N.21 | "Hot Fuzz" (creating humor through the cut), the dynamic between the moment and the superobjective plus more

JOURNAL ENTRY

Jan 05, 2025: Nothing much happened this week. I submitted my micro film to my coach last week. Haven’t heard from him, due to the holiday break I assume. Film school starts again in a couple of weeks.

I’m keeping busy. I’m working on my 10-page script school assignment but I also have several little stories I’m working on. I’m developing something titled The Lost Flower of Toohey Forest and it’s gonna be kind of funny. I’d love this to be no longer than 1 minute.

FILM STORYTELLING

Hot Fuzz (creating humor through the cut)

Here’s a scenario: you have one character moving from a city to another. How do you do it visually? How do you do it for a comedy and in a way that the audience will understand?

One boring way to do it would be having the guy talking to someone else explaining that “he’s moving” to a new city. A second boring way to do it could be shooting the character driving on a highway. You could add some drone shots of landmarks, some other shots of signs etc. All that to direct the audience

The un-boring way to do it is what Edgar Wright did in Hot Fuzz: watch 50-second clip here. The scene grabs my attention and entertains me every time I watch the movie.

Wright really got inventive. He built a tremendous scene where comedy comes visually and that explains everything. There’s a lot of good visual storytelling in the scene.

Let’s break down how Wright is showing instead of telling:

1. Nicholas Angel is packing. Easy shot there, but it does the job at opening the scene.

2. Angel is waiting on the footpath, with a suitcase and a plant. The plant tells you he’s moving somewhere, not just going on a vacation. Nobody goes on a vacation with their plant.

3. The two shots of the phone screen emphasize that he’s moving away from civilization. The more the scene progresses the less phone coverage he has.

4. The signs “welcome to Sanford” and “model village” indicate he’s reached his destination.

5. The editing is fast and entertaining.

Watch it again and again. And don’t forget to take notes.

TIDBIT I’M PONDERING

Spending time exploring the dynamic between the moment and the superobjective

On page 40 of On Directing Film, Mamet touches on the delicate balance between the character’s superobjective and the entire story.

In your film, each moment must serve the purpose of the character’s superobjective. If the moment only stands for itself, you’re only watching some sort of performance art.

Your job, as the filmmaker, is to spend time in analysis. If you do so, you’ll come up with material that your audience will enjoy.

Source: From On Directing Film by David Mamet (paraphrased and/or quoted).

FILM STORYTELLING

Little Miss Sunshine (extreme closeup example)

The extreme close up frames the subject to isolate a specific area. This could be the mouth, eyes, ears, nose or something else (watch 12-sec click here). When the function of a specific prop or an intimate detail is necessary, filmmakers often rely on the insert shot.

The extreme close can be the most intimate and dramatic of all shot sizes. Use both the extreme close up and insert shot as tools for emphasis.