Dawn of the Dead & RocknRolla - Opening Credits Analysis

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G2YAtFeVOM

Camerawork:

• They use a montage of different clips showing different setting featuring a large panic of people. This use of a montage creates the impression of chaos because all of these clips are about 3 seconds long, so putting them all together makes the audience feel in a panic, due to what is being shown on the screen.

• Some of the clips are of news broadcasts about a certain epidemic/zombie apocalypse. This gives of an impression of anxiety and importance for the audience. This is because news broadcasts are usually shown to show important stories which can affect the entire world, therefore making the audience feel nervous and anxious as to whether they are in danger or not.

Mise-en-scene:

• Throughout the entirety of the opening credits, they use dull lighting to create an impression of eeriness. This use of dull lighting creates an impression of eeriness because dull and low key lighting has connotations of death and general darkness (in the sense of horror darkness), so this use of dull lighting sets the atmosphere for the entire movie.

• The setting for the opening credits of Dawn of the Dead are in America, more specifically Washington DC, the capital of the USA. This setting gives the impression of importance to the audience because Washington DC is one of the most important cities in the entire world, so having this city in a sense of danger makes the audience feel uncomfortable because the city that makes the world important is in danger so they feel in danger as well.

Editing:

• The credits that they have are in a bold font, making them stand out from the chaotic montage that is playing in between. The use of bold credits makes the audience feel uncomfortable because bold credits have connotations of importance and danger, therefore making the audience feel uncomfortable with what is about to happen

• The colour of the credits are in red, matching the atmosphere of the film. The colour of the credits make the audience feel anxious because the colour red has connotations with death, murder and anger, therefore making the audience feel uncomfortable because they feel unsafe with the amount of danger in the film.

Sound:

• The music playing throughout the entirety of the film is Johnny Cash's "The man comes to town". This song makes the audience feel worried because some of the lyrics included in the song include: "There's a man goin' 'round takin' names." and "When the man comes around.", which implies that the "man" being referenced in the song is death itself/the grim reaper, giving the impression of uncertainty and anxiety for the audience.

• At the beginning of the opening sequence, they use a soundscape of a variety of different chaotic sounds, such as: screams, muffled sounds, chants and news conferences. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable because hearing a variety of different sounds will not allow them to focus on the visuals of the opening sequence, getting distracted by the different sounds, therefore feeling anxious and uncomfortable.

RocknRolla (2008)

Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6S5CM7C7-g

Camerawork:

• During the actor's credits, they zoom in on major stars, or important characters featured in the film, such as: Gerald Butler; Thandie Newton; and Tom Hardy. This makes the audience invested in the film because they are highlighting  key characters and high profile actors featured in the film, making the audience feel excited about who's featuring in the film.

• At the beginning of the opening sequence, they use a zoom in shot on the main character (played by Gerald Butler) with his back towards the audience/camera. This makes the audience feel anxious because they are awaiting what is about to happen, whether it be impactful or not a lot.

Mise-en-scene:

• The colour saturation for the majority of the opening sequence is in the colour scheme of brown and black and is portrayed in a very gritty and dull. This implies that this film is of the western genre because generically, western films are portrayed in a gritty style, making the audience feel anxious at every moment of the film, which is how this opening sequence is playing out.

• The props used in the opening sequence include a bong and guns. This gives off the impression of worry and danger. This is because guns have connotations of action and death, making the audience feel worried because they don't want their favourite actor or character to die, making them feel anxious throughout the film.

Editing:

• They use a montage towards the beginning of the film, showing 2 or 3 second long shots of drug use, alcohol use and sex. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable because they wouldn't have been expecting to see something that graphic that early on in the film. Also, it sets the audience up for what they can expect throughout the entire film, implying that there will be sections of graphic content in the film.

• At the end of the opening credits, they use a dissolve from the actor's credits into a shot of the character of Archie, who is implied to be the narrator of the film. This suggests that he will appear throughout moments of the film, enhancing important moments of the film.

Sound:

• Throughout the credits (from start to finish), there is a prominent strong guitar beat playing. This suggests that this is a masculine film because a generic guitar sound has connotations of being on country songs or western songs, making the audience feel comfortable watching a strong film with a strong message.

• The narrator's voice is very low, implying that he is from East End London. This suggests that this will be a dramatic film because the east end or "cockney" accent has associations with drama and danger, making the audience excited with what they will show.