How Edgar Wright Sets Up Baby Driver - First Scene Breakdown

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Edgar Wright Does a fantastic job of setting up Baby Driver during the first scene. I do an analysis of the opening scene and talk about the filmmaking techniques that make it great.
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[@AddSerious]

You didn't talk about when Baby lowers his glasses is the few seconds that he lets the crime world he is in get to him. Throughout the movie any time he is forced to be aware of the crimes he is involved in he doesn't have glasses on. The glasses are the symbol of his hiding himself from what is going on around him. Towards the end of the film when he motions to the woman to not go in, no matter how many pairs of glasses he tries to put on something happens to them, his eyes are forever open to the evil he has been involved in and he can't go back now.

[@nursaminah2702]

Add Serious but i feel very sad that he cant hear music anymore which was his first love .....and baby dad is dead..

[@howgii7140]

+Nur Amy Baby can still hear he just has tinnitus, also Baby's father was depicted as a bad guy in the movie and it was never implied he died, only his mom. So how do you know he is dead? And if he is, why are you sad? He was the very reason his mom died in the first place.

[@andrewjacks2716]

He explicitly says both his parents died in the crash. Still, your point stands. Dude was a piece of shit.

[@connor1750]

I'm a little late but I'd also like to point out that throughout the movie, his under shirt gets darker and his shades get lighter, proving your point further.

[@WhiteWolf496]

oh dang

[@TSMusic-95]

What amazed me in this movie, as a musician, is that every single gunshot(or most of them at least) is synched to the beat of the music.

[@Lenosito]

Not just the gun shots, of course... What baffled me was when I noticed that the trees flashing in front of the cars (first Baby's, then followed by the police), and the whooshing sounds they make, are synched with the fast 1/16 drum rolls in Bellbottoms. (At 3:05 in the 6 minute opening clip on yt) (VERY late reply so sorry I just stumbled upon this video)

[@Whovian1029]

It's unbelievable. It's not even just stuff like gunshots. Literally every movement or noise in the film that occurs while music is playing is synchronized to it. It's superbly well done.

[@SavCorp]

I love it when that happens

[@Davide_LP]

Ok I feel crazy, I'm a musician too... and this scene is not synched to the beat: (The beat is in 4/4) In chronological order: The chewing is slower than the 8ths of the song, The trunk is closed on the 2nd 8th of the bar, but it's late, so it's not synched. Their steps are slowr than the 8ths The honks are completely random The wipers are slower than the beat The first gunshot anticipates the beat. the third is late on the beat The other scene cut in synch with the music, but only the cuts are in synch

[@eds6965]

Whay do you call that technique? When the music synched in cinematography?

[@Gerald5000]

I only just noticed every car in the opening shot is muted grey or silver. And looking into it way too much again, they get out of a red car and get into a green one. That can't just be coincidence.

[@SyberianVG]

from danger to safe, it's the point, and all the people around are crowd scene for Baby's action. so u got that right.

[@sebastiansebastian5270]

Oh wow I didn't catch that, props my dude

[@funeralbillii9172]

NOTHING is by coincidence in an Edgar Wright movie.

[@EveTheBoneQueen]

Whats beautiful about that is that it's such a simple Easter Egg. You'd think more directors would pay attention to stuff like that, but it so often gets overlooked. Not that directors who don't do that are automatically bad, but small things like that add SO MUCH extra depth to even simple and uncomplicated scenes, yet it gets ignored.

[@djpemb]

I got it so the red Subaru symbolisms the crew being bad represented by the red when they get into the green Toyota the girl takes off her jacket pretending to be a good person and they all drive off okaying the rules and pretending to be good responsible civilians when in fact they just robbed a bank

[@MrFrooost]

First time seeing the move, my words: "This is an action musical"

[@khangenbamavanjit122]

Yeah good term

[@krittikapaul355]

i definitely felt like that about Drive, it had a lot of elements that i've seen in la la land and whiplash in terms of colour and it was so beautiful

[@daviakira2526]

Back in 2017 I went to the movies looking forward to seeing Spider-Man, but I was a little bit distracted the day, and entered the wrong room. I remember thinking ''this Ansel Elgort trailer is taking too long!'' Then, I saw one of the best movies of 2017 on accident and not previously knowing anything about it.

