Analysing Film Openings - Hot Fuzz

Scene Summaries – Hot Fuzz First two minutes

During the credits, non-diegetic music is played as we hear police sirens and the sound of cars driving off. This establishes the fact that maybe the police have something to do in this film or may be related in a way. As the credits fade, all music ends with a loud thud and the sound of automatic doors being open can be heard. The loud thud was part of the doors being opened but may have been edited to be louder so it could create a bigger impact. The sound of the automatic doors being open would have been an ambient sound; sound that was picked up during filming.

The establishing shot is a long shot of a man walking towards the camera. The long shot creates a silhouette image due to the bright lighting behind him. This creates a sort of mystery to his identity and also tells us that he is an important character. From the surroundings it looks like  a police station. As the figure walks forward there is complete silence but as he continues to get closer, we hear his footsteps. This conveys an impression of significance as we can only take notice of his echoing footsteps throughout the entire hall way. The camera slowly pans upward and we are eye level with the figure. We can identify the figure as a man and from the uniform he has on, it tells us he is a police officer. As he close enough to the camera, we see a close up of his head, giving us his facial details. Immediately after, we see an extreme close up of the man’s badge, giving his identity as a police officer as well as his name ‘Nicholas Angel’. The man always has a serious look on his face. We can tell because we just saw a close up of his face and his police photograph also gives us a stern look. There is then a voiceover telling us who he is and his past.

There is a transition to a low angle of the man’s polished shoes. This low angle gives off the impression that he is a strong man. Then it turns to an upward tilt angle making him give off a superiority aura. As he walks past fellow colleagues, he is shot in a shallow focus suggesting he is the more important character and the only one that matters.

There are then various scenes where we see his trainings as a police officer, but throughout all these, the camera focuses solely on him. From these we can establish the fact that he is the main character in this film. It shows his past as a police officer trainee and still manages to keep that stern look on his face.

From the environment this is set in, it establishes the fact that this is set in the modern day. We see his various attributes as we are shown him in different training programmes. During the riot scene he is not at all fazed by the fire bombs being hurdled at him. This suggests that he is not a normal police officer and takes his job very seriously. We then see a POV shot of him looking intently at a sheet of paper with questions printed on it. Along with the voiceover, this shot also tells that he is smart.

Screenshots

This is an establishing shot showing the setting to the audience. From the little blue pad that is placed beside the table, it clearly says ‘Metropolitan Police’. This is a quicker way to tell the audience of the location of the film and gives them a hint at the same time. The hint could be that the movie involves a Police officer. It is also shot in a long shot. By doing this it creates a silhouette figure in the back. The lighting helps to create this too. By creating this silhouette it adds mystery to the character approaching.

This is a close up of the man’s head. This allows the audience to memorize what he looks like and to establish the fact that he is one of the main characters in the movie. It is also in a shallow focus. This again highlights the fact that he is important. From the look of his uniform, it tells us that he is a Police officer and from his facial expression, not a normal one. By putting him into the middle, it shows he is significant. The lighting used here is called a back light.

This is an extreme close up of his badge. This is used to show the audience what his identity is and what he does.

We follow him as he walks through the hallway in a low angle. This makes him look like a giant and gives the impression that he is strong.

A close up of the man’s head. It is also shown in a shallow focus. By doing this it shows the man’s face, telling us that she is serious. This also tells us that he is significant as the caption only captures him.

Titles and credits

There are four separate title slides. They have not been created with any sense of adding to the atmosphere or quality of the film. They seem quite functional and don't even stand out that strongly on the screen.

Overall

This is another example of a film that catches attention with its opening. The extreme calm of the main character raises questions and the fact that we are only given information bit by bit also helps to keep our interest and make us start trying to work out where this film is going.