Rob Field
Nick Emerson’s path to becoming a sought-after editor was marked by versatility and a passion for storytelling. Originally from Ireland, Emerson began his career in television news, spending nearly a decade honing his skills before moving onto documentaries and eventually narrative filmmaking. His ability to adapt to a variety of genres, from intimate dramas to thrilling feature films, makes him a trusted collaborator for directors seeking a thoughtful and rigorous approach to editing. He recently teamed up with director Edward Berger on the papal drama “Conclave,” which blends quiet drama with high-stakes suspense.
“Conclave” delves into the mysterious and ancient tradition of choosing a new pope, unfolding in the locked halls of the Vatican after the sudden death of a beloved (fictional) pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), charged with overseeing the sacred rites, finds himself dealing with the rivalries, agendas and secrets of the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders. As cardinals from around the world vie for the papacy, shocking revelations and political maneuvering threaten to derail the process. As Lawrence grapples with his own doubts and a series of secrets left behind by the late pope, he uncovers truths that threaten to shake the church to its foundations, ultimately leading to an explosive twist on faith, power, and purpose.
CineMontage: Why editing rather than sculpture or dance?
Nick Emerson: That’s really interesting – no one has ever asked me that before! I’ve always loved movies since I was a teenager and am a real movie buff. One day, I was watching Taxi Driver—of course, I was too young to watch it—and there was a slow-motion shot of a hand moving across a table. Suddenly, I realized there was a job behind what I was seeing; I could feel the director’s hand, and I thought, “Wow, this is interesting.” I actually wanted to get into cinematography in the first place. I was a runner on a short film and after filming I begged the producers to let me help. They said, “Why don’t you sit with the editor?” The moment I did that, I fell in love with it.
CineMontage: Did this lead to a traditional directing experience?
Emerson: Sort of. I stayed in that place for a while. They do a lot of community-based video work. From there I moved to another facility in Ireland (where I’m from) and started getting into TV news. I worked in journalism for about seven or eight years, then moved into documentaries and eventually into novels, shorts and features. I had a little bit of everything. That’s why I love this job – I’m always learning. One thing that stood out was something Terry George told me while we were making the movie. I made a point of establishing geography, and he said, “The geography is in the characters’ heads.” That was freedom. If Ralph Fiennes walked into a room, his demeanor and expression would tell you everything. You don’t have to spell it out. Another great piece of advice came from a mentor in an early course I took. He said, “Do anything practical. Take every opportunity. If you want a hands-on job, don’t waste your time studying film theory. I kept that in mind and it served me well.”
CineMontage: Please tell me how Conclave came about. This is your first collaboration with Edward Berger, right?
Emerson: That’s right. I received the script and noticed Tessa Ross was named producer. I’d worked with her before on a film and a miniseries, so this caught my attention. I also admire Edward’s works, especially “Patrick Melrose”. When I read the script I loved it – it’s a thriller with something to say and gives us a peek behind the scenes of this fascinating institution. I was immediately hooked. I mentioned “All the President’s Men,” “The Parallax” and other paranoid thrillers from the ’70s, and he was excited because he was already thinking in the same direction. This is a good sign for our cooperation.
CineMontage: Can you delve a little deeper into the stylistic elements of the films you’re discussing?
Emerson: Of course. During the first meeting and throughout production, we discussed specific details. The discipline in those films—the rigor in scene construction—is something we wanted to emulate. Edward mentioned the scene in The Parallax View where Warren Beatty visits his ex-girlfriend. In the darkness, the camera lingers on Beatty’s back for two minutes, even though he is the star. The final cut to his face at a critical moment is fascinating. We wanted to achieve that kind of purposeful filmmaking. That’s a challenge for modern movies because the pacing expectations are different, but that’s what excites me. Every shot and every angle must serve a purpose—it cannot be coverage for the sake of coverage. We talked a lot about capturing that thoughtful, disciplined style and how much we love those films.
CineMontage: How did your discussions about style translate into production? Do you plan the specific treatment of the scene in advance?
Emerson: It’s a combination of factors. I visited the set in Rome a few times, but before filming began, Edward gave me a detailed shot list. For example, the voting scene was storyboarded from the ground up, so I had those as a base. During production I mostly edited in London and sent him rough cuts. He’d send notes back, usually with some challenge like, “There are seven cuts to this scene, let’s break it into three.” That was great because it gave me the freedom to experiment with his vision. A lot of the time, he goes for a calm, collected approach, but at other times, the tempo and tempo changes dramatically.
