“The Pitt” has almost singlehandedly revitalized the medical drama, turning what was once seen by some as a dated format into one of the most gripping shows on television. And any show that manages to consistently deliver so much tension owes a huge debt of gratitude to its editing team. So when editor Mark Strand stopped by the editing episode of IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables, he shared some of the secrets that make the series so compelling.
Strand explained that one of the show’s guiding narrative principles is prioritizing the perspective of its doctors over smaller characters on the show. That helps steer the show out of the realm of melodrama, and keeps viewers focused on the heroic protagonists doing their jobs.
“We are bouncing every feeling through our doctors,” Strand said. “They are diagnosing issues, trying not to be a part of the emotional journey of their characters. Obviously they can’t help but be a part of that sometimes.”
He continued, “Rather than getting in between two patients or a patient’s spouse, that moment will be observed from our doctors’ point of view. And that’s how we at least take one step away from that. And those are the people we care about the most anyway, they’re our characters. And so it’s really how it’s effecting them, and so we try to stick to that.”
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