presentation script

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

speaker:

In Andrew Sarris' “Notes on the Auteur Theory” (item 16) he defines the three important factors that make someone an auteur as "technical competence", "distinguishable personality" and an "interior meaning" in their films. This theory has been applied to many directors over time but I believe one of the best modern examples of this theory is Edgar Wright.

Edgar Wright is a British filmmaker famous for movies like Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Anyone familiar with his work will recognize the repeated use of montages made up of fast cuts exaggerated by sound effects. Although fast cutting is not unique to Wright he manages to add parody and comedy and make the style his own. This is mostly created by editing shots in fast motion using close ups and using everyday items in extraordinary situations. In these situations he often times the cut with the sounds of the ordinary objects such as cutlery. This use of montage to add parody and comic timing constitute Edgar Wright’s signature style. This improves the timing of the comedy in the scene one of the best examples of this is shown in Hot Fuzz.


Projector: plays line up scene from Hot Fuzz (item 1)
Speaker: 

This scene is edited as if it is a tooling up scene from an action film. Most shots are only around a second long and include a zoom to a close up. The speed and action is exaggerated by the use of sound effects and movement of the camera as the edit takes place. However, the content is not preparing guns and weapons but it starts with Angel filling in paperwork, includes the sounds of a pen top and pen on paper and the flash of photographing underage drinkers. In many other movies this content would be very ordinary and quite boring but what Wright has done is applied the editing techniques used in action films to make it interesting and to produce comedy. Juxtaposing the mundane with action is core to Wright’s work and the main premise of Hot Fuzz, set in a quiet English village, is in line with that. Not many comedic directors use and many comedy movies focus more on dialogue than editing. "Woody Allen's films, in my opinion, relied much more on dialogue than cinematography"(item 9). Using editing in comedy shows more skill and technical competence in the field of film making him more of an auteur. There is a clear difference between a scene from one of Wright’s movies and other similar scenes from a different filmmaker.

Projector: play 1:16-2:00 of video essay (Item 14)

Speaker:

The video essay clearly compares a Wright movie to other comedies and argues that Wright uses of pictures and sound as well as dialogue to film simple, mundane scenes in new ways where others are usually very generic and dull. The example of a character moving place is used where a comedy will use shots with action moving left to right, signposts, driving and music. Wright instead uses fast edits  and real sounds such as the train itself at different volumes edited to the music to create a jarring and humourous effect. He also drop in clues like the mobile phone losing signal to indicate leaving civilisation but the speed of these keeps the viewer on their toes and engaged. The fact that the editing is different from the other films which shows that Edgar Wright has his own unique, distinguishable style.

Although this kind of editing was not invented by Edgar Wright, he was inspired by others to do it. On speaking about how the Coen brothers inspired him he said "To do comedy in a very imaginative visual way was something not everyone did" (item 15). This evidence could be used to argue against Wright as an auteur proving others have used fast cuts before so it is not his own style. However, all directors learn from others and the fact he put his own spin on it, using more sound harsher cuts and making it noticeable to the audience is what makes him an auteur.

Over time Edgar Wright has gone from being a smaller casual filmmaker to be considered an auteur. Even before he was directing feature films his short films and TV work such as Spaced contained comedic fast edits as his style was developing. When talking about an earlier film he says "there are some similarities in terms of the style but the thing that I really notice is how bad the sound is" and later on in this same interview (item 8) he says "I think doing TV, and especially Spaced, was really like learning my craft and learning editing and writing". This shows his style was learnt over time before it was fully put into practice in first big budget movie Shaun of the Dead (2003).


Projector: plays planning scene of SotD (item 2)

Speaker:

This scene best shows Wright’s style and all his editing trademarks. It is a scene which constantly repeats the same against the clock style with Shaun having the make a plan and Wright’s editing used to show his thought process to the audience. The camera is panning through the montage of shots with the ticking sound in the background creating a rhythm to the scene. The sound effects are taken from the real objects, the constant use of close-ups to ordinary items such as a mug and doorbell as well as the non-diegetic music which is all to edited together, often with side or vertical wipes, makes the viewer feel like there are catching up with the action.

It then repeats edits and shots like the close up of the doorbell, the long shot of the car driving and the medium shot of them all drinking, each made slightly different each time but still created with the      same tone and timing. Whenever they are going back to reality the editing slows down with few medium shots taking longer with no music or sound effects in the background. The scene goes back and forth between these two tones.

Both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz have been categorised as part of the "Cornetto trilogy" which has been described as "a thematic continuation from one film to the next, re-using certain gags, ideas, actors, and the overall theme of friendship to create a logical end-point" (item 11) while this series may have Edgar Wright's involvement this is not exclusively his auteur style. As well as others, writer and star Simon Pegg is involved in both productions. So far there is nothing to say it is Edgar Wright that is the auteur of these movies until we look at a film outside of this trilogy.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (item 3) not only uses different actors and crew but unlike the others it is a Canadian production instead of a British one. It is also his first movie to be based on a previous source material. This shows his technical competence as a director as he can write and direct a range of different films, all of them critically acclaimed - the lowest rated film he directed was at 82% on rottentomatoes (item 12).

As different as the film is it still uses the same Edgar Wright editing techniques as the others to make the plot work. What stands out in this film is the transitions are made more experimental and stylised than his earlier work showing more of the skill and visual techniques of Edgar Wright. For example, the door opening scene uses light, text, a fade to white and a wipe transition to a different shot to ignite the scene. You can see that doing these transitions this quickly involves a lot of work and dedication in the form of editing.

Projector: plays 1:01-1:45 of video essay (item 13)

This part of a video essay analyses in detail one transition from Scott Pilgrim. This shows the use of split screen but linked by the actor’s gaze moving across the split. Then a left to right wipe follows the onomatopoeic letter of the school bell sound in a curved downward motion. While normally this would look like a typical fast Edgar Wright cut if you slow it down as the video does, we see how wipes in the editing control the movement of the transition with creativity and attention to detail. Another scene in this film that uses Wright’s signature style is the shoe lace scene.

Projector: plays shoe laces scene for Scott Pilgrim (item 3)

Speaker:

In the scene Wright uses all the close ups and sound effects of actions scene with the close up shots of him zipping his coat and putting on wristbands to loud, action film music and real sound effects, much like the tooling up scenes parodied in SotD and Hot Fuzz. This time it is interlaced with a longer lasting shot of Scott tying his shoelaces much slower without the music to show he still not that good at laces even though he is now the hero. This creates a comedic juxtaposition showing Scott to be different from the typical action star and an imperfect hero as in Wright’s other films. On this scene Edgar Wright says "if you have good comedy timing you can make that work with just a finger or just a hand" (item 10). This quote applies here as it is made funny through how unique and different the editing is used to present the character of Scott.

Edgar Wrights editing style is similar to a Hip-Hop montage. This has been described as "a series of edits of quick extreme close-up shots accompanied by exaggerated sounds" (item 17) It is clear that this is what we are looking at in Wright's films. This method is usually used to describe the style of Darren Aronofsky but with Aronofsky's films he uses the style for drama when Wright uses it for comedy. The genre aspect of his style is what makes him an auteur as it sets him apart from others. On this genre Edgar Wright says "comedy is an art form, and it’s not to be taken lightly. I want to keep trying to perfect that," (item 4) Wright believes that comedy should be taken seriously although by many it is not. In his films he is showing that he can have the technical competence in comedy that he can have in other genres.

Sarris defines interior meaning as “extrapolated from the tension between a director's personality and his material" (item 16). Wright’s personality and passions are clearly visible in all his work. Wright is clearly a fan of action movies and he goes out of his way to show this in Hot Fuzz "many references made to films and filmmakers of the classic action era" (item 7). Importantly, his editing style is used to pay homage to the films he loves while also using parody to make them funny. The Somerfield tooling up scene in Hot Fuzz (item 1) perfectly illustrates Wright paying homage to Michael Bay and Martin Scorsese action films and sequences where the character is getting ready to fight. But he deliberately introduces comic elements such as the Somerfield car park sign to make an action scene comedic.

In conclusion I feel that Edgar Wright is an auteur as he clearly shows each one of Sarris’ factors of "technical competence, distinguishable personality and an interior meaning"and makes himself known in his films with the editing. Although it could be debated whether his films really do have an interior meaning or whether they are just simple comedies or that his style is that distinguishable from other similar filmmakers. However, I believe that the way he edits is sufficiently different and personal in terms of creating comedy and that shows himself as a modern auteur.

Item 5 "3. Getting Us In And Out Of Mundane Moments Quickly

Since his first major film, Edgar Wright uses a series of close-ups in quick succession as a mini-montage to move the characters along. 

"I'm a big fan of getting into a scene late and leaving a scene early. That's what they always say in writing... Come in late and leave early. I think using close-ups for me is a good way of doing that." 

Wright uses this method in all his films, giving him a distinct style that is easily recognizable:

These quick sequences cut down the time it takes for characters to travel from one point to another, make mundane tasks like paperwork seem more impressive, show how one character is not drinking beer, etc. This type of editing also makes the visuals of the movie more varied, so it isn't all a standard mix of wide shots, medium shots, close-ups, rinse, lather, repeat. Short little bursts break thing up to keep the audience from getting too bored. 

Visual Storytelling Done Wright

Movies are inherently a visual experience, yet a lot of directors waste their screen time with images that don't add anything to the dialogue. Edgar Wright conveys his stories by showing us the characters through cinematography, editing, and visual gags that move both plot and character forward. 

His unique style makes him both recognizable and inspiring to other filmmakers. In a world of sequels, prequels, franchises, and adaptations, Edgar Wright is making new movies with classic sensibilities."

Item 6 

SHAUN OF THE DEAD

Editing: Shaun bends down out of frame to pick up a pen and then reenters the frame from the bottom instead of the expected diagonal angle. Wright uses a jump cut here to get a comedic moment in an unexpected place.

Sound Effects: Cut to a pair of feet shuffling toward camera. Cue the odd moaning sound effect. The viewer knows it isn’t a zombie. It’s too early in the film for that. As the camera pans up the moaning sound is clearly a yawn attached to Shaun’s contorted face. And that yawn–with a calculated camera movement–just created a comedic moment other comedies would have missed.

HOT FUZZ

Shot Composition: Angel (Angle) is getting grief from his colleagues and then receives a call about an escaped swan, from one Peter Ian Staker (P.I. Staker). He obviously thinks it is a joke and calls PI Staker out on it, except cut scene to Angel helping P.I. Staker by taking down his real statement about a real swan that is lost.

Sound Effects: Angel and Danny are working hard at cracking a murder case as they sit in their police car on speed patrol. They are so engrossed in the investigation they don’t notice car after car speeding by, with the speed gun going crazy. I was too busy laughing to hear what they were discussing.

THE WORLD’S END

Shot Composition: Gary takes Sam into the bathroom to ask about the twins who are acting a little weird. They talk in front of a mirror, each of their twins reflected back at them as they discuss the twins. It’s a subtle chuckle.

Sound Effects: As the group gathers at the arriving train station they discuss which one of them is the dumbest for deciding to come along on this journey. Whistle. Pan left to Gary. Speeding bus sound effect.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Editing: Wright blends scenes together with mirrored transitions. In one scene Scott is standing and staring at Ramona, before the scene is blended into Stephen entering the frame from the left yelling into Scott’s ear as he continues to stare. Now Scott is standing in a living room practicing with his band. Stephen then walks away from Scott to frame right before the scene shifts into an outdoor setting with Stephen turning around to answer Scott’s question. This swift three scene transition keeps viewers’ attention as several settings and points are covered, and it also gets a chuckle.

Shot Composition: As Scott is telling Ramona where his band will be playing the next night, Wright cuts to an exterior shot of the venue with the sign displaying the name, just as he is about to yell it. This creates a clever comedy moment where other movies would use normal exposition

Item ? -

item 7 - The first thing that stands out about Wright’s films is how well-directed they are. His firm grasp of editing’s potential to bridge time and space, disorient, clarify, and act as a punchline is laid out in the opening scene of Spaced’s broadcast pilot, in which Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Jessica Hynes) are introduced seemingly in the midst of a shot/reverse shot argument with Tim on the street begging to be taken back as Daisy shoos him away. Suddenly, a cut outward reveals the two to be in different locations, amusingly disrupting what scant information has been given to the audience so far while also stressing a personality link in the pair’s respective dead-end lives.

It’s a minor touch that pays instant dividends, and it prefaces an entire career of in-camera and editing tricks that hide satire and character behind flash. Take the first car “chase” in Hot Fuzz, in which Pegg’s Nicholas Angel and Nick Frost’s Danny Butterman go after a speeding motorist. The camera leaps into the perspective of Danny, weaned on action movies, but it also depicts the dull reality of police work, revving up into a hyper-cut frenzy for barely two seconds before cooling back down as the “perp” instantly complies. The joke is obvious, but the style evokes a mind-meld of Danny’s boyish enthusiasm for amped-up action and Nicholas’ no-nonsense, by-the-book reality, a swift visual foreshadowing of two opposing personalities finding common ground.

Item 4 So you’ve made five films to date, all comedies. Do you identify yourself as a comedic filmmaker—or can you see yourself doing something outside of that genre in the future? 

Yeah, I think so. I think at the moment, I would, absolutely. And I have plans to make a horror film, one that’s “straighter.” But I do think that comedy is frequently sniffed at, that somehow it’s sort of a lesser genre. And anyone who’s made a comedy film knows that it’s just as hard, if not harder, to make a comedy that works. I used to make comedies when I was an amateur filmmaker because I thought nobody would take me seriously if I did them straight. It was almost like a defense mechanism. But now I’m older, I realize that comedy is an art form, and it’s not to be taken lightly. I want to keep trying to perfect that, to make movies that are better. But I’d love to do other, straight genres, or something completely different.

 How much has your approach to filmmaking changed since those early days?

Item 8

Wright: I think it’s just learning what the hell I’m doing, basically. It’s funny, on the Hot Fuzz DVD in the U.K. we’re going to put on the cop film I made when I was 18. Watching it back, there are some similarities in terms of the style but the thing that I really notice is how bad the sound is, and how important a really detailed sound mix is. The stuff I used to do when I was making amateur films, like this cop film I made, Dead Right, I basically didn’t have any access to library music or sound effects at all, so there’s like no sound effects on it and the whole thing feels so airless, it’s weird. With A Fistful of Fingers, it had the spirit of ‘Let’s do the show right here,’ but the worst thing about it is that it’s quite ramshackle and lame, and it feels like a Bugsy Malone production because it’s all 18-year-olds pretending to be badass Americans – it’s funny. Basically, I wanted to do another independent film, but I wasn’t really that happy with A Fistful of Fingers and how it turned out. It was alright, some people liked it and I got my break through [Little Britain comedians] Matt Lucas and David Walliams, who saw A Fistful of Fingers and really liked it, and recommended me to their agents at ICM, and then also asked me to do their first sketch show. So when I started doing TV stuff, I was very lucky again to work immediately. The first show I did was with Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and Jessica Stevenson was in it, the second show was with Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Julian Barratt and Bill Bailey. I completely lucked out by working with some brilliant people very early on. So [what helped was] working with great actors and feeling more confident as a writer. I don’t ever think of myself as a screenwriter, even though I’ve written two screenplays, mainly because I’ve written out of necessity, because I can feel the films that I want to make in my gut. I think doing TV, and especially Spaced, was really like learning my craft and learning editing and writing.

item 10

Edgar Wright, however, takes advantage of seemingly mundane cinematic devices , like transitional sequences and exposition scenes, and pulls as much comedy out of it (or puts as much in) as he can. He leaves no comedic stone unturned! Zhou shares a bunch of great examples of contemporary films and TV shows that do take advantage of these devices using cinematography, like Arrested Development, Django Unchained, and even Jaws (even though that's not really a comedy -- though it does have funny moments). However, he also compares them with films and shows that don't, which really hits home how much comedic real estate exists in any given project.

So, take a look at Zhou's video essay below. Just remember, it's not about whether you think Wright's films are funny. It's about asking yourself if you're utilizing all of the opportunities within your film to make your audience laugh. (That doesn't mean cracking a joke ever 2.2 seconds -- it's just about being aware of the potential.) Also, ask yourself if you could be using more cinematographic moves, whether that means camera movement, mise-en-scène, lighting, etc, to get your audience chuckling.