The Rough Cut

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

Editors - Skip Macdonald ACE, Chris McCaleb ACE and Joey Liew
The PLUR1BUS editing team of Skip, Chris and Joey have worked together for 15 years on Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and now his new sci-fi hit for Apple TV+.  With that kind of shared experience the three have established a creative "hive mind" of their own, while still demonstrating their individual talents as storytellers.  Despite PLUR1BUS being such a departure from the stories he has told up to this point, it's easy to see why one thing Vince wouldn't change is the post crew that has helped make his shows modern classics.

PLUR1BUS follows Albuquerque author Carol Sturka, who is one of only 13 people in the world immune to the effects of the "Joining", an event in which an extraterrestrial virus transformed the rest of humanity into a peaceful and content hive mind known as the "Others". The hive mind happily accommodates the wishes of those who remain unaffected, but admits that it will ultimately seek to assimilate them when it learns how to do so. Carol is adamantly against their efforts as she searches for a way to reverse the Joining.
SKIP MACDONALD, ACE
Despite an inauspicioius beginning to his career, working as an assistant sound editor on legendary film flop, Heaven's Gate, today Skip's mantle features an Emmy® award for his work on Breaking Bad.  Adding his work on Fargo to the shows he has done with Vince Gilligan, Skip has been nominated for 12 ACE Eddie awards and 11 prime-time Emmy® awards, including his win in 2014.
CHRIS McCALEB, ACE
In addition to being thrice nominated for an Emmy® award for his work on Breaking Bad (1x) and Better Call Saul (2x), Chris has been nominated for a total of four ACE Eddie awards between the two shows, winning in 2021 for his work on Better Call Saul.  
JOEY LIEW
California native turned New Mexico transplant, Joey Liew has steadily risen up the ranks of Vince Gilligan's ABQ universe.  Joey began on Breaking Bad in 2010 as a production assistant, before making his way as an assistant editor and then editor on Better Call Saul and now PLUR1BUS.  In 2021 Liew would share an ACE Eddie award with Chris for their work on the Season 5 Better Call Saul episode, "Bad Choice Road".
The Credits
Visit Extreme Music for all your production audio needs

Hear Chris discuss cutting BETTER CALL SAUL and TO LESLIE

Listen to Skip talk about editing the Breaking Bad film, EL CAMINO

Check out what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Editor - Stacey Schroeder ACE
Editor Stacey Schroeder ACE admits she knows nothing about magic, but you wouldn't know it from the amazing slight of hand she demonstrates when cutting a movie.  Coming into this film never having worked with director Ruben Fleischer before, and also being new to the franchise, Stacey had to rely upon her past experiences in comedy and action to hit all the right notes for this "magic-heist-action-comedy" tale.

Now You See Me: Now You Don't is the third installment in the Now You See Me film series. Returning cast members include Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan and Morgan Freeman.  For this installment of the franchise, the Four Horsemen and a new generation of illusionists join forces to steal the world's largest diamond from a South African mogul who heads an international crime syndicate.
STACEY SCHROEDER ACE
Editor Stacey Schroeder's film credits include Now You See Me: Now You Don't; The Disaster Artist; Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (with Jamie Gross and Craig Apert); Sonic the Hedgehog; Blockers and Cinderella(2021). Her television credits include pilot for The Last Man on Earth; Eastbound & Down; You're the Worst; She-Hulk: Attorney at Law; Garfunkel & Oats and Girlboss.
 
Raised in New Port Richey, Fla., Schroeder graduated from the University of Florida and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.
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

