Zombieland (2009) is an American Zombie-Comedy, starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Adventureland), Emma Stone, (Superbad, Easy A) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, My Sisters Keeper), directed by Ruben Fleischer. It is about four misfit American citizens, who end up going on a road trip together, to find a zombie free sanctuary. It is the top grossing zombie film ever made, in the United States.
The beginning begins with what appears to be a normal American flag, at a close up shot. The sound in the background is a distorted version of the American National Anthem, which plays all the way through this short pre-title sequence. A voice over begins, and the camera zooms out and flips around. We are now aware that the flag we were looking at was upside down, on an upturned presidential vehicle. The shot zooms out and we now have a master shot of the White House. This could connotate that literally thanks to this virus their world, has been turned upside down in more than one way. Then the shot zooms out, and zooms out until we have a shot of an apocalyptic world, that is on fire.
We then have a crane shot, of a football field. The camera sweeps in and there is a medium two shot of a zombie chasing after a man. The voice over continues and talks about "rules" to follow in Zombieland, The camera then returns to a crane shot, and the word "Cardio" appears. This kind of rule appearing in, a subtitle kind of way, appears throughout the film when necessary, and is animated by the appropriate thing that is happening in the film. The text is 3D. It makes the film seem game like, and connotates the fact, that surviving in Zombieland, is like a game. As the zombie gets closer, and catches the man, there is a close up of the zombie eating the man.
There is then a master shot of a rainy, American town. You think that this town, might not have been effected by the zombie's yet, but then two cars crash in the shot, disturbing the peace, as the Zombie's come out and begin chasing people. The shot spins round and you see further havoc. There is a long shot, of what seems like a regular police man, until he gets hit by a car, and the shot turns into a medium shot and you can see that the police man is a zombie too. He chases a woman and there is a two shot as she shoots him. As she shoots him, the second rule "Double Tap" appears. There is a close up of the woman's face, to show her upset, at almost being killed. The camera switched round and there is a close up of the zombie, as he awakes and starts eating the woman. The voice over still continues.
Another master shot follows this scene. It is of a bathroom. There is then a low angle shot, of a man sitting on the toilet. The fact that the shot, is a low angle, could show that he is the victim and inferior, to the zombies, or that something bad is going to happen to him. There is a close up of a zombie's face appearing underneath the toilet door. There is a shot reverse shot, and a close up of the man's face as he screams, and the zombie approaches. The master shot we had at the beginning of the scene appears almost the same, but from a different angle, with the zombie's legs poking out from under the toilet door and there is loads of blood. The rule "Beware of Bathrooms" appears.
The setting changes again. We have a medium shot of a woman sitting in her car, frantically crying and trying to start the car. The shot then becomes a master and, it is of a suburb and a childrens party. There is a close up of the woman trying to close the window as quick as she can. Then zombie children appear, banging up the windows, and there is a selection of medium and close up shots. There is a medium shot of the woman screaming, and the camera zooms into the face of a zombie child. There is then a medium shot of the back of the car, and you can see further zombie children hanging on to the car and the car starts up. The camera swings round to the right, as the woman begins to drive off, and the children stay holding onto the car. The car then, is acptured in a long shot, and the children are still hanging on as the woman builds up speed. They fall off, and there is a close up of the woman's face as she becomes relieved that she has escaped them. She carries on driving, and there is a close up of a toy in the front of the car. The shot zooms out and you can see the woman, not concentrating and looking at the toy, in a medium shot. There is a master shot of some cross roads, and a yellow truck blows its horn, as the woman crashes into the side of the truck, and is catapulted out of the car, through the windscreen. The woman appears to slide toward the camera, and then it flips up into a crane shot of her skidding across the floor, and the rule "Seatbelts" appears as she skids past it. There is a close up of the woman.
The titles begin, the voice over stops, and a eerie rock track begins. The titles are in red, and there are slow motion shots of zombies, and close up, medium and long ranges. They are chasing people and causing havoc. A man breaks through the Zombieland title, with a golf club which could show that the humans are starting to fight back. The titles finish with a zombie falling and smashing a windscreen, which could connotate that the zombies have disturbed the peace.
