My aim is to fuse great structure with emotional storytelling.

I use techniques from narrative film to shape the documentaries I edit. My special skill is bringing the emotional life of the characters to the fore. I strive to keep the energy I saw in the raw footage until the final cut to bring the emotional heart of your story to the audience.

Type:

All
Art
History
Psychology
Science

Editing

Selected Credits

Edge of Obedience

Bought by Sky Arts

Dir. Jin Craven, 1 x 60m.

Editor and Story Consultant, Susan Brand

Zakii Anwar paints nudes, that’s pornography to the Islamic Malaysian government. Singaporean director, Jin Craven, hired me to give a ‘Western’ sense of drive and momentum and craft a story from her poetic biography on one of Malaysia’s most important artists.
Hip Hop Hijabis

Bought by AL JAZEERA

Dir. Mette Rietzel, 1 x 30m.

Two female Hip Hop artists convert to Islam and want to take their music to a Muslim audience. This controversial film received abundant editorial coverage in the press and on the radio including multiple interviews with our protagonists.
From Buddhist Monk to Rockstar

Bought by BBC Music

Dir. Dualtagh Herr, 1 x 22m.

This was brilliant casting by director Dualtagh Herr. With careful pacing, we left time in the cut to allow the huge charm of this former monk to shine through as we see his dramatic story unfold.
88 Keys in Cuba

Bought by AL JAZEERA

Dir. Elizabeth Jones, 1 x 30m.

It can be hard to make people think again about a topic they have heard about many time before. Here the director follows a group of Irish piano tuners as they renovate the termite infested and rusting pianos of the Havana Music School. A poignant insight into the impact of the US trade embargo.
Matchmaker

Bought by Channel 4

Winner: Sheffield Doc Fest Pitch Prize

Dirs. Jobeda Ali & James Parr, 1 x 30m.

Co-producer, Susan Brand

Jobeda Ali narrates her own film about British Bangladeshi women and their search for Muslim husbands. I liked her quirky approach to the subject and cut this observational film to showcase her rye humour, creating a provocative documentary about 21st century Muslim women and their search for love.
The Century That Wrote Itself

BBC 4

2 x 60m.
Keo Films – Dir. Claire Whalley

With 3 episodes to direct, Claire Whalley was keen to find an editor who could contribute to editorial. I worked to beef up the historical context and find personal details of our characters’ lives to help the audience connect to this distant era.
Wonders of the Universe – Messengers

BBC 2

1 x 60m.
Dir. Chris Holt

It’s tough to make astrophysics accessible and here I understood it was imperative to get the pace and flow of information right. I enjoy working with pieces to camera, honing and shaping as I cut down numerous takes. To me it really is a performance, like it is with any actor. Brian Cox is generous with emotion and with his help, we all got nominated for a BAFTA.

BAFTA NOMINATED: Best Science Series
My Life in Verse with Cerys Matthews

BBC 2

1 x 60m.
Wall to Wall Television – Dir. Mark Bates

Cerys Matthews was very strong as presenter for this documentary on Celtic poetry. There was ample opportunity to work with music, sound and beautiful imagery to create strong atmospheres in the different locations and different poets’ work.
What we still don’t know

Channel 4

2 x 60m.
Darlow-Smithson – Dir. Srik Narayanan

Srik’s imaginative filming and powerful intellect provided me with a wealth of material. The result was two fascinating and entrancing films. They were well received and we won Best Science series at the Indie awards.

WINNER: Best Science Series, Indie Awards
The Man Who Ate his Lover

Channel 4

1 x 60m.

Mentorn – Dir. Srik Narayanan

This documentary uses the thriller genre to great effect to tell the story of a macabre romance. Srik and I worked on 4 films together, 3 of them won awards or were nominated. This one got Best Single Documentary.

NOMINATED: Best Single Documentary – Televisual
The Art of Spain

Channel: BBC 4

1 x 60m
Director Robin Dashwood

Using beautiful photography, evocative music and compelling stories, I cut Art of Spain to create the magic and mystique of the Moorish occupation.
Britain from Above

2 x 30m
Lion Television – Director, Nic Young

With aerial photography of the UK shot over a century, my aim was to weave the personal and the historic to evoke nostalgia and love for our eternally evolving island home.

NOMINATED: Best Documentary Series – Broadcast Magazine
American Nightmare

Channel: BBC 2 This World

1 x 30m
Director, Emeka Onono

Emeka found heart-breaking stories of people who lost their homes in the U.S. housing crisis. I cut the observational scenes to bring out the emotion the director had sought to capture.
Unorthodox Vows

Bought by BBC 2

Dir. Susan Brand 1 x 30m.

Irit and Eli are liberal Israeli Jews who want to get married. However, the only legally binding wedding available in the country is the strict Orthodox religious service. The wedding is a vehicle to explore the splits in this very troubled country.
Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music

1 x 90m.

Theatrical Release, Lincoln Centre, NYC

Dir. Vivek Bald

Vivek was after a punk aesthetic with this raw film about the British Asian music scene of the late 1990s. Over 6 years, Vivek shot interviews and concerts. We cut this with startling archive to explore the deep and troubled roots of Asian music – the racism, creativity and rebellion.
Mad Justice

1 x 60m.

Bought by A & E, USA

Dir. Rachel Grady,

Co-writer, Susan Brand

Oscar nominee, Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp), directed this moving account of mental illness and crime on the streets of New York. Shot in an observational style, we are lead by a dedicated parole officer, Michael Lesser, to the heart of this neglected community.