The Hurt Locker is set in a mid-eastern country which homes a dry desert like atmosphere surrounded by small brick built buildings without any glass in the windows which suggests that it is a very deprived area filled with poverty.
The people aren't wearing very expensive clothes, which could be described as "rags", which implies that this is a poor area. The soldiers represent war. Their uniforms are very professional, they are armed with weapons like assault riffles which inflicts the sense of danger to the audience. They are also wearing sunglasses and suggest the need for grass which enforces the idea of them being in a middle-eastern country which is riddled with war.
Most of the sound used is diegetic like speech and footsteps however some sound used like in the opening sequence where a soundtrack is used is non-diegetic to set the scene and the atmosphere. The wind whistling as the solder tries to disarm the bomb is used to create a sense of caution and nervousness for the audience. The special effects used such as the explosion are used to hook the audience into the film and to show them that the film isn't going to be a boring one. Another special effect used where the soldier is looking down the scope and you can see the recticle. This is used to show the power of the soldiers and how the pedestrians can be taken out at any point.
