Acclaimed editor Tariq Anwar, known for American Beauty and The King’s Speech, dazzled attendees with his insightful masterclass at the Visegrad Film Forum 2024, sharing anecdotes and wisdom from his illustrious career.

Acclaimed editor Tariq Anwar held the audience in awe with his wit and sharp editing skills during the masterclass held as part of the Visegrad Film Forum (VFF) 2024. The film that made him famous and got him an Oscar nomination, Sam Mendes’ American Beauty, brought the curtains down on the 4-day film festival in Bratislava, Slovakia.

“I am always nervous when I come for a workshop or lecture, I find it boring talking about my work and guess I am very self-conscious as well. And one must be tactful, which I am not. It is enjoyable to speak to the audience, but one doesn’t know what the reaction is going to be.

This is how Tariq’s masterclass kicked off, and following this introductory remark, he generously delved into a discussion about his editing work, which proved to be incredibly engaging. Here is a brief selection of the most impactful statements made by Tariq during his captivating and infinitely instructive masterclass:

“Don’t do it! It’s important to warn the students that it is a roller coaster ride, getting into, it is very insecure, that you got to be prepared for rejection and overcome it, persevere. It is a difficult industry to get into, it is not all wonderful, you will meet people full of egos. It is all about self-preservation and can’t trust anyone around you.”

“I wasn’t interested in films; I was much more interested in sports. I am very fortunate that I drifted into the industry which I am quite good at. I love editing.”

“Technically the biggest change when we went from film to digital format. I began cutting on 35mm film and went into TV for 18 years which was on 16 mm, then returned to 35 mm in the 1990s, when the change was happening. I had to adapt, and it is a bit of learning curve. I did have someone sit with me on my first digital film until I became comfortable. At first, I was resistant but came to love the tool.”

“The thing I love about my work is that I am the first person to see what has been shot and how the film will be like,” he adds. Tariq approaches the material following the script. “Usually, the scenes are shot as the director wants to cut. But sometimes I even have a discussion with the director to understand his intentions. But often it is fear that I might screw it up or might not please the director when the film comes to me.”

“Everything of the film, cutting film changes, there is a huge amount of manipulation of material once you have it. The film is malleable and there are endless processes of watching the film’s narrative come to life. I worked on a film with Robert De Niro that initially ran for 5 and a half hours, but we edited it down to 2.5 hours. Even the film I recently worked on, William Tell (Nick Hamm), was almost 3.5 hours and now it is under 2 hours. You have to keep on reworking and adjust to many opinions during that process from producers, audiences, focus groups.”

“The first assembly, or the cut, is the director’s assembly; it reflects the script and marks the beginning of the editor’s work. It’s a collaborative process between you and the director in re-envisioning the film. The director strives to strike a balance between what the audience and producers desire to see. Tariq has mixed feelings about editing for independent filmmakers, as there are countless individuals involved, including producers, each attempting to provide input. The more control you have over the film, the better – fewer people involved means better outcomes for the film.”

“The longest film I worked on with De Niro was The Good Shepherd, which lasted for 18 months. At times, interest tends to wane, but I found enjoyment in the process”. Tariq has numerous anecdotes about directors he didn’t particularly admire, such as Shekhar Kapur. “While Kapur was charismatic, sociable, and academically inclined, it appeared that he wasn’t fully committed to his film, an epic titled Four Feathers. He seemed distant and somewhat narcissistic; during one editing session, he was entirely focused on himself. When the film premiered in Los Angeles, Kapur blamed its failure on me. He was in self-preservation mode, and I was subsequently dismissed from the project. Despite dedicating months to the project, I regretfully removed my name from it.”

“There are several films that I worked on and enjoyed, including one called Focus (Neal Slavin, 2001), based on a story by Arthur Miller. It was a very stylized and well-received film, and I had a great experience working with the producers. However, it faced unfortunate timing as it was released on 9/11, resulting in a lack of audiences and ultimately, failure at the box office. It was disheartening to see such a well-crafted film go unrecognized.”

“The film The King’s Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) got him an Oscar nomination, but Tariq is cynical of the awards, for he feels they don’t show the best of anything. “How can you judge for best editing? Who decides who is responsible for the editing, the editor, director? “The problem is your best work is never recognized. Sometimes, you can be working on material which is terrible and yet you make something out of it by editing and creating something beautiful,” he said.

Tariq believes that the current style of film editing, exemplified by the latest Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan in 2023, is not to his taste. He finds the film incomprehensible, with its flashing images, constant music, and non-linear structure (which he acknowledges can be effective), but ultimately feels that it was poorly edited and overly focused on maintaining a fast pace. He observes that this type of editing tends to appeal more to younger audiences or aspiring film students, a sentiment which he finds somewhat regrettable.

The allotted time for the masterclass brought an end to this intense moment of exchange and sharing, conducted with utmost honesty and transparency. Tariq’s availability, candidness, and exemplified speech captivated the audience, who then took advantage of the Visegrad Film Forum’s laid-back, warm, and welcoming atmosphere to continue the discussion in a more informal manner.

Film Fest Report is a proud media partner of the Visegrad Film Forum 2024.