Pilgrim

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 so if you click right there you'll subscribe to this channel and get all the videos. guys, i'm in venice 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

anyway, i have to thank squarespace for sponsoring this video. they make sleek intuitive websites i just made one called the nerdwriter.net you sign up for a year you can get a free domain name and if you use the offer code nerdwriter you can get 10% off your first purchase. you know. it's really easy to do go make one 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!

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