Hot Fuzz - Mise-en-Scène

The first thing we notice in this shot is the bright lights between Martin Blower and Eve Draper, we then move to Blower, as he is pretty much dead-center. We then move right and notice Draper holding a champagne glass then back to the wardrobe dummy in the foreground.

The lighting is more low-key than anything as the shot is moody and dark.

This is a neutral slightly below eye-level shot.

A majority of this shot is black and shadowed which symbolizes the hidden, the secretive, and the mysterious. Red and/or orange are the secondary colors. Red is seen in the costume behind and above Blower and in the costume in the foreground. Red symbolizes sexuality, passions, and anger. The only other color in the shot is green as seen on Draper’s shirt. Green can symbolize compassion, generousness, materialism, envy, and greed.

It appears that a telephoto lens was used. The foreground and background are out of focus.

This isn’t the densest scene, but it does contain a decent amount of information. If one hasn’t seen the movie before one could guess that they could be actors with the dummy with the costume in the foreground and what looks like a costume behind that. Also, in the background one can possibly make out a make-up mirror and lights. Also, these two might be celebrating something as evidence with the champagne glasses. The aforementioned dummy in the foreground lends some foreshadowing of events to come soon after this shot.

There is a clear foreground (dummy), mid-ground (Blower and Draper), and background (mirror and lights). The shot is definitely closed. Blower and Draper appear to be getting squeezed by the dummy and the edge of the frame suggesting they have zero chance of escape. It’s tightly framed mid-range shot showing their torso’s to the tops of their heads. The camera appears to be close to both actors (within 5-10’). Both actors extend from close to the top of the frame through the bottom of the frame.

Both Blower and Draper are in a half-turn position to the camera as they had been having a conversation, but just heard a knock on the door. There is relatively zero space between the two characters.

Kick-Ass - Mise-en-Scène

The first thing we notice it Damon, the most dominant figure on the screen and the only thing in the shot that’s in focus. After noticing Damon, the next things we see are his drawings of D’Amico and his men on the wall.

The lighting, despite being very light on the left and very dark on the right, is fairly even throughout the shot with a decent amount of contrast. There is a spotlight on the cartoon images of D’Amico and his men.

The angle of the shot is slightly low looking up at Damon. The colors in the background are split. On the right side of the screen the dominant color is a blueish green; a more feminine color that symbolizes youth, calm, and luck. On the left of the screen we see the highlighted drawings which contain yellows, reds, and blacks/browns.  Yellow signifies betrayal and deceit. Red signifies energy, passion, aggression, violence, and intensity. The darker colors, especially black, signify wealth, mystery, fear, evil, and anger.

It appears that this is a telephoto lens as it brings Damon into focus and throws the background out of focus. It clearly separates him from the wall.

This shot contains a high degree of density. One can see the texture of Damon’s shirt, the ridges on the knife, the slats in the wall, and the detail in Damon’s drawings.

The image is slightly off balance. The highlighted images on the wall make up the “heavier” side of the image. Damon’s presence slightly off center brings the image stability. The right side of the image almost completely fades to gray.

This shot is tightly framed indicating that Damon has limited options available to him. At this point of the film, he either needs to flee of fight D’Amico. The shot is arranged on two planes; Damon and the wall behind him. Damon is placed right-center of the image, ranging from the top of the frame to (and through) the bottom of the frame. In the background we see the drawings of D’Amico and his men looming over him, foreshadowing what’s to come. Damon is standing in a half-turn looking past the camera in conversation with his daughter, Mindy.

Hot Fuzz - Cinematography

Prior to his work on Hot Fuzz, Jess Hall had worked on two other films – 2003’s Strander, 2007’s Son of Rambow. He has done commercials for some of the biggest and most recognizable companies in the world -Royal Caribbean, Hewlett-Packard, Adidas, Carlsburg, Barclays, Guinness, Vodafone, Reebok, Visa, Heineken, Fiat, Orange, DHL, Gatorade, ESPN, Coke, NASCAR, and Verizon just to name a few. Hall has done music videos for Massive Attack, All Saints, and Eagle Eye Cherry. To this day he still prefers to use film to shoot his movies. He is a self-proclaimed photography naturalist. In an interview with ONFILM he says, “I never really want to feel aware of artificial lighting.”

