombie. If I had correct resources Biotoxic’s first zombie would also be a child. However, due to the fact I could not get a child, or willing parent, to take his place, Raff was forced to take the role of lead zombie. This clearly introduces the fact that there is indeed something wrong. When they do let the child in the zombies appear. The characters know what is going on and seem at least partially prepared. As the characters die off it soon becomes clear who is the main as it is he that is the only survivor. My cast was not large enough to allow for a group of survivors with which I could show some grisly deaths without having to cut down on my zombie horde, so instead I settled on a lone survivor.

Resident evil apocalypse:
The main factor that is used to good effect in Resident evil is the use of camera work. Where appropriate shots are faced paced, with close ups of extreme violence being quickly cut to another scene happening close by. However, over use in quick shots simply confuse the viewer (a common problem in the Bourne series) and so the director brakes up the action with some tracking shots of the main character. This acts as an establishing shot for the audience as well as giving a good overview of whatever carnage is happening on screen. I attempted to use many of these camera styles, and am particularly happy with a p.o.v/tracking shot from the point of view of a zombie.