"In the old days, I was a directors' editor. I was conscious of cutting for the director," says award-winning editor Sam Sneade. "But that has changed. Now editing is a collaborative process with the director and agency."

When Sneade (who until this month ran Sam Sneade Editing, but now co-owns London's Spead with partner Adam Spivey) speaks of the old days, he's referring to the early '90s when he got his start cutting with directors Tony Kaye and Frank Budgen.

Over the years, Sneade has kept a regular working relationship with director Jonathan Glazer, cutting his epic works such as Guinness' "Surfer" and "Dreamer" and Levi's award-winning "Odyssey".

Sneade says that, like "Surfer", editing "Odyssey" (which took six days) was a satisfying process. "I had to cut it with all the effects in mind, and leave room for the exploding brick work," he says. "I re-cut the spot after the effects were put in."

However, he says the spot speaks to one of his peeves about editing. "Effects work gets the attention, but the pace and structure comes from editing. Many times editing is overlooked." In the case of "Odyssey", the spot was entered for every craft award, except editing. "That's why the craft awards are a mockery. Few people understand what good editing is about."

But Sneade views his craft with a healthy dose of tempered cynicism. "Every good band needs a good drummer. If I wanted to be writhing around in front like a lead singer, I'd be a director," he says, adding that the subtle role of the editor suits
him fine.

He uses Sexy Beast - Glazer's debut feature, which Sneade was called in to re-edit - as an example of how editing can set the tone for a project. When he got the footage the film was set in two acts. "I knew this wasn't a Glazer film," he says. He re-jigged the flow set out by editor John Scott, and combined the climax of both acts into one, which resulted in a bigger visual punch.

Once Sneade and Glazer finish the Stella job they're now working on, they will collaborate on Glazer's second film Birth.

Comparing films to spots, he says the difference between the two is a matter of degree. "[In films] you don't have the pressure to dance on a pin, but you can't
be boring."

Whether in spots or films, says Sneade, the talent of a good editor lies in knowing when to cut: "Editing can be like heavy metal guitar solos - too many notes; not enough music."