Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has dissected and interrogated the criminal justice system with her work a number of times now, from her 2012 Sundance hit "Middle of Nowhere" to the Oscar-nominated documentary "13th." Her latest work, Netflix's limited series "When They See Us" — centered on the Central Park Five — is a natural step in this progression. It takes the domestic and legal elements of those films and meshes them into a definitive five-hour portrait of miscarried justice and its spider-web effects.

 

The honing and shaping of these projects in the editing room has been vital to their success. DuVernay has been accompanied on each by editor and co-producer Spencer Averick, who joins her on this premiere episode of "The Call Sheet" to discuss their 10-year collaboration, how they landed on the engaging structure of "When They See Us" and what was required to put viewers inside the very headspace of five boys who had their collective innocence shattered 30 years ago. It’s highly recommended you watch “When They See Us” before listening to this episode, as this is a deep dive and there are spoilers.