Research - Openings of Different Genres (Comedy and Zombie)

Comedy
Comedies seem to use light hearted music and jokes/physical gags in order to generate humour, which in turn would interest the audience. Often comedies use exaggeration of characteristics, sarcasm or hyperbole for comedic effect; the oldest comedies - during the silent film period - often focused on slapstick humour as they had to rely on visuals, given that there was no sound. A notable feature of feel-good-comedies is the use of narration too, this can be used for the protagonist or narrator (who is usually the protagonist) to make amusing commentary over certain events.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5cMERD5S40

The opening to Superbad is quite strange but artistic, in the sense that it doesn't fit the movie. It features a song that is quite funky, which certainly fits the visuals used; the credits are featured alongside coloured silhouettes of the main duo dancing - the credits are even in the appropriate order as discussed prior. The visuals show quite a disco dance by the duo which certainly fits the song, both giving off a 70s vibe. The reason this is strange is because the movie is set in the 2000s and doesn't appear to have any connection to the 70s culture, regardless it is artistic in the sense that it is obviously vibrant and stylish - grabbing the attention of the audience. Perhaps this is why it was done, it makes the opening memorable and catches the attention of the audience to draw them in, furthermore it's very lively and upbeat making people feel good; the idea of a comedy is that it's amusing and makes people laugh/happy and so the opening sets up the feel-good-movie of this teen comedy. This opening doesn't seem to use a narration but it certainly appears to use the light hearted music and exaggeration of dance moves to come across as a comedy.
There is a large use of transitions such as the slide/wipe and the clock/rotation transition, these work with the composition of the dancing silhouettes to make the opening seem very smooth. Additionally the effects are quite cheesy and obvious, making it again seem like the opening to a film from the 70s - even the Columbia Pictures title was edited into the opening in a grainy 70s design.
In terms of representation we see, throughout the movie, the main characters trying to be 'cool' and 'popular' when obviously they are unpopular and low in the social hierarchy, however, they try to be wild and rebellious in order to gain popularity and the 70s was certainly a time of freedom in which social norms were combated. It was a well-known period in which people would go to the disco, dance and drink, as such it seems appropriate that Superbad is showing the young people embracing this idea. On the other hand, it only goes on to perpetuate the stereotype of teenagers being rebellious party-goers, since the film is based around a party and the opening feels like one.

I believe the opening is quite good in the sense that it is bright and colourful - gaining the viewers attention. Additionally it is certainly memorable and sets a feel-good mood for the rest of the movie, although it certainly seems like it could be difficult to replicate. It would require a significant amount of artistic awareness of planning and composition.


 
Zombie
Zombie movies have had a large influence (from their initial introduction into pop culture) from George Romero who made the '...Of The Dead' series. From Romero we see the classic slow hordes of zombies that feast on brains or flesh however recent interests have focused on the idea of making zombies more scientifically-plausible, leading to developments in the genre such as fast zombies or 'infected' (who aren't necessarily reanimated corpses). It is common for Zombie films to include conventions of other genres, for example Shaun of the Dead plays off of the tropes and makes blatant references to zombie stereotypes, but the most common theme throughout the genre is the idea of survival.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdddUJWIj_M

Dawn of the Dead's opening conforms to the conventions of opening credits, crediting those involved in the normal order. It does so in a brilliantly simple way: the credits are given on a black screen to break up the clips used helping to transition between them and affect the pace. The words are in red,appearing to move like blood being sucked/slurped (given the sound effect used) and the text is placed on a black background in order to stand out better; the credits are on long enough to read but aren't on too long, they switch between footage of the world, the news, the infected (zombies) and medical imagery. These clips are short - quickening the pace of the film - but they provide exposition in regards to the collapse of society due to the zombie outbreak.
The song used is by Johnny Cash and sounds relatively upbeat but melancholy; the lyrics suggest a 'man coming around' which can either apply to soldiers coming around in order to control the situation or perhaps to death itself. The personification of death would be interesting as it would show how chaotic the world has become, people would be surrounded by death according to the opening. There is even use of screaming, growling and tearing to indicate the activity of the zombie attacks and how they act in general, giving exposition in terms of alerting the audience as to how the infection affects people. This works well with the visuals as it relates to the idea of the 'living dead' but the contrast in the pace of the song to its lyrics and what is seen during the opening seems to amplify the tragedy. In the end the song could then be seen as solemn.
Mise-en-scene is interesting as it clearly shows a variety of people - different religions and races - who are all affected by the outbreak, even the make up for the zombies is impressively realistic, further immersing the audience. The selection of clips used show news reports and the collapse of society, even at the end when the news reporter is attacked we see the final outcome for civilised society. We can infer that the world has fallen into disarray due to a lack of structure and safety, even public broadcasting and electricity would be affected. This can be shown through the editing effects which mix static with the footage and cracks in the screen, which suggest damage to live footage or that the live footage is interrupted.
The break down of society seems to affect all creeds and races which is interesting in terms of the infection, in a sense, treating people equally and affecting all humans. Romero's films deal with the concept of society's collapse but the collapse of a structure puts all survivors on even ground, the interactions between survivors could reflect their true beliefs and prejudices - for example violent actions against other survivors and why.

Personally I like this opening as it seems to correctly adhere to the conventions of an opening title sequence but also it is very good visually. The fast pace and use of different news clips shows the downfall of society and provides exposition without necessarily using commentary or narration. It even introduces the zombie outbreak as an infectious disease and even gives an action-based end that will carry on throughout the film.