1. Media - Analysing The Walking
Dead opening sequence
Hossameldin Elrayes

2. Micro features
Consists of:
• Cinematography
• Mise en scene
• Editing including sound
• What elements make this opening engaging for
an audience?

3. Cinematography
• The opening introduces the main characters
• For example, the first photo of a person we see is the
main characters in the news paper with the word
“Shot”.
• This creates an enigma code and make it more
interesting for the audience.
• Then we see a pan shot of an abandoned pharmacy,
which states to the audience that the main character is
injured in some way.

4. Cinematography
• All the shots are either Pans or zooms out.
• Plus, all the shots last for a maximum of a two second
period and they are all urban. This tells us that the
setting is in the city.
• This is to shock the viewer because if the image was
left on for long enough, the viewer would get used to
it.
• http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-walking-deadseasons-1-2/

5. Mise en scene
•
This is flowed by two other main characters. One’s picture with broken glass frame
and the other’s is under the rubble.
•
After the shot of the main character, we then a series of abandoned places, which
were a house and a caravan, which are also enigma codes and then an abandoned
child’s teddy bear.
•
The abandoned toy could say to the audience that the owner of the teddy bear
was either pulled away in a rush or something could have happened to them.
•
This is because children don’t usually leave their toys anywhere.
•
This is then answered by an image of crows eating
flesh off the teddy later.

6. Editing including sound
• The type of music they use is called staccato.
• Staccato music means it uses short notes and
short notes are usually associated with
thrillers.
• There are also a very high pitched base.

7. What elements make this opening
engaging for an audience?
• The enigma codes made by showing the audience
abandoned places makes them ask themselves
questions such as “what happened?”.
• There is also an enigma code when the audience
see the pictures of the main characters.
• This makes them wonder if the characters will live
or die.

8. Setting
• We know it is set in the city because the
images of abandoned places are found in the
city
• For example the abandoned roads.

9. Narrative/Theme
• Since it is called “The Walking Dead”, this says
that the theme is about zombies.
• The main character is wearing a police
uniform which tells us that he is a police
officer.
• Plus, the teddy bear story is covered in one of
the episodes.
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59c842hVxD4