[@DelusionalInsider]

Bruh and they just let you in to a different movie??? Why even buy a ticket at that point lmao

[@daviakira2526]

MbS the “checking tickets” point in brazilian cinemas is common to all screening rooms, cause its like a big hallway and the person who checks the ticktets stays in the beginning of it. So once you pass them, you should just follow the directions that they give you, but I was so distracted that I just followed the people in front of me. Coincidentally, the exact same seat was free, so I just sat there and was like “this trailer is taking soo long” (it was the movie already)

[@TheOGMudkip]

nice

[@Cj-xt6tv]

Davi Akira that’s also how it is in America. Just pass a “ checkpoint” and you could, in theory, enter whatever screening you want

[@AnalyzeNow]

You mean "by accident". Saying "on accident" is grammatically incorrect. Get it right.

[@sammulrooney1686]

Edgar Wright is not just a director but an artist. He cares about each of his craft and always delivers. Great video man, one of the best explanations on how his film making is the best at visual story telling, framing, sound design and editing. Such a leg-end XD

[@madmaniac2552]

Triple Digit Productions most directors are artists

[@madmaniac2552]

Triple Digit Productions but Edgar Wright is definitely one of the best

[@mattb9500]

All. All directors are artists. I don't know where people get this idea that in order for something to "count" as art it has to be good.

[@katr.9902]

I love that first decision Baby makes when he goes reverse while Griff points forward. And that's so clever of Baby because he saw that police vehicle going that way.

[@Zentagon]

Such a well crafted video breaking down that first scene in Baby Driver. Brought up stuff I never thought about. Great work.

[@roshanilahmohdhusin5041]

Zentagon re

[@optimalvideos958]

666 omfg

[@paulk.221]

Zentagon Why do I feel like I this is a little over analyzed?

[@lasttimecommenting]

The whole film is a just a shadow of the music video the same director made for mint royale for the song blue song.... that's why it goes so well with the music it was BASED OFF A F*CKING MUSIC VIDEO.... why is no one discussing this?

[@TrashTheory]

There's been so many videos dealing with Baby Driver and Edgar Wright's style lately, but this is definitely one of the best. It's not just surface insight, but actual in-depth analysis. Great stuff!

[@ThomasFlight]

Thank you. I try hard to go deeper than the surface, so it means a lot to hear you say that!

[@TooCooFoYou]

Baby Driver is the most commercially successful film in Edgar Wright's canon, so more people are exposed to it.

[@lenks98]

"It doesn't just complement the scene, it DRIVES it forward"... I see what you did there. Funny.

[@Ten_Thousand_Locusts]

Videos like these always make me wonder how much of this was intentionally put in, and how much was either an accident or just gut feeling from years of experience on the directors part. It just seems crazy to me to be able to keep track of so many different metaphors and symbolism in your shots and scenes, actively and intentionally.

[@nekro5342]

watch more Edgar Wright movies. Shaun of the Dead is ridiculous with all the foreshadowing, call backs and attention to detail.

[@frogman1]

i bet they storyboard and revise like hell

[@ibnalfreak]

This movie was BY FAR my favorite movie of the summer.

[@jonnoweb]

Nathan Yost Just my favourite film of the year, along with Blade Runner 2049. I hate Sony as a film company (The Emoji Movie and Pixels), but they managed to make my two favourite 2017 movies.

[@nazart7830]

The only thing that bugs me is why did they left the car doors open at the end??

[@Mrwebelongundead]

so they could get the car door dinging for the music

[@Solarstar10]

nazart They're in a hurry to get away as fast as possible, and like the previous comment said, it allows Wright to use that dinging sound which syncs up with the music.

[@ACoolPseudonym]

nazart also the car was left in a shady parking garage down town keys in the ignition doors open......some one is going to take it Don't have to worry about disposal

[@vascomaciel4640]

Gas Mask13 That's actually really clever

[@ave789]

Gas Mask13 Plus, it'll be the thief who takes the car who'll get the rap for the bank heist.

[@lottie7291]

I just want to say this is one of the best breakdown scene analysis I've ever watched. You pay attention to every single detail of the opening scene and explain your findings step by step in such an engaging way. I watched this breakdown back when I was choosing what to do at university, and watching this made me realise just how fun it is to break down films and study them academically, leading to eventually choosing to study Film at University. So thank you, I hope you keep doing what you love as it's truly been inspiring

[@brycesuid5218]

Does anyone notice the road lines in his glasses at 5:19? Edgar Wright is a genius!

[@fordsquared537]

Echapolus - it’s not about the realism, it’s the insane attention to detail. If he hadn’t included them, no one would ever have brought it up. It was a small, useless detail that when noticed only assists in immersing you into the world.

