The cutting-edge sci-fi thriller Mercy, now available on Prime Video, plunges viewers into a tense near-future where an artificial intelligence presides over justice, granting the accused a mere ninety minutes to prove their innocence. This high-stakes scenario, played out within a meticulously designed interrogation chamber, presented a unique and formidable challenge for the film’s editorial team. Director Timur Bekmambetov, known for his innovative visual storytelling, tasked editors Lam T. Nguyen and Austin Keeling with orchestrating a visual symphony of simultaneous camera feeds, intricate graphics, and dynamic screen manipulations, a task that later saw the acclaimed Dody Dorn lend her expertise to refine the final cut. The sheer volume of visual information—often escalating to twenty or more concurrent camera feeds and amplified screen displays—demanded an unprecedented level of organization and collaborative synergy to bring the film’s complex narrative to fruition.
The Genesis of a "Screen Life" Masterpiece
Mercy‘s narrative hinges on the protagonist’s desperate race against time within a confined, technologically saturated environment. This inherent structure, often referred to as "screen life" filmmaking, necessitates a distinct editorial approach. The script was meticulously segmented, with Nguyen and Keeling working in tandem, passing scenes back and forth, ensuring that each editor developed a comprehensive understanding of the entire film. "Once we had finished a pass, we would just trade back and forth," explains Keeling. "By the end, Lam and I had touched every single part of the movie. It was not like I edited this scene and Lam edited that scene. We had both worked on all of it." This deeply collaborative process fostered a shared vision and allowed for a fluid evolution of the narrative.
The addition of Dody Dorn, a seasoned editor with a distinguished career, marked a crucial stage in post-production. Dorn’s role focused on refining specific sequences, particularly the opening and closing acts where the protagonist, portrayed by Chris Pratt, is outside the interrogation chair. "When Dody Dorn came in, she watched the cut and gave us notes on specific sequences," Keeling elaborates. "We tweaked a few things, but mostly she worked on the opening and the end sequence when Chris Pratt is out of the chair. It was like Dody was working on one thing on her own, and Lam and I were working on the rest of the bits. Then we would all meet together, have notes, and adjust." This tiered approach ensured that the film benefited from both the intimate, scene-by-scene polish and the broader, structural refinement of an experienced hand.
Orchestrating the Visual Deluge
The sheer quantity of visual assets was a primary concern from the outset. Assistant editors Jack McKee and Alison Chang played a pivotal role in establishing a robust organizational framework. "Jack and Alison were keen on organizing the files before we even started, like stock footage in stock footage folders and daily footage in daily footage folders," states Nguyen. "Austin and I have done a couple of these screen life projects where it could get so hectic and you get lost in the weeds of the files, so that was critical to organize first." This proactive approach to data management was essential in preventing the editorial team from becoming overwhelmed by the vast array of footage.
The project’s dynamic nature meant that the editorial team constantly encountered unforeseen elements. "We thought we would have all the material, and then they dumped more cameras on us, and suddenly there would be five more body cams and some things we had never seen," Keeling remarks. This continuous influx of new material, coupled with the integration of extensive animated graphics and on-screen widgets, created a complex puzzle. "And then on top of all that, the graphics, all of the different animated widgets. There were so many things on top of just the footage that we had to juggle," Keeling adds. The challenge lay not only in incorporating new footage but also in determining its precise placement and context within the evolving narrative. "It was tough because, ‘This document appears in scene 47. Do we put it in scene 47 or do we put it in documents?’ We were constantly shifting as we went and learning how to handle the onslaught of so much material."
A Fluid Post-Production Process: The Absence of a "Locked Cut"
In Mercy, the concept of a "locked cut" was a constantly shifting target, a reality that presented significant challenges for other departments, particularly visual effects. Director Timur Bekmambetov’s directive to continuously refine the film meant that editorial was engaged in an ongoing process of alteration. "We worked really closely with the visual effects team, and Timur wanted to keep making changes all the way up until the very end," notes Keeling. "You’d think something was locked and the visual effects team would be happy and moving forward. But we’d be like, ‘Oh, sorry, guys, we made a million changes.’"
