How ‘Don’t Look Up’ Film Editor’s Wedding Video Ended Up in the Movie’s Final Montage (Video)

Spoiler warning: This video and article discuss the final scene in “Don’t Look Up”

A film editor for 30 years, Hank Corwin this week scored his third Oscar nomination. All have been for comedies (albeit perverse, dark comedies) directed by Adam McKay: “The Big Short,” “Vice,” and now “Don’t Look Up.” If Corwin were to win at the Oscar ceremony on March 27th, it would mark the first comedy to nab a trophy in that category since 1988’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

“It’s pretty meaningful to me,” said Corwin in the exclusive video above, regarding the final six minutes of the movie, in which a giant comet smashes into the earth. “With every movie I do, I try to put some of myself into. This film more than most. It dealt with such gigantic and tiny moments. I just love it.”

Corwin is not kidding when he talked about putting some of himself in the movie. The core of the film’s ending is a low-key, Thanksgiving-style dinner between the lead characters played by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, but the scene then transforms into a montage of life’s moments from around the world: a rooftop orgy, whales in the ocean, a person waiting for the subway.

And a wedding video. “Adam had shot an older couple watching their wedding video and I was able to put my wedding video (in the film),” said Corwin, proudly adding that a guitar-wielding Elvis impersonator is present in the pixilated camcorder shot.

“I love the contextualization,” he said. “And I love the way that Adam thought about that.”

In his shot-by-shot talk-through of the scene, Corwin also commented on the grand spiritual and philosophical message that the final scene sends out.

“You’ve got people looking up in wonder and terror and the realization that there’s an inevitability to what’s going on. The nature of what I was doing was juxtaposition. For me, it’s very pure film editing. It’s the ultimate film edit. I try to make these edits emotionally as well, so you have faith, you have complete cynicism.”

He added, “It’s not even a scene – it’s a sweep, comprised of emotional fragments. I wanted to invade brain chemistry. I wanted to poke people a little bit in the eye. Just to make certain thoughts more resonant.”

For much more about the final scene in “Don’t Look Up,” including the use of music and the reasons behind the random freeze-frames that Corwin utilized, check out the full video above.

“Don’t Look Up,” which was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, is streaming now on Netflix.