                Hot Fuzz makes use of every type of shot possible in film. One action scene in particular makes good use of various types of shots. Sgt. Angel confronts a shoplifter at the local grocery store. It’s initially a medium-shot, as the shoplifter realizes he’s been caught, the camera zooms in tighter and tighter until it’s just their eyes in the frame. The chase ensues with various camera angles and just when one thinks the shoplifter is going to get away, Sgt. Angel takes a shortcut and as he retreats from the camera to give chase the long-shot materializes. One of the few times in the film where a standard camera angle isn’t used, at Ellroy Farms, SSgts. Angel and Butterman encounter quite an impressive weapons stash including a sea mine. When the mine is hit with the butt of a rifle it starts to tick and the lack of control of the situation is lost and the tension can be felt as indicated by the oblique camera angles. There are lots of quick cuts and jump cuts during the transition sequences, especially after someone is arrested. The film utilized zooming as opposed to using a dolly, specifically in the scene just before Leslie Tiller’s murder, to make things more intense.

                Some of the best lighting in the film comes in the pub sequences; according to Edgar Wright he considers it “proper moody cop shots.” Also, towards the end when Sgt. Angel goes to confront the NWA at the castle; the darkness of the scene clearly indicates the sinister nature of the NWA and their actions.

Hot Fuzz - Acting

All of the main actors in Hot Fuzz are professionals and to paraphrase Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the cast reads like a “who’s who” of British cinema. There are many awards that have been won the by the cast in their works outside of Hot Fuzz. Most of the actors were cast because of a previous working relationship or because they wanted parts in the film.

Simon Pegg (Nicholas Angel) and Nick Frost (Danny Butterman) have become popular stars in large part to their collaboration in Shaun of the Dead.

Martin Freeman (Met Sergeant) is probably best known for his role as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy, and most recently his role in Sherlock. He got his first big break in 2003’s Love Actually. He has won numerous awards, most recently a 2014 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his role as Dr. Watson in Sherlock.

Bill Nighy (Met Chief Inspector) has had a long and successful career beginning in the National Theatre in London. He became recognized internationally due to his role in Love Actually. Other notable works are of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and as Viktor in the Underworld movies. He has won numerous awards, most recently an Annie Award for lending his voice to 2011’s Arthur Christmas.

Jim Broadbent (Inspector Frank Butterman) is known as one of England’s most versatile character actors and has 140 acting credits to his name. His most famous roles are 1999’s Topsy-Turvy, 2001’s Iris which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, 2001’s Moulin Rouge! which he won a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Iron Lady, and for his role as Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter movies. He also won a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role in 2006’s Longford.

Olivia Coleman (PC Doris Thatcher) first big role was in British TV show Peep Show. Recently she has been collecting awards at a frenetic pace. She won a 2011 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Breakout Performances for her role in Tyrannosaur. She won a Kermode Award for Best Actress for the same role. She won two separate BAFTA awards in 2013, Best Supporting Actress in The Accused and Best Female Comedy Performance in Twenty Twelve. Her role in Broadchurch lead to BAFTA, Broadcasting Press Guild, Crime Thriller Award, and Royal Television Society awards for Best Leading Actress.

Timothy Dalton (Simon Skinner) is almost certainly remembered as being one of the actors to portray James Bond. Edward Woodward (Tom Weaver) starred in 1973’s The Wicker Man and won a 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor for his role in The Equalizer. Bille Whitelaw’s (Joyce Cooper) last role was in Hot Fuzz. For 25 years she worked closely with playwright Samuel Beckett. Her most notable role might be the demonic nanny in The Omen. Paul Freeman (Rev. Phillip Shooter) is also known as one of Britain’s most versatile actors. He has often portrayed villains. His most famous works are as villians René Belloq in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Gustav Reibmann in Falcon Crest. He played leading roles at the National Theatre, Royal Court, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Several well-known Hollywood celebrities had uncredited cameos in the film. Actor/writer/comedian/producer Steve Coogan shares the screen with Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy as a Met Inspector, director Peter Jackson has a very brief cameo as a thief dressed as Santa, director Garth Jennings has a brief cameo as a crack addict, and Cate Blanchett shares a scene as Sgt. Nicholas Angel’s former girlfriend.

The actors are treated as artistic collaborators. Edgar Wright is known for allowing the actors to make suggestions to the script. In Hot Fuzz, Bill Nighy said he’d take the role of Met Chief Inspector only if he “had one more joke written” for him - Wright obliged. Many of the actors had been cast because they had worked together in previous movies, including Shaun of the Dead. Pegg, Nick Frost, Julia Deakin, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Rafe Spall, and Patricia Franklin all appeared in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and all seven would go on to have parts in The World’s End, the third and final film in Pegg and Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. After seeing Shaun of the Dead, Jim Broadbent approached the Wright and Pegg about being in a future film.

Simon Pegg is known for his comedic performances, though in recent years, he has branched into more “serious” roles. That being said, most people will assume that he is going to play a comedic role no matter what his true role is. If all one has seen him in has been Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz it might be difficult to take him seriously in Star Trek. As far as Hot Fuzz goes, he lives up to the comedic reputation that has preceded him.

Much of the acting in the film is realistic, though some of the officers in the Sandford police force might come across as a little too oblivious as to what is truly going on in the sleepy village of Sandford. Though, that is also the fault of Sgt. Nicholas Angel who is a much better police officer than everyone else. No one seems to be over-acting their roles that negatively affect the film. The Andy’s seem to be “playing” detectives, more interested in dressing the part, or being at the pub instead of actually doing their jobs. Sgt. Fisher, as evidence in an early scene where Angel is introduced, is completely clueless and is apparent with the board placed behind him with all the things that make a bad police officer.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Acting

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest featured many well-known actors. In 2015, almost everyone knows of Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and to a lesser extent Scatman Crothers (The Shining) and Louise Fletcher for being an Oscar winner.

Jack Nicholson brought star power to the film. Despite a career that started in the 1956 TV series Matinee Theatre, his acting career never took off. He was resigned to be a writer or director until he lucked upon the role George Hanson in Easy Rider which earned him is first Oscar nomination. After his Oscar win for his performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest he began to take on more unusual roles.

Louise Fletcher began her career on the television series Flight in 1958 and had a string of appearances until her breakthrough role in Thieves Like Us in 1974. With her role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Other memorable works include Brainstorm, Firestarter, Flowers in the Attic, 2 Days in the Valley, and Cruel Intentions. Most recently, she had a recurring role on a Showtime show Shameless as a mother serving a prison sentence for manslaughter.

 Danny DeVito was a relative newcomer, still a professional, only appearing in five full-length films prior to his role of Martini. It was a reprisal of his off-Broadway role from 1971. His big break came in 1978 with the television show Taxi which eventually won him a Golden Globe and an Emmy. He has gone on to a very successful career starring in such films as Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, Throw Mamma from the Train, Batman Returns, Junior, L.A. Confidential, Drowning Mona, and the FX TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

A complete unknown at the time, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was Christopher Lloyd’s first film. In 1978, he landed a role on Barney Miller and a long running role on Taxi alongside Danny DeVito. He is probably best remembered for his roles a “Doc” Brown in the Back to the Future movie series, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family movies, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards, two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, for his work on Taxi (1982, 1983) and one Outstanding Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series for his role in Road to Avonlea (1992). He also won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his role in Twenty Bucks (1994).

Will Sampson was another whose first acting role was in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He was a performer in a rodeo and the rodeo announcer told the producers of the film, who were looking to cast a “large Native American,” about him. After only an interview he was hired. Other than One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, his most notable work might have been Poltergeist II.

Brad Dourif is another actor who had his first major role in the film. He received much praise for his role as Billy Bibbit. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and won a Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture and won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. Dourif has gone on to have a successful career. He was the voice of Chucky in the Child’s Play movies, appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Grima Wormtongue, and has had memorable roles in numerous hit television series including, The X-Files, Deadwood, Law & Order, Psych, Criminal Minds, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Once Upon a Time.

Though Jack Nicholson is the star of film it is undoubtedly an ensemble movie. The rest of cast compliments the narrative of the film. His role of McMurphy, though being a prisoner, is the essence of freedom and non-conformity, while the rest of the cast has some obstacle or threat to their own freedom.

Nicholson’s iconography continued in his role as Mac. It was another “aggressive and enthusiastic” role.

To those of us that have never seen the inside of a mental hospital, this movie seems to be a realistic depiction of such a place. While patients might not be able to break out and commandeer a fishing boat quite that easily, or sneak girls in to have a party, the acting and plot were believable.

Nicholson was cast for star power, while a decent number of the cast was given roles because of their lack of experience and their physical appearance. It gives the movie a genuine quality. The lack of experience creates a sort of naivety to the performance and that translates well to the subject matter. Also, some of the extras in the film were actual mental patients at the Oregon hospital were the film was made. In fact Dr. Dean R. Brooks M.D. (Dr. Spivey) was the real head of the Oregon State Hospital.