This iterative process underscored the importance of seamless communication between editorial and the visual effects teams, primarily handled by DNEG. "We had a great amount of support from the whole visual effects team," Nguyen shares. "The three or four visual effects editors, the visual effects supervisor, and the visual effects producer had to communicate daily with each other. What changes were made on every edit had to be communicated." The precision required was immense, demanding that the VFX team meticulously track even minor adjustments in camera movement, focus, and timing. "They were always tasked to make sure that they’re paying attention to our little details, little movements, and little camera focus. It had to be exact, so we had to communicate that." To accommodate this, DNEG had to develop a bespoke turnover workflow specifically tailored to Mercy‘s unique demands.
Crafting Perspective: The Art of Point-of-View
A significant editorial undertaking in Mercy involved the creation of the protagonist’s point-of-view (POV) shots. Much of the visual material presented to the audience as Chris Pratt’s character, Chris Raven, perceives it was meticulously constructed in post-production. "What was unique about this film is that we essentially created all of the POV camera angles that you see," states Keeling. "Anytime Chris Pratt’s character, Chris Raven, is looking at Judge Maddox [Rebecca Ferguson], and we see what he’s looking at, we created that camera because what we were given was just a shot of Rebecca Ferguson on a bluescreen."
The editorial team, in collaboration with VFX, had to integrate Rebecca Ferguson’s performance into the digital environment of the interrogation chamber, populating it with the various data streams and windows that the AI system displayed. "We had to put her into the chamber, put all of the material around her that she’s pulling up [files and windows], and create a camera within that wide shot to direct the audience to look at what Chris Pratt’s character is looking at," Keeling explains. This process involved compositing, digital set extensions, and the precise animation of screen elements to mimic the character’s gaze.
Editorial as a Dynamic Cinematographic Tool
Beyond constructing POV shots, the editorial team employed techniques traditionally associated with cinematography to enhance the narrative. Rack focusing, for instance, became an indispensable tool for directing audience attention. "There’s the chamber background, Rebecca Ferguson, and all of this material in the same level of focus," explains Keeling. "We separated those into different layers and manually applied a Gaussian blur effect to certain levels, and then animated that with keyframes to go back and forth between different levels of focus."
This technique allowed the editors to dynamically shift the audience’s focus, blurring out background elements to emphasize a specific screen or Rebecca Ferguson’s reaction, and then sharpening those elements as Chris Raven’s attention shifted. "If we wanted Rebecca Ferguson to be what he’s focusing on, we’d blur out all the screens in the background. Then he moves his focus to one of the screens, and suddenly Rebecca goes into a blur, and these things come into sharp focus," Keeling elaborates. "This is something we don’t normally deal with as editors." This blurring and sharpening of focus effectively mimicked the human eye’s ability to track movement and shift attention, adding a sophisticated layer of visual storytelling.
Previsualization and the Blueprint for Production
The entire film underwent an extensive previzualization process before production commenced. This foresight proved invaluable, serving as a blueprint for the entire production team. "The production team used that as a blueprint and would rely on us as we rolled edits, like, ‘How’s this looking? Is this working in the edit?’" remarks Nguyen. Director Timur Bekmambetov emphasized the centrality of the screen to the narrative, stating, "Everything that we need to focus on in the story is centered on the screen." The editorial team then leveraged the previz and storyboards, using them to guide the shooting process and fill in narrative gaps.
"The storyboards helped us, and they shot the footage almost replicating the storyboards, but obviously, you improvise as you go," Nguyen adds. In instances where live-action footage was still pending, storyboards served as crucial placeholders. "There’s a huge chase through a building in downtown Los Angeles, and we wouldn’t have footage for that yet, so we would use the storyboard," states Keeling. However, the precise arrangement of the numerous screens within the interrogation chamber was a collaborative effort that solidified in the editing room. "The layout of the screens in the chamber ultimately came from Lam and me and Timur working together in the editing room." This iterative process, blending pre-planning with on-the-fly adaptation, allowed the team to construct a visually rich and narratively cohesive film.
The Evolving Canvas: Editorial as Animation
The editorial process for Mercy often blurred the lines between editing and animation. The team would construct sequences broadly to establish the narrative flow before applying dynamic camera movements like zooms and pans. "We built out the sequences wide to get a feel for the story first, and then we did the dynamic push, pulls, and zooms," remarks Nguyen. While this flexibility allowed for significant creative iteration without costly reshoots, it also presented a substantial workload. "The pro is that we could make changes in the edit without actually physically going to reshoot something. The con was breaking down the puzzle, recreating the shot, and reanimating again. We were almost like animators, redrawing everything again. Every change was almost starting from scratch by taking the fundamental elements that we already have." The reliance on Adobe Premiere and its layered capabilities was instrumental in managing these complex visual compositions.
