You know, of all the established directors working today
I think the one that would feel most at home in my world,
the world of the video essay, is Edgar Wright.
See, basically what I do here every week, like any essayist, is make an argument.
The difference between me and say, New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman
besides a PhD in Economics and like, accolades
is that I use video to make my arguments, where he has only language
But even so, our goals are the same: to make a persuasive and engaging argument.
And just like writers pay close attention to the flow of their words,
carefully crafting the transitions from one idea to the next
I see the rhythm and momentum of my videos as crucial to their effectiveness
And here's where I can learn a lot from Edgar Wright.
[Scott]: Can I get back to you on that?
(bell ringing)
Edgar wright is a master of rhythm.
What you just saw is one of many extraordinary scene transitions from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
It lasts about four and a half seconds,
But it's worth taking a second, slower look
This transition is all about movement to the right
It kicks off with Anna Kendrick looking to Camera Right, which is the direction of the movement
But she's also looking at her brother through the split screen
Her split screen is keyframed off to the left and so is Scott Pilgrim's
But Wright has cleverly positioned him left in the frame
So he can bring in the unseen right-hand part of the shot to extend the dolly wipe
And the right of that frame is the armchair which wipes across to reveal the next outdoor setting
And the onomatopoeia letters of the school bell aid this transition into a shot that continues the motion by actually dollying to the right.
If you were to diagram out this transition, it would look a little like this
and it gives you a better sense of just how much care is put into a handful of frames.
The transitions are a site of opportunity for Edgar Wright, they're not only an opportunity for visual jokes,
as my friend Tony explored briefly in another video which I'll link to right here
They're a chance to build important connective tissue that brings the viewer through the story.
In fact I think a story is a lot like an argument. It has to be persuasive to work.
[Stephen]: Scott! [Scott]: What?
[Stephen]: You only played one note for that entire song
In the beginning of this movie, Scott Pilgrim is adrift.
The break-up that defined his life for the past year is no longer an excuse for his sour attitude
He begins a relationship with a 17-year old that's clearly not serious to him and he's kind of just floating through life
It's a feeling that I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with, I know I am.
When everything sort of melts together and you skip around in time from place to place.
To communicate this feeling, Wright melts together the transitions between settings
He utilizes a few techniques to do this; on Scott's date with knives for example
There are a series of frame wipes that use diegetic moving objects, usually people,
that are so seamless they momentarily trick the brain into not registering the transition.
What's more these wipes are all accompanied by sound effects which are also diegetic
Whether it's a car, a skateboard, the rustling of clothes hangers,
or the beep of a sliding door all pulling you deeper into the world.
You also have shots where the reverse shot is matched in framing, but in a totally different location.
I mean this is really cool because Wright is using the rules of cinema against you
you're not trained to think that a scene transition could come between a shot reverse shot
So you're already engaging with the next place before you realize that you've left the last one
When you think back on this sequence It's hard to remember all the locations as distinct, which is exactly what Scott is feeling.
[Stephen]: I told you like 50 times
[Kim]: We're going to this party, retard
All throughout Scott pilgrim, Wright never misses a chance to use a creative transition, whether it's from scene to scene
[Scott]: Oh, hey, it's tonight at the R-
Or within scenes, from shot to shot
[Scott]: Wallace!
I think the overall effect of this is two-fold.
Not only do the wipes and whip pans and match cuts draw you along the story as it unfolds,
But they also make you into a more observant viewer.
There are transitions that disappear the first time you watch, and stand out the second time or vice versa
I mean where exactly is the scene transition here?
It's happening completely off-screen, or rather, behind the screen.
My guess is either that the house set is on wheels or the bathroom itself is being spun around to face another backdrop.
Whichever it is, the transition is disorienting in the best way,
and because what's happening isn't possible, you're encouraged to sort of put the film together,
an interactivity that's appropriate in a movie about gaming.
What's important is that the film goer is involved and engrossed at the same time.
This delicate balance is achieved through transitions that are often lyrical, like a kind of visual poetry in the most unlikely place.
It might be worth noting too that Scott Pilgrim is a story about a transitionary period In the hero's life.
A period between knowing who you were
and deciding who you're going to be
Life's transitions are harder to navigate than those in film or a video essay,
but all of them have to be persuasive, and persuasion is about more than the words or the images or the ideas you use
It's also about how you connect now.
(music)
Hey, everybody. Thanks for watching there is a new Nerdwriter episode every Wednesday
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Can you see? Can you see that I'm in Venice Italy, that is amazing
I'm here for a month and a half working, living, exploring,
This place is like a dream and being here is a dream for me
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It's fun. Thanks guys for that, and I will see the rest of you
Hopefully next Wednesday
I'm in venice this is crazy!