[@tobytowbs2370]

Ah man! I literally just wrote a comment about that, then saw your comment! I think that, because he doesn't move during the shot, but the actress in the back and the external scenery, does. Edgar chose to project movement onto him in this way, so that the viewer's attention wasn't drawn away from Baby, by all the other movement. The angle of the shot he chose, helped too. The fact that the scrolling lines also suggest, speed and Baby's skilled car control and mental focus, during fast-paced action? Is why Wright, is a flippin genius!

[@blammowammo5886]

@@Echapolus shut the fuck up.

[@daniel_netzel]

Great video, I'm currently working on a video about Baby Driver myself, here's hoping both of ours do well! :)

[@ThomasFlight]

Can't wait to see yours! There's a lot about it to cover.

[@daniel_netzel]

Indeed there is! There could be a dozen videos about the film and not cover everything worth discussing.

[@bwifpunish]

I like to imagine that in this universe everything is in sync with Baby's music which is why he is so good at driving as he can anticipate what happens.

[@fluckter_600]

I was thinking something similar! Alot of things seems to line up with the music so well, beyond fun synchronization. A scene I'm thinking of in particular is after the shootout caused by bats, and you see after they drive away, one of the dead cops hands were twitching EXACTLY to how loud the broken music player was! It was that exact moment I thought the music was directly linked as the heart of the action. Another scene, with baby and buddy trying to crash each other comes to mind, with the loudness of Buddy's music is diegetictly and metaphorically tied to the power of his car. It was moments like that where there was a sort of dark whimsy to it

[@TheSoapyandPhil]

3:38 The subtle vertigo zoom also shows the world closing in around him as the police car can be heard then seen passing in the next shot.

[@benchin159]

SoapyandPhil I

[@KartoffelKonig]

damn what a detailed analysis

[@mwfilmstudies986]

The opening sequence was easily the best of 2017 in my opinion. Very well crafted on every level and thoughout, from the character interactions to the editing and choreography.

[@AllocatesBeef]

This video is ten thousand times better than the new KZbin design that surrounds it. Guess they should have used Squarespace. You earned yourself my dollar, Flight. Amazing work.

[@ThomasFlight]

Happy to have your support!

[@Sirtoxique]

You can revert to the old style if you click on your profile pic in the top right, "restore old KZbin".

[@CaptGlorypants]

One detail I really like from the opening scene is how when Baby is looking into the bank, the music uses a sample of a crowd cheering, which is reminiscent of screaming, which emphasizes the horror that the robbery is causing to the people inside.

[@andobreslin8735]

If a GTA film is ever made, Edgar Wright has to be Director.

[@madrid_seu]

Ando Servis but do we need a GTA movie? Therrd a lot of good car movies and heist movies. I feel like a GTA movie would jist be using GTA as a name for marketing. I think baby driver is as good as a GTA movie could ever be

[@KaizerMan]

If there was a GTA movie it’d be as bad as the Tomb Raider, Street Fighter or Mario & Luigi films lol. But we’re not in the 90s or 00s anymore so I doubt a film that bad with that evident of a cash-grab would be made

[@natewilkes1200]

Kaizer-Man have you ever seen warcraft or assassins creed

[@hugosdrawing2871]

@@natewilkes1200 They're bad too

[@litgirlgamer7914]

Tarantino would be my pick

[@phoebesmith3935]

Fantastic analysis, really got deep into the meat and meaning of one of the most critical scenes, loved this.

[@mayovkacoywolf6165]

Definitely my favorite director, everything he does has so much care put into it! Tiny hints are sprinkled everywhere that you are oblivious of until you see the ending, and I absolutely love it!

[@gabrielborjas7923]

I am shook by your thorough analysis and eye to detail. Just...thank you

[@organicmilk5]

I found myself counting the seconds between each cut and its just so fun and incredibly mind blowing

[@Luckylukeproduction]

YOU SHOULD HAVE MORE SUBSCRIBERS!!! Your videos are AWESOME!!!

[@FWIMCProductions]

I appreciate that. One sub at a time!

[@ziriuz1970]

Debo agradecer porque tu subtitulas tus videos! Gracias

[@DreistStudios]

Thomas Fisher And you have one more now! Subscribed!!

[@turbo_bikini]

Thomas Fisher anyone notice that's a different user name from the videos uploader? Anyway, great description and video!!

[@justskillfull]

Ok, I subscribed... are you happy?

[@XPStartupSound]

Great video Thomas. I am a huge fan of your analyses, I am always excited to see a new vid in my inbox. I am glad you got a sponsor, hopefully you are able to be compensated in some way. I know these sponsors typically are referral-based. If I had a need to build a website I'd use your link, I swear!

[@FWIMCProductions]

Squarespace has been a great sponsor. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@laforezr]

Your analysis style and amazing video making makes for one of the most refreshing content I’ve seen in a long while. Keep up the good work!

[@ThomasFlight]

Glad to have you!

[@calliekid707]

thank you for videos like this, brings cinema to a level that doesn't get talked about much.

[@sierrahoff2247]

I appreciate all the counting and numbers of the shots to give more concrete evidence. Really dig your analysis!

[@qazzimir]

I love ALL THESE INSIGHTS into the CLIP

[@danialarif3220]

Videos like these are truly groundbreaking. Fantastically detailed insight. Subscribed.

[@jackspring7680]

Such a great analysis! Congrats. Don´t know if you´ve noticed but if you wacht the original scene uploaded in youtube by Columbia, at 2:44 you can see the word "Dance" in a purple and yellow graffity just when the song says that same word, probably introducing the style that will be present in all the next scene.

[@ThomasFlight]

Wow! I didn't catch that. You're definitely right.

[@prestonhansen7160]

What I personally really love about this scene. Is how well it suspends your disbelief.

[@100gecsrbetterthangod5]

Except for the perfectly placed water that enables baby to do a crazy drift maneuver around a (dump?) truck as well as the convenient location of the two red cars which is almost the sole reason Baby makes a successful escape. Not trying to be negative just saying that when I watched this movie, those two scenes ripped me out of the world and brought my attention back to the fact that it's a film and the MC still has plot armor.

[@kalinthecity]

A very detailed and right on analysis Thom!

[@brianbalmforth1304]

Hot damn was that some absolutely stellar analysis. I mean counting the shots, classifying them by who is/isn’t in them, and using that to draw logical conclusions? That’s just stellar dedication and analysis dude. I absolutely love it

[@angelfish138]

The whole scene itself is by far one of the best I’ve seen in a while

[@An0nim0u5]

This is the second video I am watching by this channel and I am happy I did not waste my time when I subbed right after the first one... Good job...

[@startingover6199]

This was a fantastic video. Very insightful and well made. Keep up the good work!

[@feyrytales]

Great breakdown Thomas! This was truly an expertly done exposition scene, it hit all the right notes (pun only slightly intended) for me. Edgar Wright has really proven he is a phenomenal filmmaker, Baby Driver was so lovely.

[@ThomasFlight]

Thank you! There's so much to pull from with an Edgar Wright film it makes these essays easy!

[@marcstarvaggi]

This film has the best use of music I have ever seen/heard

[@dowystar]

Amazing video on one of my new favorite films

[@realar]

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!! Great analysis, sir. You've reminded me how intricate this film is and why I love it so much.

[@isaacting1301]

dude your analysis is ON POINT. subbed

[@rars0n]

Great video! Reminds me of how much I loved so many things about this movie, especially the beginning. Subbed!

[@nicholemaevelez1717]

omg this is such an accurate and smart analysis!

[@hieuthhi6889]

good analysis of how great Edgar works are. Become a fan of your channel now. good job man

[@Chainsaw1999]

This is an awesome breakdown! Please do more of these for baby driver!!

[@SpikeWolf13]

Whheeeeewww!! I am glad to say that I picked up on a few of these on the first time through this movie, but I LOVED the breakdown you had. A wonderful choice of a scene and a wonderful deconstruction of it.

[@helenarosno]

I wish I could’ve seen this in theaters😫 I haven’t even actually seen this movie, but I was researching “how to write a good car chase” and Baby Driver’s opening scene was the first video to pop up. I’m obsessed with this movie (I’ve watched the car chase more times than I can count) and I haven’t even seen it yet! I’m going to Target today and buying it.

[@J0elPeters]

First video I've seen from you and I love your analysis. Great job :)

[@Jindorek]

This was amazing. I could watch you pick apart this entire movie. you are really good, you have my sub.

[@breaklux3823]

I always wondered why I liked this opening scene so much. It all makes sense now, thank you!

[@vincentknight27]

You gained a new subscriber that breakdown was amazing

[@ThomasFlight]

Welcome aboard!

[@z8editing]

incredible how you structured it so well keep up the hard work

[@ThomasFlight]

Thank you!

[@jimtaramas6081]

" Baby Driver" is one of my favorite movies, thank you.

