Debbie Berman Explained

Debbie Berman
Birth Date:28 December 1978
Birth Place:Johannesburg, South Africa
Occupation:Television and film editor
Years Active:2001-present

Debbie Berman is a South African film and television editor. She is best known for her editing work on multiple movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including , Black Panther, and Captain Marvel.[1] [2]

Life and career

She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.[3] She attended High School Victory Park, part of the King David Schools, and was introduced to video editing.[4] She would edit films for school events and personal projects. She began editing television shows and movies in South Africa, before moving to Vancouver, Canada. After editing Space Chimps and Invictus, Berman moved to Los Angeles, where she was placed on the editing team for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Berman suggested re-shoots for scenes of Liz and Peter interacting to make Liz's character feel more genuine.[5] While working on Black Panther, Berman convinced director Ryan Coogler to do reshoots on the final battle scene, to include the female Jabari warriors.[6] [7] She said that the film's style is based on James Bond and The Godfather and she began work on the production a few months later than the rest of the crew.[8] [9] In 2018, she was inducted into the American Cinema Editors[10] Guild. Her most recent work includes being an editor for Love and Monsters, a monster adventure film released in October 2020.[11]

In August 2020, it was announced that she will be making her directorial debut by directing an adaptation of Don Handfield and Joshua Malkin's graphic novel Unikorn, which was published in 2021.[12]

Filmography

Film

As editor

!Year!Title!Director!Notes
2005WithinJohn A. Curtis, Merlin Ward
2008Space ChimpsKirk DeMicco
2009The Zero SumRaphael AssafEdited with Cheryl Buckman
2011TouchbackDon HandfieldEdited with Ryan Eaton
2012Black NovemberJeta Amata
2012The UnitedAmin MatalqaUnreleased
2015The Final GirlsTodd Strauss-Schulson
2017Jon WattsEdited with Dan Lebental
2018Black PantherRyan CooglerEdited with Michael P. Shawver
2019Captain MarvelAnna Boden, Ryan FleckEdited with Elliot Graham
2020Love and MonstersMichael MatthewsEdited with Nancy Richardson
Berman was also credited as part of the editorial departments of (2004), Reflection (2004), Good Session (2015), and The Jesuit (unreleased).[13] She was the visual effects editor for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) and Invictus (2009).

Television

As editor

!Year!Title!Notes
2001-02Big Brother South Africa
2003Big Brother Africa
2004Making the Cut
2009Peak SeasonThree episodes
2010-11HavenSix episodes)
2016Mad DogsThree episodes)
2016TimelessOne episode

Awards and nominations

References

  1. Web site: 'Black Panther' Editor Debbie Berman Talks Cutting A Cultural Icon. Placido. Dani Di. Forbes. en. 2019-08-10.
  2. Web site: 'Captain Marvel' editor describes what makes Marvel Studios a unique place to work, and the funny way she got the job. Clark. Travis. Business Insider. 2019-08-10.
  3. Web site: Marvel's Debbie Berman is bringing 'interesting female characters to the screen in movies people love'. The National. en. 2019-08-10.
  4. Web site: Debbie Berman. 2021-03-14. King David Schools Foundation. en-ZA.
  5. Web site: Why Carol & Maria's 'Captain Marvel' Friendship Moved You So Much. Bustle. en. 2019-08-10.
  6. Web site: 'Black Panther' Editor Debbie Berman Talks Making Marvel's Oscar Contender. Plante. Corey. Inverse. en. 2019-08-10.
  7. Web site: Black Panther's editor explains why its reshoots were a good thing. Trenholm. Richard. CNET. en. 2019-08-10.
  8. Web site: Placido. Dani Di. 'Black Panther' Editor Debbie Berman Talks Cutting A Cultural Icon. 2021-03-14. Forbes. en.
  9. Web site: Debbie Berman Relies on Media Composer to be a creative storyteller. 2021-03-14. www.avid.com.
  10. Web site: American Cinema Editors ACE Directory . americancinemaeditors.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171016184721/https://americancinemaeditors.org/ace-directory/ . 2017-10-16.
  11. Web site: Debbie Berman. 2021-03-12. IMDb.
  12. Web site: Kroll. Justin. 2020-08-24. Armory Films Adapting Don Handfield & Joshua Malkin's Graphic Novel 'Unikorn' With Debbie Berman Directing. 2021-03-12. Deadline. en-US.
  13. Web site: Debbie Berman. 2021-03-12. IMDb.
  14. Web site: Alloway. Meredith. "There is a Misconception that Cutting Action is not an Intellectual Endeavor": Debbie Berman on Editing Black Panther. 2021-03-14. Filmmaker Magazine. 15 January 2019. en-US.
  15. Web site: 2018-12-21. 'The Favourite' leads nominations for Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Awards. 2021-05-29. Oklahoman.com. en-US.
  16. Web site: The 2018 Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) Winners. 2021-05-29. Next Best Picture. en.