Narrative Threads and Interwoven Action
Mercy‘s narrative structure often involved developing storylines independently before intercutting them, particularly evident in the film’s climactic third act, which features a truck chase and an ongoing investigation. This parallel storytelling required a strategic division of labor within the editorial team. "Austin and I would switch tasks," remarks Nguyen. "I’d do the investigation and Austin would work on the truck chase. Then we would swap so we made sure that you could track the investigation part and the same thing with the truck chase. Then we had to intercut them, but at least the stories and subthemes are there." This method ensured that each narrative thread received dedicated attention while maintaining the crucial interdependency required for a cohesive climax.
Maximizing Limited Performance Coverage
Chris Pratt’s central performance in Mercy is largely confined to a single chair within the interrogation chamber, a deliberate artistic choice that significantly impacted filming and editing. This constraint limited his physical movement and thus the potential for varied camera coverage. "Lam and I were on set during production, so we were definitely like, ‘Hey, can we get some wide angles here? Can we get a different aerial down?’" laughs Keeling. The editorial team actively provided a "wish list" of desired shots to the production, which was largely accommodated.
Despite the inherent limitations of a chamber piece, the editorial team found creative ways to keep the visual experience engaging. "The nature of the film is this chamber piece between two characters sitting in a room. What was lucky is we had the freedom to create these camera angles from the POV and introduce all of these other elements around Chris; that’s how we made sure it was never stagnating too much in just shots of him." The sheer volume of footage captured, encompassing security cameras, drones, dash cams, body cams, and even a cellphone recording, provided an extensive library from which the editors could draw to construct dynamic sequences. Keeling recalls one scene being shot entirely on a cellphone carried by an extra, underscoring the exhaustive approach to acquiring diverse visual perspectives.
The Nuances of Color and Resolution
The diverse array of footage formats presented a significant challenge for color grading. The editorial team aimed for authenticity by researching the visual characteristics of real-world cameras to ensure accurate replication. "We used research footage of what the real camera looks like to make sure that the replication was accurate," reveals Nguyen. The colorist faced the complex task of grading each individual layer within a frame, meticulously adjusting the color and tone of each of the five screens independently before reassembling them.
Director of Photography Khalid Mohtaseb was actively involved in refining the visual aesthetic, ensuring a deliberate contrast in resolution and clarity. "The DP came in too, Khalid Mohtaseb, and he was nitpicking about which footage looked fresh and crisp," Nguyen notes. "The only thing that looks high resolution and IMAX is anything in the chamber. Then anything in the footage is degraded so that when you jump to Chris or Rebecca, it gets you back into the mode of cinema." This deliberate degradation of external footage served to immerse the audience in the cinematic experience of the chamber, highlighting the film’s internal world.
Virtual Production and the Volume Stage
The implementation of virtual production for the chamber scenes, utilizing a volume stage, offered a novel approach to filmmaking. The editorial team’s previz work directly informed the visual environment displayed on the volume. "I would just say that the volume was cool because we had made that previs before production started, tweaked it, and got it down to a good place," states Keeling. "And they took our previs and actually put that up on the volume so that when there was a scene that Chris was talking to a FaceTime image, it would actually pop up in front of him." This integration allowed for a more organic performance from Chris Pratt, as he could react to the digital elements in real-time, a testament to the seamless collaboration between editorial, virtual production, and on-set execution.
A Human Touch in the Age of AI
Ultimately, Mercy stands as a testament to the power of human creativity in the face of increasingly sophisticated technology. Nguyen, reflecting on the film’s hybrid genre—a blend of sci-fi action thriller and murder mystery—emphasizes the deliberate human touch that permeates the final product. "It’s a sci-fi, action thriller, but it’s also a murder mystery with clues to track. It’s keeping the pace as a normal, traditional film while also doing all this extra work with visual effects and animation and keyframing." The editorial team’s greatest pride lies in the fact that despite the film’s advanced visual effects and complex digital manipulations, no AI was used in the final assembly. "In the end, what we really wanted to express was no AI was used in the final version of this film. It’s all done by the human touch with editorial and visual effects, so that’s what we feel most proud of." This dedication to artisanal craftsmanship ensures that Mercy resonates with a palpable human element, even as it explores the frontiers of artificial intelligence and cinematic technology.