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The beginning begins with what appears to be a normal American flag, at a close up shot. The sound in the background is a distorted version of the American National Anthem, which plays all the way through this short pre-title sequence. A voice over begins, and the camera zooms out and flips around. We are now aware that the flag we were looking at was upside down, on an upturned presidential vehicle. The shot zooms out and we now have a master shot of the White House. This could connotate that literally thanks to this virus their world, has been turned upside down in more than one way. Then the shot zooms out, and zooms out until we have a shot of an apocalyptic world, that is on fire.
We then have a crane shot, of a football field. The camera sweeps in and there is a medium two shot of a zombie chasing after a man. The voice over continues and talks about "rules" to follow in Zombieland, The camera then returns to a crane shot, and the word "Cardio" appears. This kind of rule appearing in, a subtitle kind of way, appears throughout the film when necessary, and is animated by the appropriate thing that is happening in the film. The text is 3D. It makes the film seem game like, and connotates the fact, that surviving in Zombieland, is like a game. As the zombie gets closer, and catches the man, there is a close up of the zombie eating the man.
There is then a master shot of a rainy, American town. You think that this town, might not have been effected by the zombie's yet, but then two cars crash in the shot, disturbing the peace, as the Zombie's come out and begin chasing people. The shot spins round and you see further havoc. There is a long shot, of what seems like a regular police man, until he gets hit by a car, and the shot turns into a medium shot and you can see that the police man is a zombie too. He chases a woman and there is a two shot as she shoots him. As she shoots him, the second rule "Double Tap" appears. There is a close up of the woman's face, to show her upset, at almost being killed. The camera switched round and there is a close up of the zombie, as he awakes and starts eating the woman. The voice over still continues.
Another master shot follows this scene. It is of a bathroom. There is then a low angle shot, of a man sitting on the toilet. The fact that the shot, is a low angle, could show that he is the victim and inferior, to the zombies, or that something bad is going to happen to him. There is a close up of a zombie's face appearing underneath the toilet door. There is a shot reverse shot, and a close up of the man's face as he screams, and the zombie approaches. The master shot we had at the beginning of the scene appears almost the same, but from a different angle, with the zombie's legs poking out from under the toilet door and there is loads of blood. The rule "Beware of Bathrooms" appears.
The setting changes again. We have a medium shot of a woman sitting in her car, frantically crying and trying to start the car. The shot then becomes a master and, it is of a suburb and a childrens party. There is a close up of the woman trying to close the window as quick as she can. Then zombie children appear, banging up the windows, and there is a selection of medium and close up shots. There is a medium shot of the woman screaming, and the camera zooms into the face of a zombie child. There is then a medium shot of the back of the car, and you can see further zombie children hanging on to the car and the car starts up. The camera swings round to the right, as the woman begins to drive off, and the children stay holding onto the car. The car then, is acptured in a long shot, and the children are still hanging on as the woman builds up speed. They fall off, and there is a close up of the woman's face as she becomes relieved that she has escaped them. She carries on driving, and there is a close up of a toy in the front of the car. The shot zooms out and you can see the woman, not concentrating and looking at the toy, in a medium shot. There is a master shot of some cross roads, and a yellow truck blows its horn, as the woman crashes into the side of the truck, and is catapulted out of the car, through the windscreen. The woman appears to slide toward the camera, and then it flips up into a crane shot of her skidding across the floor, and the rule "Seatbelts" appears as she skids past it. There is a close up of the woman.
The titles begin, the voice over stops, and a eerie rock track begins. The titles are in red, and there are slow motion shots of zombies, and close up, medium and long ranges. They are chasing people and causing havoc. A man breaks through the Zombieland title, with a golf club which could show that the humans are starting to fight back. The titles finish with a zombie falling and smashing a windscreen, which could connotate that the zombies have disturbed the peace.
