Ed Symonds is a film editor many years past his prime. Regarding the ""magic"" of movie-making with increasing cynicism, he observes the characters around him with detachment, indulging in thoughts best kept to himself. Tariq Anwar is a film editor with a similarly jaundiced view of the industry, and he uncannily shares a lifetime of experiences somewhat similar to Ed's. Unlike Ed, he doesn't keep his thoughts to himself. In a career spanning 50 years, Tariq has worked with the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly, and they all, with some degree of artistic licence, find themselves in this book. With contributions to many award winning TV productions and films including The Madness of King George, American Beauty and The King's Speech, Tariq draws on his experiences to take an irreverent look into the feudal nature of an industry where deference abounds and into the increasingly precarious and misunderstood role of the editor.