How he cut A House of Dynamite for Kathryn Bigelow and what it’s like to work with a new Director.
Jonny Elwyn
February 3, 2026
Cut/Daily
A conversation about Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” (and David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth”).
Kirk Baxter, ACE, has cut for David Fincher since The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), picking up two Oscars (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and a nomination () along the way. He’s also maintained a successful and sought-after commercials editing business the whole time.
Interestingly enough, it was editing her commercial that connected him to Kathryn Bigelow, director of his latest film, A House of Dynamite.
In this special issue of Cut/Daily Meets… you get to hear from the man himself, as I was fortunate enough to chat with him in person, in the middle of his work day on The Adventures of Cliff Booth, Fincher directing Tarantino’s script as a sequel/spin-off/connection to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Highlights from Kirk’s interview:
Introduction
Kirk’s Location & Current Projects
The Film’s Ending & Political Message
What Did the Dailies Look Like?
Split Screens vs. Found Footage Approach
Editing the Missile Countdown Scenes
The Three Acts & Secretary Baker’s Face
Matching Audio Across Different Chapters
Working with Score & Kathryn’s Initial Reaction
The Composer Process & Volker Bertelmann
How Do You Decide When Music Comes In?
Creating the Chapter Title Cards
What Was It Like Working with Kathryn Bigelow?
How Do You Choose Your Projects?
Cutting Commercials Between Films
Evolution as an Editor & Avoiding Showiness
Do Oscar Wins Change Imposter Syndrome?
Editing Animation for Love, Death & Robots
The IMDb Holiday Reunion Credit
Future Projects & David Fincher’s Next Film
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