S24 - Ep 2 - Dope Thief - Film Editing

What does it mean to “edit for emotion” in a show built around crime, identity, and betrayal? Eric Litman knows — and his work on Dope Thief proves it.

This week on Below the Line, Skid and co-host Christopher Angel are joined by Film Editor Eric Litman to talk about shaping Apple TV+’s eight-episode crime thriller starring Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura.

Topics we cover include:

• From unpaid intern on Gladiator to full-fledged editor on Dope Thief: a career milestone with Scott Free
• Being hired for one episode but ultimately cutting three, thanks to production delays from the strikes
• Episode 7 as “an editor’s episode” — montages that demanded narrative weight without sliding into music-video style
• Collaboration with director Marcela Said, whose instinct for unplanned footage (like vultures over a quarry) inspired poetic editorial choices
• Shaping the quarry shootout to unfold in escalating stages — keeping viewers aligned with the characters as horrified witnesses rather than action heroes
• Crafting a brutal prison fight with disorienting POV flash frames from GoPro footage
• Weaving together montages of Mina’s training, Ray’s torment, and Mani’s tragic end — drawing on influences from The Dark Knight and The Fugitive
• Using city footage and transitions to ground the series in Philadelphia, connecting personal roots with storytelling choices

What emerges is an inside look at how an editor balances spectacle, emotion, and authenticity — turning raw footage into a gripping, character-driven crime saga.

🎧 Press play and go Below the Line on Dope Thief. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.