The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is an Academy Award winning film (winning six—Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound Editing & Sound Mixing). For this film, we are going to break down a few of those key awards (film elements) and what makes this film the “best.”

The class will be split. Different people will look for different things…The following categories are on your viewing guide.

BEST SCREENPLAY

What are the elements of a great screenplay? A rousing plot is nice, but at the heart of a good script are round, complex characters that are developed thoroughly—that we can relate to, identify with, and look up to. Through a character’s own actions and dialogue, as well as what other characters do or say about a particular character, is character development.

There are only three main characters. Track their character development—their personality traits, their attitudes, why they act the way they act; write down examples of what they (or others) say or do that displays these traits/attitudes. How do they change? What is their “character arc?”

BEST SOUND EDITING and MIXING

The Sound Editor assembles all sounds you hear in a film—from audio effects to background noise—with the exception of its score and on-set dialogue. The Sound Mixer blends it all together, emphasizing certain aspects.

Throughout the film, track the effective use of sounds. When does it add to the situation, emotion, realism, and/or tension of the scene?

BEST FILM EDITING

As we have explored before, the Film Editor (working closely with the director) is responsible for putting all the raw footage of the film into a coherent story; s/he is responsible for pacing, as well as fluidity of transitions between shots and scenes.

Throughout the film, track the effective use of editing. When does it aid in the pacing, tension, and/or suspense of the scene?