Show Notes
Editor - Michael P. Shawver Sinners editor Michael Shawver has enjoyed a long and productive relationship with his former USC classmate, director Ryan Coogler. Together the two have collaborated on Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and now Sinners. Their past experience on both VFX-heavy films like Black Panther, as well as socio-political dramas like Fruitvale Station, would prove invaluable as they worked to blend the real horror of racial injustice with the fantastical horror of a vampire onslaught.
Taking place in 1932, Sinners follows identical twins, and World War I veterans, Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore as they return to Clarksdale, Mississippi after spending seven years in Chicago. Using money stolen from criminal syndicates, they purchase a sawmill from a landowner to start a juke joint for the local Black community. Their younger cousin Sammie, a singer and guitarist, joins them despite his pastor father's warnings about the sins of blues music. His warnings would prove prophetic, as the twins and their friends face foes both familiar and supernatural. MICHAEL P. SHAWVER Originally from Rhode Island, Sinners editor Michael Shawver developed an early working relationship with director Ryan Coogler during their time together at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Shawver initially edited Coogler's short film, Fig, and later went on to cut his feature debut, Fruitvale Station, starring Michael B. Jordan. The film garnered two of the Sundance Film Festival's top prizes, the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize, and went on to receive numerous awards and nominations at film festivals worldwide. Shawver also edited All Summers End, a debut feature film by director Kyle Wilamowski; Warren, by director Alex Beh; Tell, for director J.M.R. Luna; and Fourth Man Out, for Andrew Nackman. Shawver's next collaboration with Coogler and Jordan was Creed, for which he received a nomination for Best Editing in the Independent Critics Poll. Michael then reunited with Coogler and Jordan on Black Panther, a box office smash, which was nominated an outstanding 43 times, including for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and Best Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes. His work on this project also earned him a Saturn Award Nomination for Best Editing and an Alliance of Women Film Journalists Nomination for the Best Editing EDA Award. In addition, the film won Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards. Following Black Panther, Shawver edited A Quiet Place: Part II, directed by John Krasinski. He later returned to the Marvel universe for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, again collaborating with Coogler and Jordan. Shawver's recent work includes Abigail, a genre-bending thriller directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. He is currently editing The Thomas Crown Affair directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan. The Credits Visit Extreme Music for the new Extreme Music panel for Avid Media Composer
See which Avid Media Composer is right for you
Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode
Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube
More from The Rough Cut
Editor – Dody Dorn, ACE For Heart of the Beast, editor Dody Dorn, ACE was tasked with cutting a survival thriller built around one man, one dog and an unforgiving wilderness. Reunited with director David Ayer more than a decade after their work together on Fury, Dody helped shape a film that combines large-scale action and physical danger with a much more intimate story about trauma, loyalty and the bond between two combat veterans trying to make their way home.
Editor – Joe Murphy and Music Editor – Scott Hedrick Resident Evil editor Joe Murphy and music editor Scott Hedrick join The Rough Cut to discuss the picture and music editorial work behind Zach Cregger's reinvention of the legendary survival-horror franchise. For Joe, the film marks his third consecutive collaboration with Cregger following Barbarian and Weapons, while Scott brings a background as a music editor, score producer, composer and longtime musician to a film where sound, score and silence are essential parts of the suspense.
Editors – Chris Chandler and Devin Dulany The Musical editors Chris Chandler and Devin Dulany discuss cutting a dark comedy that turns professional frustration, romantic jealousy and middle-school theater into an increasingly elaborate act of revenge. For Devin, the project began years earlier when he edited the original AFI short that eventually became the feature, while Chris brought a background in comedy that includes Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dave and Blindspotting.
Editor – Phil Hignett Finding Emily editor Phil Hignett returns to The Rough Cut to discuss cutting a romantic comedy built around music, timing, chemistry and the difficult balance between letting a joke land and giving a relationship enough space to feel real. Working with director Alicia MacDonald, Phil helped shape a film that draws on the pleasures of the classic British rom-com while giving the genre a younger, more contemporary point of view.
Editor – John Axelrad, ACE The End of Oak Street editor John Axelrad, ACE returns to The Rough Cut to discuss cutting a science-fiction thriller that takes an ordinary suburban family and abruptly removes every familiar rule of the world around them. Working with writer-director David Robert Mitchell, John had to balance large-scale spectacle and mystery with a story that remains grounded in the relationships between the members of one family.