Ebook: British Film Editors: “The Heart of the Movie”

“For the legions that know little about postproduction or the editor’s contribution to the director’s vision, British Film Editors will be a revelation, possibly an epiphany, about how motion picture are actually made. For those with experience in editorial theory or practice there is still much to learn within these pages. The book sets the standard for a new era of scholarship on film editing. Vincent LoBrutto, Film Quarterly In British Film Editors, the craftsmen and craftswomen convey, in their own words, the nature of their elusive art. By focusing exclusively on film editing, this book offers an alternative history of cinema, both highly readable and thoroughly fascinating. Discussions of stylistic developments and the future of editing and technological change round out this book, along with selected filmographies and a useful bibliography. Whatever side of the pond you’re from, if you’re interested in film editing, this volume is too replete with information on the craft to ignore. Ray Zone, Editors Guild Magazine An extensive set of appendices covers the works of many key British editors with a helpful selected filmography (so you can too spot trends in editing style), sections on the role of the female editor and a useful glossary of editing terms - you can now find out what a KEM or a rubber numbering machine are. The text throughout is clear and thoughtfully written, intelligent but never overly academic, which makes it suitable either for those studying film or simply the enthusiast. A highly recommended text that will undoubtedly encourage more study in the field. Colin Odell and Michelle le Blanc, This is an impressive book that genuinely increases our knowledge of British cinema and offers a different perspective on several key films. Perkins and Stollery effectively challenge the practice of regarding directors as the authors of their films and convincingly assert the importance of the film editor. Robert Murphy, Journal of British Cinema and Television Now, in the most comprehensive study of its kind, the workings of this elusive job are explained in full by several of the UK’s most respected editors, among them Anne V Coates, Stuart Baird and Antony Gibbs, whose credits include ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Superman’ and ‘Ragtime’ respectively. Written in easy-to-follow language, the book explores the impact creative cutting can have on a film via a plethora of new and sourced quotations, among them several fascinating anecdotes about how specific problems were solved on certain films... Meanwhile, an appendix of biographies (complete with full credits) provides the icing on the cake, making this just the sort of book the BFI was invented for. Howard Maxford, Film Review *****” – Film Review, Nielsen