Hot Fuzz (2007) directed by Edgar Wright Opening Deconstruction

At the start of the extract, Angel is

presented within a long shot of him
walking towards the camera.
Notably, the high key lighting
facing the camera within this shot
creates a silhouette of his
character which not only makes
him appear as being a mysterious
figure which creates a sense of
intimidation for the audience, but it
also represents the lack of identity
that people associate his job with
as well as showing how people find policemen intimidating. On the other hand, however, the
light could also exaggerate the goodness and heroism of Angel and it almost resembles the
idea of an angel; the contrast of the darker lighting to the brighter light presented behind
Angel also could represent the darker aspects of society. The fact that there is a slightly
golden light behind him also represents him as being higher than everyone since gold is a
connotation for winning which may show him as being a better officer or a higher rank.
Moreover, the way that he walks towards us in this snippet also creates the idea of
intimidation and it creates a presence for the character by causing curiosity as to what he
looks like. In some ways, this shot resembles the POV shot from the receptionists
perspective which could represent how the audience see the character as he really is and it
makes them feel more involved within the film. Since this shot actually stays the same while
including a slight zoom, the text seems to be used here to add more interesting aspects to
the scene as well as to introduce the film since it is a significant convention within the
opening of a film. The text is also white which could resemble purity which could link to the
heroic image of Angel
portrayed here.
Moreover, the lack of
sound within this extract
draws the audience's
attention to Angel as
well as highlighting the
sense of control that
Angel has. This shot
also incorporates a
close up shot of Angel
as he faces the
audience which continues to create the intimidating persona as well as representing the way
that we as an audience will get to know this character. Moreover, the fact that he takes off
his police hat also conveys the idea that we will get to know his character further. The
lighting within this shot also conveys the idea of a split personality since one side of him is
shown as being darker which may represent how his humanity has darker and more evil
aspects; this could imply that as a policeman he may be seen as heroic but when he takes
his helmet off, his humanity casts darkness on his actions.

The next few shots exaggerate and

outline the rush of being a police officer
as well as introducing us to Angels
character. The increase in the pace
and volume of the music in this
sequence not only represents the
chaotic and rushed life of an officer, but
it also represents the excitement and
thrill that Angel gets from his job. It
could also be symbolic of the ease that
Angel felt when going through this process to show his confidence and to exaggerate his
ability; the fact that this is a chief police officer reading his file could represent the pace of
their reading as well as his lack of interest in what he is reading. This close up shot of Angel
walking from a worm's eye view not only continues to create the image of an intimidating and
authoritative figure but it also shows the rush and hurry that this character goes through;
showing his walking also could be associated with confidence or comfort. Interestingly, the
people walking past Angel within this shot are wearing similar shoes which could imply that
Angel is in the same status as them or it may suggest that we as a society view policemen
as having the same
identity or personality.
Within the next few
shots we are presented
with a mid-shot of Angel
walking through the
office which emphasises
his drive and motivation
through the way his
body is facing as well as
the determined facial
expression on his face.
Notably, the rest of the
officers shown in this
snippet appear to be
walking the other way
which not only highlights
him as an individual to
possibly suggest that he
is a better officer but it
could also represent the
way that Angel is more
determined than the
other officers. Interestingly, this shot is followed by similar shots at a closer range which may
have been chosen to highlight his facial expression as well as to represent that we as an
audience will get to know his character as the film progresses. Also, the use of a

non-diegetic sound of pages turning is also interesting since it implies that this clip that we
are seeing is in fact Angels file, therefore, the repeated use of the same shot could suggest
that each page emphasises Angels hard work and determination in more depth. Moreover,
using this sound effect draws the audiences attention to the editing to exaggerate the
amount of work he does by emphasising each shot and how it shows a different aspect of
his work ethic. The camera work also incorporates the use of a blurred background using the
aperture which could suggest that Angel is so focused that he is unaware of everything
around him or that he is an important figure who is unique from the rest. Furthermore, the
editing pace increases in this area which could link to the hurried state of mind a police
officer goes through or it could emphasise the boredom of the officer reading his file since he
skips many of the pages; in some ways, it could also be exaggerating the amount of pages
that Angel has in his file by having a range of shots that are similar to show that he has
many records of achievement.

The typical conventions for an action film include the use of editing pace to illustrate
adrenaline and to add a rush to the action for the audience; this is shown later on in the
extract when Angel is shown fighting the riots and a quick editing pace is also used in action
films to communicate emotion and fear. Moreover, non-diegetic music is another element
used within action films to build up tension or to exaggerate the intensity of a scene which is
shown when the music is used in this opening to highlight the rush an officer goes through.
Another convention I have noticed is incorporated within action films is the use of a POV
shot to showcase the action from another persons perspective to make the audience feel
more involved and to also intensify the action by showcasing the fear from a persons point
of view; it also makes the action more realistic for the audience. This was used in the riot
scene from Angels perspective to highlight his heroism. Typically, action films always have a
protagonist fighting for justice and Angel is a prime example of this since he is an officer.
One of the main strengths of this film is its use of countertype to make it vary from other
typical action films as the element of age is insignificant as many of the antagonists are
actually elderly and are shown as being dominant in comparison to their countertype; the
fact that violence is presented in the countryside is also counter typical since it is seen as
being peaceful. Also, its variety of editing techniques such as slow and fast motion in action
scenes make it more interesting to watch as well as more dramatic. On the other hand, it
mainly only focuses on a few individual characters but doesnt focus as much on the
townspeople which I would say would be more interesting to explore what drives each
individual to be counter typical.
After researching into this genre of film, I could use its variation of shots to exaggerate
certain characteristics ,as shown in Hot Fuzz when Angel is shown walking in both a long
shota and close up to showcase his emotion and character; voiceover to convey the story
and its use of lighting as a character representation for Angel at the beginning of the extract
within my own opening as these elements not only introduce the characters and convey their
representations to the audience, but they also make the opening more interesting by using
different methods to communicate the story. Moreover, these techniques can easily be used
in a hybrid genre since they suit a range of genres, therefore, I can easily incorporate these

techniques into any storyline. Also, I like the idea of putting a sense of character into my
shots like this opening does by using aspects such as zoom or by having the character
facing the audience (which is shown at the beginning of the extract when Angel faces the
camera) to convey a sense of character as well as to make the audience feel more involved.