For film editor Nick Emerson, the journey to Bafta success began in his childhood fascination with 1970s American political thrillers and watching peace talks unfold in Northern Ireland.
His love for suspenseful storytelling and real-life politics eventually led him to work on Conclave, one of last year’s most acclaimed films.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, Conclave has received 12 Bafta nominations, including Best Editing, and is considered a strong contender for Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars.
Emerson, along with several cast members, may also be in the running for individual awards.
Reflecting on his formative years in Lisburn, County Antrim, Emerson told BBC News NI that the peace talks leading to the Good Friday Agreement shaped his passion for storytelling.
“Working in the BBC newsroom at the start of my career was an exciting place to be,” he said. “There were a lot of peace talks and a lot of news.”
This experience helped him develop the skills to tell stories about power, intrigue, and negotiation—skills he would later apply in Conclave.
Set in the heart of the Vatican, Conclave opens with the death of the Pope, prompting cardinals to gather in Rome to select a new head of the Catholic Church.
What follows is a gripping tale of power struggles, conspiracy, and political maneuvering as the cardinals scheme to influence the election.
“It’s essentially about the political machinations that go on—people with competing interests and ideologies,” Emerson said.
He described the editing process as key to maintaining the film’s tension and pace.
“Edward [Berger] and I are big fans of films like All The President’s Men. We both thought: ‘Wouldn’t it be great to aspire to something like that?’ The action is people behind closed doors, scheming.”
Berger, the acclaimed director behind All Quiet on the Western Front, collaborated closely with Emerson to give Conclave the feel of a 70s political thriller.
“Edward was keen to push boundaries on how long we could hold shots while keeping the pace moving.
We knew it was just people talking for a couple of hours, so we had to maintain suspense and intrigue,” Emerson explained.
The film follows the dean of the College of Cardinals as he organizes the Papal Conclave and struggles with a personal crisis of faith.
Emerson’s editing and visual storytelling have been praised for creating tension and depth, holding shots longer than expected to draw viewers into the unfolding drama.
When the Bafta nominations were announced, Emerson was in his editing suite working on a new project.
“We watched the live stream, and we were just jumping up and down, screaming,” he said.
Conclave is adapted from the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, where faith and ambition collide in the cloistered halls of the Vatican.
Though the real-world process of a papal conclave is cloaked in secrecy, Conclave offers a dramatic interpretation that blends historical intrigue with psychological tension.
Emerson hopes the film will leave a lasting impression, much like the 70s thrillers that first inspired him.
“It’s all about the process—that’s the joy of it for me,” he said. And judging by Conclave’s Bafta recognition, his process is clearly paying off.
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