Title: Hot FuzzDirector: Edgar Wright
Year of Release: 2007
Genre: Action Comedy
The film begins with the sounds of many different types of police siren and the ‘Universal Studios’ animation, followed by the ‘Working Title’ Production Logo. The sirens denote that the film will be based largely on the police service, although at this point, the audience is still unclear as to what genre the film will be.
The first clip is a long shot of a person walking down a dimly lit corridor in a fairly modern building (possibly a police station). The person is walking quickly, with heavy footsteps, which could imply that he is in a hurry. As he walks closer toward the camera, the camera slowly and gradually zooms in, focussing on the subject. When the character gets closer, we can see that he is wearing a police uniform, which supports the idea of the film involving the police service. As the police officer becomes in clear visible range, he takes off his hat and holds his warrant card up to the camera, thus establishing character and role. There is a slight element of humour in this action as the character’s facial expression is exactly the same as of that on the photo on the warrant card. This is the first signal that the film is in the comedy genre.
Next, there is a montage of clips along with a narration about the character’s background, including his qualifications, training and career. Early on in the montage, there is a close-up of the main character’s right shoulder, showing one of his epaulettes with the number 777 on. The number 777 is often thought to be the number of God. As opposed to 666 being the number of the Devil. This could denote that he is a ‘god-like’ person. The transitions between shots are heavily emphasised by the use of quick, bright flashes and loud ‘whooshing’ noises. This may create a sense of urgency and importance about the montage.