CineMontage: How did these stylistic shifts manifest?
Emerson: Edward loved to join in the moments that broke the silence. For example, just before Ralph Fiennes enters the papal apartments, there’s a quick cut as he breaks the seal. The atmosphere is very tense, keeping the audience on edge, and then transitions to a scene of him slowly and leisurely exploring the apartment. Another example is when his character is about to face Cardinal Rady. When he stops outside the door, instead of letting him in, we cut to the other side and he’s already inside. It’s almost disorienting, but very effective. These moments free the audience from a static rhythm and keep them engaged.
CineMontage: What were the shots like? Did he stick strictly to shot lists and storyboards, or was there more coverage?
Emerson: It very much followed shot lists and storyboards, but Edward was very adaptable. He plans carefully but is open to ideas on set and willing to adjust when needed. That resilience extended to me too – he encouraged me to try it. If I wanted to try something different in the edit, he was fully supportive. While there’s enough footage to go around, it’s not overly so. Rather than opening a demo bin and finding 30 clips for a project, his approach is more refined. Typically, he would shoot each scene three to four times, sometimes even five times, but it was all purposeful, especially for dialogue scenes. The coverage is always elegant and precise.
CineMontage: With such a great cast, how do you strike a balance between choosing your performances and maintaining a meticulous approach to the camera?
Emerson: Having a cast like this really allowed me to focus on maintaining the sound and structure of the film. With a guy like Ralph Fiennes, you can cut to him at any time and he’s delivering something compelling. Sometimes we adjust the structure to emphasize different variations or emphasis, but we don’t feel we have to limit ourselves to traditional choices. Sometimes I would suggest that we might need to look at the delivery of a certain line, but Edward would say, “No, that’s okay.” And when you watched it, you saw he was absolutely right. Playing something in a place you don’t expect makes you lean forward. It’s remarkable because it draws you into the characters’ experiences, almost making you strain to look into their eyes. This technique creates tension by withholding information, which reflects the film’s themes of secrecy and hidden agendas. He did think about the details.
CineMontage: What was the biggest narrative challenge for you on this project? What are you tracking?
Emerson: It’s a great script, so we have a solid foundation. But there’s a lot going on in the first half hour: the death of the pope, character introductions, the introduction of a cardinal, and a mysterious new cardinal. There’s a lot to manage. We did a montage early on of the cardinal arriving and the nuns preparing the bed. Originally, these were separate scenes, but in editing I suggested to Edward that we combine them into one concise sequence to simplify the setting. The biggest focus is on tracking Lawrence’s journey – his character is the anchor. In an ensemble piece, deciding who to follow can be tricky, but we let Lawrence be our guide and tell the story through his point of view. There are also some minor narrative tweaks. We’ve moved a few scenes ahead of time for clarity. Most of the work was done to improve the pacing—taking away some connective tissue, ending scenes a little early, carrying the tension into the next scene. This is where we succeeded in maintaining the pace and tension of the film.
CineMontage: The rituals and procedures in the film feel immersive rather than burdensome. They feel intoxicated.
Emerson: I found something fascinating about the script—the ritual and the process. I like process-driven movies. One of my favorites is The Fugitive, which is almost entirely about observing someone’s methodical movements. Not much narrative, but totally engaging. We embraced this during the voting process, taking the first vote almost in real time—although we didn’t show all 108 cardinals voting. It’s slow and deliberate, setting the pace for the audience. When the second vote comes, we completely change the pace – intersperse and speed things up – because by then, the audience knows the whole thing. It was a lot of fun editing these scenes. Dialogue scenes can be challenging, but sequences with sharp action (like needles poking through paper and things being set on fire) are exciting to edit together.
CineMontage: What was something about this project that was important to you that we didn’t discuss?
Emerson: What I’m happiest about is keeping the form Edward wanted while still telling a compelling story. Balancing this kind of structure with entertainment was tricky, but I’m glad we succeeded without compromising. One thing I find interesting is our workflow. Instead of assembling and rough-cutting from there, we worked in a very detailed manner from the beginning. We watched the first 10 minutes and then started polishing that part, putting the bigger picture of the movie aside for the moment. This approach helps me stay sane and objective. When I later came back and watched the film, I saw it with new eyes, which is hard to do in editing. It doesn’t slow us down either; we’re ready to scrap or adjust as needed. It’s a wonderful, inspiring way to work.
