The Fearless Focus of ‘A House of Dynamite’: ‘THR Presents’ Q&A With DP Barry Ackroyd

Recorded at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival, this THR Presents conversation with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd offered a rare, inside look at how Kathryn Bigelow’s House of Dynamite — now on Netflix — achieves its unrelenting real-time intensity. Speaking with THR’s European bureau chief, Scott Roxborough, Ackroyd traced the visual language of the nuclear-crisis thriller back to the documentary instincts that have shaped his decades-long career.

Ackroyd, who previously worked with Bigelow on intense, high-stakes dramas like The Hurt Locker and Detroit, discussed how their shared approach — which Bigelow calls a “journalistic approach to filmmaking”— was essential for capturing this “frighteningly plausible story.” Ackroyd views his work in the same way, noting that his style is not about being “beautiful for the sake of it,” but rather, about authenticity.

The film’s intensity is derived largely from its premise: A nuclear missile is in the air, targeting a U.S. mainland city, leaving government and security officials just 18 minutes to decide who did it and how to respond. This tension is captured through Ackroyd’s visceral, documentary-informed style, complete with kinetic, handheld camerawork. Ackroyd explained, “My approach is much more like responding to what go is in the situation.” He noted that the intensity in the first section comes from responding to the “level of anxiety” beneath the professional calm of the young military personnel.

A major challenge was the meticulous reconstruction of the White House bunkers and military control centers on New Jersey studio stages. Because these are often secure places with no daylight, the resulting interiors were not “visually attractive.” The crew, however, had to embrace this reality. “I, you know, in the past, I heard, you know, a description of the style of filmmaking as either plain, ugly, beautiful or plain beautiful,” Ackroyd said. “Ugly, beautiful is good for me, because it feels real.” This commitment to realism is an extension of his earliest work: From the documentaries he shot at the beginning of his career, through his nearly two-decade collaboration with Ken Loach (on films such as Riff-Raff (1991), Sweet Sixteen (2002) and The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)) and frequent films such as United 93 (2006) and Captain Phillips (2013) with Paul Greengrass. “I think that goes right from the beginning of my documentary background to what we shoot today. And, you know, visually, there’s so many similarities.”

The film’s unique structure, which replays the same situation, the “18 minutes,” three times from different perspectives, required a multi-camera setup. This allowed for “multiple perspectives of the event” while giving the actors the freedom to move without hitting marks. The cameras must follow the action, not anticipate it. “Everyone is concentrating inside the strength scene and on the camera,” says Ackroyd.

As for the film’s famous open ending, Ackroyd defended the artistic choice. “It puts the decision in your in your lap, in a way, you are the president, or you are the person who will make the final decision. It’s up to you now.”

This edition of THR Presents was brought to you by Netflix.