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How do you become a great quarterback? The horror movie “HIM” has a few sinister lessons to teach on that front.
Directed by Justin Tipping, the film focuses on Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), a football player newly signed to the pros who is put through training by a veteran, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans).
This scene involves a drill designed to teach a quarterback how to make quick decisions and accurate throws. But in it, any mistakes result in brutal consequences.
Discussing the scene in an interview, Tipping said that he wanted to communicate that “there’s going to be a big tonal shift, from something’s off to something’s very wrong. And it’s the first time we’re going to introduce violence.”
Tipping said that the scene also presents “a dynamic between the two characters that becomes much more like a narcissistic, abusive relationship than a mentor-mentee, but seeded and buried that under the guise of hazing.”
The tension builds to a fever pitch in the pacing of the sequence.
“I try to get a rhythm going in the edit that’s like — one, two, three; one, two, three; snap, turn, throw, and even the sound design is rhythmic,” Tipping said, adding that he used that rhythm to be able to subvert it when Cameron messes up, leading to a punishing fate for a teammate.
Tipping said that this is a pivotal scene that involves “seeding in psychological horror and body horror at the same time.”
Read the “HIM” review.
Read a feature about the making of the film.
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Mekado Murphy is the assistant film editor. He joined The Times in 2006.
The post How Football Practice Goes Wrong in ‘HIM’ appeared first on New York Times.
