The Compass Rule of Planning and Preparation

In a chaotic setting, how many of you are quite prepared for a worst case scenario?

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'The Hurt Locker' sniper scene: a delicate mission

Michael Ordoña, Special to The Chronicle

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Shot with a gritty, documentary-like approach in Jordan, director Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" is now a top awards contender. One of the film's most memorable sequences comes when its three-man Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit (Jeremy Renner as James, Anthony Mackie as Sanborn and Brian Geraghty as Eldridge) is ambushed in the Iraqi desert by an insurgent sniper team, leading to a harrowing all-day duel. Some of the movie's craftspeople spoke with The Chronicle by phone and e-mail to explain how they worked with Bigelow to make essentially 15 minutes of cinematic waiting a riveting experience.

INT/EXT HUMVEE DAY

Find the humvee driving across the desert void. ... Outside, horizon of sand and sun. Inside, shell-shocked men.

Jeremy Renner, actor: It was a really important scene for all three of our characters. It was the hinging point to where they all become cohesive. Before that it was always very tense, "Is he trying to kill us, this guy (James)?" It was intense shooting that, for sure.

Barry Ackroyd, cinematographer: One of the most important things is to find the right location. It had a dry riverbed for them to get stuck in, the bridge in the distance, and a real building.

MERCENARY TEAM LEADER

We've got a flat tire. Can you help us?

Mark Boal, writer (and former embedded journalist): The flat tire being the beginning of the ambush came out of a conversation I once had with a military contractor who told me one of the scariest things that ever happened to him in Iraq was getting stranded with a flat tire and not having the right wrench.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/03/PK4E1B5AG3.DTL

Compass Rule of Planning and Preparation: Anticipate the projected state of your grand settings in terms of normality and extremity. Plan and prepare your tool set in order to adapt to the extreme elements. Be aware of the spacing of your gear pac and the total weight of the tools that you are carrying. Always Assess. Position and Influence (API).

Amateurs guess. Professionals know.