Editing Die Hard (section)

===Filming===
[[File:Foxplaza la.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A high-rise building known as Fox Plaza | [[Fox Plaza (Los Angeles)|Fox Plaza]] in [[Century City]], Los Angeles, served as the setting for Nakatomi Plaza.]]
[[Principal photography]] began in November 1987, and concluded by early March 1988, with an approximate $25–$35{{nbsp}}million budget.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=Independent1/><ref name="LATimesJuly03"/><ref name="BOMGeneral"/><ref name="NYTimesPreview"/><ref name="LATimesFilming"/><ref name="afi"/>}}{{efn|The 1988 budget of $25–$35{{nbsp}}million is equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|25000000|1988}}}}–${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|35000000|1988}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}.}} Filming took place almost entirely in and around Fox Plaza in [[Century City]], situated on the [[Avenue of the Stars, Century City|Avenue of the Stars]].<ref name="EmpireRetro"/><ref name="SlashDeBont"/><ref name="Gizmodo"/> The location was chosen late in production by [[production designer]] Jackson De Govia.<ref name="DevMisc"/> A mostly unoccupied building was needed, which the under-construction Fox Plaza offered;<ref name="SlashDeBont"/> it was secured with two main conditions: no filming during the day and no damage from explosions.<ref name="EmpireRetro"/>

Cinematographer [[Jan de Bont]] said the building's design was distinct, making it a character on its own, and clear views of the building were available from a distance, enabling establishing shots as McClane approaches it. The surrounding city could be seen from within the building, enhancing the realism.<ref name="SlashDeBont"/> De Bont frequently used handheld cameras to film closer to the characters, creating a more cinematic "intimacy". Very little of the film was [[storyboard]]ed beforehand because De Bont believed intricate storyboarding made his job redundant. Instead, he and McTiernan would discuss that day's filming in detail, and the feeling or sensation they wanted to convey. De Bont was more concerned with creating a dramatic rather than an attractive shot. He cited the use of real flares in the film that generated unpredictable smoke and sometimes obscured the image.<ref name="SlashDeBont"/>

Willis's first day on set was on November{{nbsp}}2, 1987. He came straight from filming ''Moonlighting'' to shoot one of his most pivotal scenes, where McClane leaps from a rooftop as it explodes behind him, saved only by a length of firehose.<ref name=Independent1/> Willis found acting in ''Die Hard'' difficult because it differed from previous experiences in that he was often alone, not having any personal encounters with others.<ref name="CloserWillis"/> He did not spend much time with the rest of the cast between takes, opting to spend it with his new partner, [[Demi Moore]]. In contrast to their on-screen dynamics, Bedelia and VelJohnson spent most of their time between scenes with Rickman.<ref name="PeopleBedelia"/><ref name="VultureTidbits"/> When asked to throw Holly to the floor, Rickman refused because he believed it was not a fitting action for the "civilized" Gruber and that Holly, "a self-possessed career woman", would not have let him.<ref name="BBCRickmanObit"/>

The film's ending had not been finalized when filming began. In the finished film, Theo retrieves an ambulance from the truck the terrorists arrived in to use as an escape vehicle, but as this was a late addition, the truck the terrorists had been filmed arriving in was too small to hold an ambulance. Another scene, showing the terrorists synchronizing their [[TAG Heuer]] watches, also showed the truck was empty; this scene had to be deleted, leading to other necessary changes. As scripted, McClane realizes that the American hostage he encounters is Gruber because of the distinctive TAG Heuer watch he observed on the other terrorists; the watches were no longer an established plot point.<ref name="DevMisc"/><ref name="NMERetro"/> It necessitated the introduction of a heroic scene for Argyle, who gets to stop Theo's escape. De'voreaux actually punched Gilyard during the scene, which was added in only in the last 10 days of filming.<ref name="SlashFilmSouza"/><ref name="VultureTidbits"/>

There was flexibility with some roles, depending on the actors' performances, meaning some characters were kept in the film longer and others killed off sooner.<ref name="SlashFilmSouza"/> The actors were also given some room to improvise, like Theo's line, "The quarterback is toast", Bochner's "Hans, bubby, I'm your white knight", and the henchman Uli stealing a chocolate bar during the SWAT assault.<ref name="CastBochner"/><ref name="VultureTidbits"/> McTiernan took stylistic influence from [[French New Wave]] cinema when editing the film. He recruited [[Frank J. Urioste]] and [[John F. Link]] to edit scenes together while in mid-motion, contrary to the mainstream style of editing used at the time.{{sfn|Lichtenfield|2017}}
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