Edit (video genre)

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Related terms: Vid
See also: TikTok
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An edit (also called a TikTok edit or fandom edit) is a fan-made video edit, usually set to music and often posted to TikTok, Instagram and/or Twitter. Usually, edits are short, and made up of clips of a particular celebrity or piece of media, with a strong focus on a particular character or narrative.

While edits share many commonalities with vids, the two terms are used by different communities which mostly have little to no overlap. As a result of the separation between vidders and editors, many edits also share common stylistic elements which are distinct from vids.

History

Characteristics

Edits have evolved a particular style that makes them distinct and separate from vids. While not all edits contain these features, many share common characteristics, including:

  • Portrait or square orientation,
  • Often following a format of beginning with a longer clip with dialogue said by or about a character followed by a set of clips or still images, often with smash cuts on the beat or rhythm of the sound,
  • Sets of clips are often repeated once or twice to the audio,
  • Often include lyric captions centred on the screen,
  • Many editors use a decently sized, very visible watermark in the middle of the frame or at the bottom.

Trends

TikTok's unique algorithm, licensed music library and ability for users to use sounds from other TikToks have made it easy for particular audios or editing themes to trend across the app in both fannish and non-fannish circles.

Often, popular music that has been newly released or featured in popular media will trend on TikTok, leading to trends in edits. For example, after the release of the Australian film Talk To Me on 27 July 2023, the track Le Monde from the film's soundtrack became a trending edit audio in early September. Other audios, such as the chorus to MGMT's song Little Dark Age, have trended multiple times.

Some examples of trends are:

Examples