Editors - Esther Sokolow, Glenn Garland ACE and Matthew V. Colonna ACE
IT: Welcome to Derry editors Esther, Glenn and Matt had never worked together prior to the new HBO series, but quickly formed a family bond that translated into a fun and creative cutting room.  Their antics included scaring unsuspecting tourists taking the Warner Brothers tram tour past their offices.  And you know what Jack Torrance says about "all work and no play"! Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, It: Welcome to Derry is based on Stephen King's 1986 novel It and is a prequel to the films It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019).  The series takes place in 1962, when a couple and their son move to Derry, Maine just as a young boy disappears.  With their arrival, bad things begin to happen in the town.  Again.
ESTHER SOKOLOW
Esther Sokolow is a Los Angeles-based editor who specializes in genre-rich storytelling, bold characters, and projects with cinematic scope.  Esther's collaboration with IT: Welcome to Derry showrunner Andy Muschietti began on IT: Chapter Two, where she served as 1st Assistant Editor, and continued on The Flash, where she was promoted to Additional Editor. Her work bridges studio tentpoles and independent character dramas, with a focus on horror, psychological thrillers, and supernatural themes. Her early film diet of Hitchcock, classic mysteries, and silent comedies provided provided inspiration for an editor drawn to tension, timing, and the emotional weight of what's unspoken. Later, the spectacle of The Lord of the Rings sparked a love for scale and the thrill of stories that move an audience. Originally from Atlanta, she moved to California to study Film Editing at Chapman University. In 2015, she was selected as an honorary intern for American Cinema Editors (ACE), an experience that shaped her early career and inspired a commitment to both craft and mentorship. Esther now speaks on an annual panel for the ACE Internship Program and serves on MPEG's Apprenticeship and Growth Committee, supporting the next generation of editors and assistant editors. Before stepping into the editing chair, Esther worked as an assistant editor on feature films including Rampage, Bloodshot, The Guilty, Stronger, Fall, and Rememory. She also worked in-house as a VFX Editor at Method Studios, contributing to Guardians of the Galaxy and San Andreas. Her years supporting other editors honed more than technique; they taught her to listen to pacing, to performance, and to subtle story beats others might overlook. That same quiet attention now shapes her own work.
GLENN GARLAND, ACE
Glenn Garland is television and film editor with more than twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry. In addition to cutting IT: Welcome To Derry, other impressive TV credits include Poker Face, The Vampire Diaries, Preacher, Banshee, Stan Against Evil, and Altered Carbon.
Glenn's equally notable feature resume includes editing Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II, the critically acclaimed King of California, The Turning, Lords Of Salem, The Devil's Rejects, Black Box and most recently Broke. In addition to editing, Glenn has produced the television series Paradise City as well as feature films 31, Jersey Bred, LX 2048, The Man Who Was Thursday and most recently, Life Is. He has also created and hosts the podcast series Editors on Editing, which can be heard on Art of the Frame.
MATTHEW V. COLONNA, ACE
Aside from his work on It: Welcome to Derry, Matt's work can be seen on another Stephen King-inspired series, Castle Rock, and the King-adjacent series, Locke & Key.  Other notable tv shows cut by Matt include Dexter (2008-09), Narcos (2015-17) and Sugar (2024).  Matt also happens to be one of the original drummers for Black Eyed Peas.  How about that?!
The Credits
Visit Extreme Music for all your production audio needs

Listen to Glenn talk about cutting Poker Face

Check out what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Editor, Myron Kerstein ACE
WICKED: FOR GOOD editor, Myron Kerstein ACE finds himself in familiar post-production territory after taking a short break to enjoy the success of the first film in this two-part adaption of the musical megahit.  This brief respit included Myron receiving an Oscar® nomination and an ACE Eddie win for his efforts.  But this time out, Myron faces the challenge of closing out this story with a movie that is darker in tone with a more complex narrative.

Adapted from the venerable Broadway smash, WICKED: FOR GOOD follows the journey of a young woman named Elphaba. Misunderstood and often outcast because of her green skin, Elphaba forges an unlikely but profound friendship with Glinda, a fellow student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their relationship soon reaches a crossroad as their lives begin to take very different paths.
MYRON KERSTEIN, ACE
In addition to his musical experience with Jon M. Chu and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Myron also had a diverse pool of film and tv projects, including GARDEN STATE (2004), NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (2008), LITTLE FOCKERS (2010), THE DUKES OF HAZARD (2005), FAME (2009), GIRLS (2015-17) and HOME BEFORE DARK (2020).
The Credits
Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Listen to Myron's interviews for tick, tick...Boom!, In the Heights and Wicked

Watch Myron take you on a Timeline Tour of how he edited Defying Gravity in Wicked

Leave a message and get your questions answered on the show

Check out all the latest features in Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube