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Editors – Craig Hayes, Varun Viswanath ACE, Chris Chandler and Trevor Penna
The Blindspotting editing team of Craig Hayes, Varun Viswanath ACE, Chris Chandler and Trevor Penna collectively crafted a show unique in both its structure as well as its visual style. On the audio side, the show is underscored by a soundtrack that pays homage to the Bay Area roots of Blindspotting creators, Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs. Hayes and Viswanath took on the task of cutting Season One, while Chandler and Penna split editorial duties for the sophomore effort.
Taking place six months after the events of the film Blindspotting, the tv series begins with Miles, Ashley’s partner of 12 years and father of their son, suddenly being incarcerated. The situation leaves Ashley to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she and her son Sean are forced to move in with Miles’ mother and half-sister.
CRAIG HAYES
Craig Hayes has cemented a career as a spirited and versatile editor. He studied film at Ithaca College in New York, which inspired Craig to hone his craft and move forward in his career. From there, Craig worked as associate editor on Gus Van Sant’s To Die For and M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water, and as assistant editor for Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Craig was also first assistant editor for the award-winning HBO series John Adams. Craig has recently worked on the critically acclaimed The Hate U Give, directed by George Tillman Jr. as well as being nominated for a best editing award for HBO’s Righteous Gemstones.
VARUN VISWANATH ACE
Varun is a Film & TV Editor based in Los Angeles, CA. He is a member of the American Cinema Editors and the Motion Pictures Editors Guild, and has an MFA in Film Editing from The American Film Institute Conservatory. His work on What We Do In The Shadows was nominated for Best Edited Comedy Series at the 2021 ACE Eddie awards.
CHRIS CHANDLER
Blindspotting is Chris’s first full series as an editor. Prior to this series, he was an assistant and co-editor on FX’s Dave, as well as HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, which he refers to as his “master class training in comedy and storytelling.” He received an ACE Eddie nomination for his work co-editing the “Curb” Season 11 finale, “The Mormon Advantage,” alongside one of his mentors, Roger Nygard ACE.
TREVOR PENNA
Trevor began his postproduction career assisting editor Tim Roche on shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and WandaVision. Following those jobs he then took on lead editorial duties for the Apple TV+ series, Mythic Quest.
Editing Blindspotting
In our discussion with the Blindspotting editing team we talk about:
- Making magic out of monologues
- Musical misunderstandings with remote editorial
- Fluidmorph and Animatte…it’s all Fluidmorph and Animatte
- Nailing the needle drops to honor Oakland artists
- Cutting choreography
The Credits
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See what’s new with Avid Media Composer
Meet the editor of the film Blindspotting, Gabe Fleming
Hear Trevor Penna talk about his work on Mythic Quest
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