It's a Sin editor, Sarah Brewerton said, "Yes!" before ever reading the scripts for the British television miniseries written and created by Russell T. Davies (Queer as Folk). The series follows a group of gay men who each move to London in 1981 as the fast-developing HIV/AIDS crisis in the United Kingdom impacts their lives. Over the five episode arc, the group are shown living through an entire decade as they become determined to live life on their terms despite the threat posed by HIV.
Pulling off a story like that, honoring and being true to an important era in our shared history, is never easy. On top of that, in regards to the actual post process, more often than not on a series you have multiple editors in some kind of rotation to handle the editorial duties. That is not the case with It’s a Sin. Sarah and her assistant editor (Daniel Gale-Coyne) did the entire series themselves. They also did it without a music editor. Considering how prominent a role music plays in setting the scene for England in the 80's, that should tell you just how much care and effort Sarah and Daniel had to put into every aspect of the series.
Editing It's a SinIn our discussion with It's a Sin editor, Sarah Brewerton we talk about:
- The burdens and blessings of cutting a series on your own
- Letting the material lead the edit
- The opportunities for finding work in 2021
- Making the jump from assistant to lead editor
- Giving back to the next generation of editors
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