catalogue

Catalogue

Does Edgar Wright's unique editing style make him an auteur?

Films

Item 1 - Hot Fuzz (2007)
I chose this as my focus films as it most shows Edgar Wright's signature style as both director and screenwriter. Hot Fuzz makes use of the distinctive fast edit on numerous occasions. 

The train scene shows the passage of time, moving from place to place in a comedic way which Edgar Wright has explained was one of his main purposes for the style.

The line-up scene also uses music and flashing lights quickly cutting between short shots to give an ordinary sequence the feel of an action scene. It does this by cutting approximately every second with an instant zoom to a close up accompanied by realistic but overemphasised sound effects such as the clicking of the pen top or scraping sound of pen on paper as well as flashes of light associated with a camera flash. This is obviously styled like a montage where the main characters are getting weapons ready but starting with very ordinary household equipment and the most boring aspects of police paperwork. This type of parody of a ‘tooling up’ scene is typical of Edgar Wright’s style, using the editing associated with action films but in an irreverent way. I intend to use scenes of this film in my presentation to demonstrate Wright’s auteur style.

Item 2 - Shaun of the Dead (2004)
This was one of the first big budget Edgar Wright films so this is where many of his trademarks started. This film defines the style which carries over into others and confirms Edgar Wright as an auteur.

The planning scene in SotD is useful as it involves repeated fast cuts emphasised by sound effects as the character is imagining how different plans will turn out. It is also a good example of how Wright cuts between shots, sometimes from the side as if the camera is trying to catch up with the action as with the close up of Pegg’s mug. The editing is therefore an obvious part of the story rather than incidental to the scene. This makes the movie stand out from other zombie films by adding pace and humour. I will use this clip to show how Wright’s style carries from one film to another.

Item 3 - Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2009)
I selected this film as it is not in the same series as the others and does not share all the similarities and actors. In particular, frequent collaborator Simon Pegg was not involved in the production of this film so the fact that it still contains Edgar Wright’s signature style shows it is the director who is responsible for the auteur style. It shows more of the skill and visual techniques of Edgar Wright whilst still using the same method of editing as before but in a different context.  This film is more experimental and stylised using brighter colours and noticeable on-screen text in its transitions to give to the movie much less verisimilitude to the others making it more like a cartoon or video game than real life. For example the door opening scene uses light, text and transition to a different shot to ignite the scene.

Also, Wright manages to use fast editing as a comedy tool in itself by rapidly cutting between close up shots of getting ready then a deliberate slow shot of the main character slowly struggling with his shoe laces. It therefore uses editing to emphasise his usual narrative of the awkward, imperfect hero.

The fact that this is not a British production also shows that his style can carry over to different audiences and actors.

Articles

Item 4 -  slantmagazines.com Edgar Wright interview

This interview shows how Edgar Wright sees himself and his approach to being in the comedy movie genre. Wright shows that he wants to puts as much effort in comedy as other genres. He shows how even if the genre is somewhat looked down upon, in comedy he can still have an artistic style and show his skills as an auteur. This is important as it is the way Edgar Wright uses fast cutting not just to build excitement but as parody in comedy which makes him an auteur rather than the use of similar techniques in horror or action films. He does this by adopting the cuts and close ups of an action or horror sequence and juxtaposes this with ordinary objects or unlikely heroes. In my presentation I can quote him about the comedy genre as key to defining his style.

Item 5 - https://moviepilot.com/p/edgar-wrights-visual-storytelling/4359427

This article describes the kind of editing Edgar Wright uses as a series of quick close-ups as a mini-montage to move the characters along. In his own words he explains the idea of arriving late and leaving a shot early. This is the key to his editing as the viewer is kept surprised an interested. It also explains the benefit of using fast edits to eliminate the process of characters moving from place to place and the fact that fast edits break up the rhythm of shots to make it less boring. I can quote this early on to set the scene so that my audience understands what each clip is trying to achieve.

Item 6 - http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/edgar-wright-and-the-craft-of-comedy/
I selected this item as it gives an in-depth look at Edgar Wright’s uses of editing such as mirrored transitions and wipes when moving from between shots. The article uses all of the films I am reviewing plus World’s End and mentions technical aspects of the editing, shot composition and sound effects. I can use this overview could be used to show how each clip is part of a consistent auteur style.

Item 7 - http://moviemezzanine.com/fanboy-contra-fanboy-the-genius-of-edgar-wright/
This article discusses in detail Edgar Wright’s use of editing for timing, specifically for comedic timing. The article focuses on analysis of particular scenes from Edgar Wright films so is a useful secondary research source for my presentation. It is not necessarily a balanced review but rather the view of a fan. The fact that Edgar Wright has a loyal fan base adds weight to the idea that he has a distinctive style and I will be presenting about whether his style is distinctive as a key part of the auteur definition.

Item 8  Filmmaker magazine Edgar Wright interview

This shows Edgar Wright himself and his perspective on his comedy and how his style has developed over time from his earlier stuff that would. He talks about his entire film history and how he has learned to find himself as a filmmaker. This adds useful context as it shows how he would become to be seen as an auteur.

Websites

Item 9 http://nofilmschool.com/2014/05/edgar-wright-physical-comedy-using-cinematography

This covers how Edgar Wright’s devices help with his comedy. In particular, it argues that his strength is in using every aspect of the film to be funny, the editing in particular. It also compares Wright with other comedic directors such as Woody Allen who rely more on dialogue alone. This contrast is something I will use to show how unique he is.

Item 10 Slate.com blog by Forest Wickman http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/29/edgar_wright_on_film_close_ups_world_s_end_scott_pilgrim_and_shaun_of_the.html

This item includes an interview with Edgar Wright and shows examples of how cutting between close ups is key to his auteur style. Wright talks about the practical side of ensuring enough close up shots are filmed so that there is enough material for a montage. He also provides explanations for some of the comedy such as the action movie parodies in both Hot fuzz and Scott pilgrim. In that he uses fast cuts of typical scenes of the actors then but into montages that are more typical to the genres he is parodying.

Item 11 https://nerdist.com/the-three-flavours-cornetto-trilogy-explained/

I can use a quote from this source to explain the similarities between the films in Wright’s cornetto trilogy listing the trademarks of the series. The quote explains that the three movies are linked by gags, ideas, theme and actors and includes Pegg and Frost as well as Edgar Wright. This presents the counter argument that Wright’s style is a collaboration of talents. I use Scott Pilgrim as evidence against this idea.

Item 12 https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/edgar_wright

This source demonstrates technical competence which is one of the criteria for an auteur. It does this by reporting the review ratings of all Wright’s films and showing them to be critically acclaimed with a lowest rating of all his films as director of 82% for Scott Pilgrim. This fact has been used as evidence of technical competence in my presentation.

Videos 

Item 13 - Nerdwriter1- Scott Pilgrim: make your transitions count (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pij5lihbC6k)

This video analyses Scott Pilgrim which is one of the films I have selected and reviews how Edgar Wright’s use of editing is demonstrated in that film. It also shows his use of transitions which is very important to his editing style. It slows down a faster transition to break down everything that goes in the editing this can be used in my presentation when going into detail about his style within this film. This is a video essay to teach filmmaking skills and the fact that others can learn from Wright implies his status as an auteur meeting the criteria of technical competence. I will show a video clip of this in my presentation before describing what is happening.

Item  14- Every frame a painting - Edgar Wright - How to do visual comedy

This video compares Edgar Wright's films and style to other comedy films and shows how Edgar Wright uses editing. It shows a clip of an Edgar Wright back to back with another modern comedy film and shows I intend to show this in my presentation shows how Edgar Wright fits the unique style aspect of auteur theory.

Item 15 What Influences Scott Pilgrim Director Edgar Wright

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zfmbJdYfNE)

This is useful as it is the voice of Edgar Wright himself telling how he got the inspiration to his films to show where his style actually comes from. I will use this to add some balance to the argument of a unique style in that all directors learn from others but to point out that Wright’s influences such as the Coen brothers did not use the same editing technique.

Books

Item 16  Andrew Sarris - Notes on the auteur theory

(https://dramaandfilm.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2011/06/Sarris-Notes-on-the-Auteur-Theory.pdf)

I chose this source as this is the first definition of the auteur theory from the person who originally defined the term in 1962. This also goes through exactly what defines someone as an auteur. This helps me see if Edgar Wright has these traits and quote some of this to define and compare the auteur theory. The traits include technical competence, unique style and interior meaning. 

It was the start-point for debate and challenges such as whether directors were responsible alone for their style.

I intend to structure my presentation around the points Sarris makes and assess how well Edgar Wright meets each of them in order to be considered an auteur.

Item 17 Jill Nelmes (2003). An Introduction to Film Studies

I used this book to further understand the detail of fast cuts as used by other directors and the definition of a hip hop montage. It quotes the definition of the hip hop montage, the style used in Edgar Wright’s films as well as others. It is described as like a sample is used in hip hop, with a few moments of film or video, respectively, repeated throughout the work for effect. I will use this to point out that Wright’s uniqueness relates to how he uses the techniques for comedy not that he invented them.

Rejected items

Edgar Wrights style explained - The AtZ show 

As well explaining Edgar Wright's style this shows how he views genre in his films including interview clips that are relevant to the topic. I rejected it because it does not focus on the editing as much as the other videos and is not a particularly credible source.

 Andrew Butler - film studies 

(https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9id-Rdi1rJqZUZCQ1duYmd3alk/view?usp=sharing)

This book shows and explains the concept of the auteur theory. It explains how auteur theory is currently understood and allows me to test whether Edgar Wright qualifies as an auteur. I rejected this item as I have used another book on the same thing (Andrew Sarris) which is more authoritative as it is the original source of the theory.

The Worlds End (2013)

I rejected this film as, although very much shows Edgar Wright's style, it is technically categorised as been in the same series as SotD and Hot Fuzz. Instead I picked Scott Pilgrim to show that is Edgar Wright’s entire filmography and not just the films he intentionally made to be similar. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Wright

Although Wikipedia contained a good overview of Edgar Wright’s work and his collaborators, it does not focus in detail on his editing style and whether or not he is an auteur. Any relevant information is already covered in more detail in the other sources which I have used.