Films › Editing
The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, 2008
Editors Bob Murawski and Chris Innis, working from Barry Ackroyd's handheld, multi-camera coverage, built suspense in the bomb-disposal sequences almost entirely through cutting patterns rather than music or dialogue. Study how the editors intercut wide shots of rooftops and windows, potential threats that may or may not be real, with the bomb tech's close, methodical work, a rhythm that keeps the audience scanning the frame the way the character scans the street. Cuts are frequent but never arbitrary; each one recalibrates the geography of danger, using multiple camera angles shot simultaneously so the edit could choose the exact moment of maximum tension in post rather than relying on a single planned setup. Notice how silence and long holds are used as deliberately as fast cutting, so that a static shot of a wire being clipped carries as much weight as a rapid montage. The film largely avoids a traditional score during these sequences, letting ambient sound and cut timing generate anxiety instead.
What to watch for
Notice how long static holds are intercut with rapid cuts to threats on the periphery of the frame.
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