[@bublik11]

I so much love movies or videos that synched very well. Thats why i love this movie so much from the begining

[@RyanDuthiePlus]

This is an impressive analysis, earned yourself a new subscriber!

[@kylewarnke9665]

Holy shit, dude. Excellent video. Insightful analysis presented in a polished package. I couldn't click subscribe fast enough.

[@jazzm.2120]

Great analysis!

[@caseyfeikema3654]

Great video! I love how the ending of this scene takes place in a parking garage, as do some other pivotal moments in the movie.

[@KozieExtradite]

Awesome video. Keep up the good work! Would love to see more!

[@andy-ty5ph]

This movie is phenomenal I cant watch it enough! Thank you for this great video!

[@samuraiujio12]

Gosh I love this movie. Well done analysis dude. Very well done.

[@pcholtz]

Awesome stuff man, great job 🙌

[@petergermain8443]

Who's the one counting all of the shots LOL very well done!! Loved every minute of this movie!

[@abwjr426]

Really good, interesting video! Well done and thank you for putting it together 👏🏼👍🏼

[@BobBee]

Thank you! Found it very interesting

[@jmcauley650]

Great analysis of one of my favorite movies

[@paulvanderkolf7986]

this is why I loved the movie sooooo much, the use of music in conjunction with everything else in the movie

[@Thanju]

Great breakdown, very thorough, thank you!

[@amerikomic]

Amazing! looking forward to seeing more of your video

[@Zwingfilms]

Awesome video Thomas!!

[@annafranklin4981]

Thanks for this, such a great analysis! I'm a huge Edgar Wright fan but this film really cranked it up to 11! Great job & you've scored a new subscriber. :-)

[@bouncearts]

Subscribed, incredibly beautiful video! Extremely enjoyable.

[@tavbuu]

Great video. Makes watching the film even more enjoyable thinking about the comments you have made. Thanks

[@bastienloddo1746]

This was some pretty good analysis, good stuff

[@dadoomguy6263]

a: why am i watching this it's 3 am b: this is just amazing how you are so much able to understand everything

[@gwenfire57]

Awesome video man !

[@DaveGoossen]

Just noticed that all the cars in the first shot are all grey until Baby's bright red Subaru pulls up

[@ThomasFlight]

Yeah! This is a great point that I can't believe I missed mentioning.

[@zacharyhentze64]

Dave Goossen all cars other than the 3 and the police are also gray to take your eyes away

[@matteovukoja1240]

Damn, you put into words how awesomely I felt about this section of the movie. Your video is very well done!

[@reverence791]

damn, you made me love this scene even more.

[@HuntmanC68]

thank you very much for breaking it down like this, taught me a lot.

[@johnmonk9178]

Love how this car chase has an average shot length just a little bit lower than the entirety of Bohemian Rhapsody 😂

[@jameshuntermedia1984]

Excellent analysis.

[@joshcp19]

Wright does something a lot of contemporary filmmakers don't do: he trusts his audience. Filmgoers are much more well-versed in the medium than they realise, and Wright utilises this existing knowledge. Take a montage - an audience understands this is a tool for the compression of a length of time passing through a collection of short passages. Or a jump cut, which can subtly present the intensity of a scene by mirroring the flow of its action. Wright understands this preexisting knowledge and uses it to his advantage.

[@justins6831]

this is ... SPOT ON!! great video man

[@lifelonglearners9784]

Great insights! Thanks for sharing

[@hellomoon]

I've seen the movie twice and your explanation reflect perfectly the rhythm of this opening scene

[@alexmind5136]

Thank you, even though I saw this movie five times, you just made this even more opening than ever

[@starwalker9188]

Very nice video, and I liked the section you included on the passengers' reactions to Baby's choices. I think a fun detail is when the gang gets into the car and Bernthal's character immediately points forward, the direction baby saw the police car driving earlier..and he guns it backwards, warranting an immediately surprised and even somewhat offended look from his passenger seat pal.

[@realm3871]

Awesome video man. For an awesome movie as well!!

[@imanoljesusdelpozo4907]

Wait, those were 10 minutes?! Felt like 3! Fucking great video.

[@JVOStudios]

Ok..That was awesome, really interesting to see the scenes from another perspective. Props to you man.

[@Tom-us4lr]

Brilliant video

[@senseweaver01]

I love Edgar Wright and I love your analysis!

[@TyrantOFynder]

Super high level breakdown..well done dude. have a sub.

[@sirjoey3137]

This feels like a school project, but professionally done. Really awesome breakdown.