The opening scene of Hot Fuzz introduces Nicholas Angel through a series of shots showing him excelling at his job as a police officer. There is upbeat non-diegetic music and minimal diegetic sound. The shots use different camera techniques like close-ups, dolly shots, and zooms to establish Nicholas' seriousness and importance within the police force. The scene cuts between locations like the police station, training grounds, and an award ceremony. It uses transitions like cuts and wipes to maintain a fast pace contrasting with the suspenseful opening shot. Mise-en-scene elements like the colors black, blue, and white reference the police uniform, while props, Nicholas' positioning, and low-key lighting

1. Hot Fuzz Opening Analysis
Most of the sound in the opening of Hot Fuzz is non-diegetic. There is silence at the very
beginning after we hear the doors opening which gives us about 15 seconds of suspense
before we hear a voiceover of the main character (Nicholas Angel) introducing himself and
talking about his job and achievements as the best police officer. We also begin to hear
upbeat, jolly music which continues through the scene. We hear very little diegetic sound
other that the typical sound effects that we would associate with the police. The only diegetic
sound we hear is the Nicolas telling a class “use your brain” and the shouting of other
policemen in training.
The first shot is a long shot as Nicholas walks forward towards us and puts his police badge
right in front of the camera so that we see a close up of the badge which has a photo of his
comical/serious face. We then see dolly shots and low angle shots of him walking through
the police department to show that he is in a position of importance. There are many close
ups throughout of his face to show that he is constantly serious about his job. There is also a
zoom in an examwhich goes close up to his face during as he completed the exam which then
transitions into a reverse zoom from his face to then show him in a room full of press as he is
receiving an award.
Throughout the scene there are many different types of transitions between each individual
clip. The first shot is a long take; this brings a lot of suspense as Nicholas walks forwards
towards the camera. Throughout the scene there are lots of cut transitions to speed up the
pace of it and to emphasise the action. We also see some wipes as they go from one location
to another for example there is a wipe between the exam and the award that he receives.
The fast pace of the scene is a big contrast to the opening shot
Turning now to the mise-en-scene I examined the colour, props, locations, blocking and
lighting. The three colours that were most frequently used were black blue and white; these
are typical colours that we associate with the police force as it is the colour of their uniforms.
The props used were also typical for a film with police torches, hand cuffs and guns. Nicholas
also seems to have a pen with him most of the time and he clicks his pen during the transition
between two scenes. The majority of the clips are quick shots from a variety of locations
including the police station, the examination room, the police training grounds etc. To further
emphasise his power and importance, Nicholas is in the front and centre throughout the
scene; this means that out attention is automatically drawn to him. Most of the lighting
throughout the scene is low key lighting, we see a lot of outdoor clips were natural light is
used; the first shot however is dark because it creates suspense of what is going on before
the action begins.