THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND
ANDY KOTOVA
#fanvids THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND
Copyright © 2021 by Andy Kotova All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Written and photographed by Andy Kotova
SPECIAL THANKS I want to give out special thanks to all of the participants who I got to interview. This book wouldn’t be as special to me without your interviews. I have enjoyed reading each and everyone of your answers and how your experience with video editing was different, but yet still special. Thank you to the two wonderful people in my life, my sister Tedi and my best friend Jasmine who were nice to take their time and edit my book.
DEDICATIONS Dedicated to all fanvidders out there and to the video editors I got to interview. I want to also dedicate this book to the close friends I’ve made through fanvidding. Thank you to my dad who is always supporting me and being interested in my hobby. I am super lucky that I get to share it with you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 INTRODUCTION
73 CH5 COLLABORATING
9
79 CH6 INTERVIEWS
CH1 MY EXPERIENCE
15 CH2 BEHIND THE VIDS
127 CONCLUSION
61 CH3 WHAT I LEARNED
128 GLOSSARY
69 CH4 THE COMMUNITY
130 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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INTRODUCTION The Creative Life Behind #fanvids is about my passion for this wonderful hobby. I am creating this book because it’s a topic I would love more people to know about. This book will go into my experience, how I started, why I started, and what I’ve learned. Has it changed a big part of my life? It will talk about what skills I learned and what programs I use to edit. It will also dive behind the scenes of the making of a fanvid. Why are they important to me and am I still passionate about fanvidding as I was from the start? Maybe even more passionate. What kind of vids are out there? What makes them so special?
I have put together a few tutorials of how I use the program for video editing, so you can either follow along or just watch for fun. I have also asked a few fanvidders around the world questions about their experience. Stick around if you want to learn what fanvids are and maybe learn a technique or create your own.
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CH1
MY EXPERIENCE A few years ago, I came across these very interesting videos on YouTube. I remember watching some and really being captivated by them. In some ways I knew what I was watching; however, I wasn’t aware of what they were called. Fanvids or fanedits is what they call them! What I learned was that the word “Vidding” was very popular among the video editing community, but like the terminology we also call it the vidding community because both are interchangeable to us. What does “Vidding” mean? Well, it can be described in many ways. Vidding is when fans create videos consisting of music and footage from different media sources. We create these videos to capture a story and explore these stories in a creative and unique way.
For those of you who don’t know what a fandom is, it’s being a fan of something or someone, either a TV show, movie, celebrity, game, sport, etc. My dad loves watching tennis, and I mean loves it. He follows most of the tennis players and when they’ll be playing. I would say he is a big fan of tennis, and he is apart of that fandom. Some people might understand it from this definition; however, not many people would understand how long the process takes to create fanvids. I’m going to share my own journey with you. Buckle up, because this is going to be a long ride!
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Vidders can be seen as underground video editors who make edits in secret without most people knowing that they exist. A vidder would take millions of scenes from TV shows and movies and after getting these scenes they will put them together to a song. The created fanvid might suggest a story that was never seen in the film. We create these videos or vids because we want to share our love for our favorite TV shows, movies, characters, and couples with the rest of the world. Fanvidders create trailers in a way and these videos promote those TV shows or movies portrayed. We help get attention from people who might not know anything about these fandoms and make them intrigued to watch them... and I believe that’s a beautiful thing.
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The video editing and vidding community is a magical world to be a part of and getting to put my imagination into videos to tell stories, is oneof-a-kind experience. I have also met incredible people who have become really close friends. Fanvids are art because they have the power to evoke emotion and that’s truly something special.
HOW I STARTED
I joined YouTube in 2013, but didn’t start video editing until 2014. I spent around a few months just watching fanvids and eventually dived more into the actual concept. The first edit I uploaded to YouTube was on December 23rd, 2014. It was to the couple Bellamy and Clarke from the TV show “The 100”. Bellamy and Clarke weren’t officially together, but most of the fans who watched the show wanted them to be. They have a ship name, which means the fans combined their names together. So instead of saying Bellamy and Clarke, we say Bellarke for short.
would notice unique ship names that don’t use their names combined, but rather make up a name from their story that would fit them. Now, they don’t have to be in a relationship for there to be a ship name. Fans have created these names for TV and movie characters they want to see together. An example would be, “I ship Romione”, which is the ship name of Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter. Another example would be “I ship Starmora”, which is the ship name of Peter (Star Lord) and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. I gave two well-known examples of famous couples that I believe most people would know, to give you an idea how fans use them.
I initially didn’t know what a ship name was until I started video editing and diving into this world. Of course, I watched many TV shows, but without the internet there’s no way to know some of these terms. People who don’t make fanvids but are only fans of TV shows and movies also use ship names. The fans are the ones who create these names for the romantic couples. These ship names are usually combined with a few letters from the first person and then a few letters from the second person in the relationship. Rarely you
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In my first video description box I wrote that it took three to four days to make. Now… it’s a completely different story, because nowadays the idea of editing that fast is unreal. When I look at my first video and my recent one, I have really come a long way and it’s obvious how much my style has changed. Not just the style, but my skills. I notice that I’m more focused on every detail now, than I was before. It’s a growing experience by practicing and each video I make I try something new. It can be with a coloring, an effect, a voiceover, putting scenes together, following the beats, etc. My style generally changes every year and I have learned new techniques. My eyes see differently with every edit I work on. Bringing stories that go inside my head and making them come to life through videos is very special to me. The final project is one thing, but the process is what’s truly the most important in becoming a better video editor. Every second really counts when working on a video. I always edit like it’s my last video I will ever create. That makes you give your full attention to the current project you’re working on and giving your all. Sometimes I edit what I am feeling, and it can be connected to me personally or show my love for my favorite fandoms. If I’m sad I tend to edit emotional videos and if I’m happy I go for happy and humor videos. However, there are times where my mood will change in a snap of a finger (just like Thanos did to the Avengers). When that happens, I tend to have multiple projects open. I have got one emotional
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that I’m really inspired for, then a humor project, and maybe one project for just one couple or TV show. Now, that doesn’t seem productive, but if I’m inspired for all of them and have free time to work on them, I consider multitasking to be a strong suit for me. It doesn’t always work, but most of the time multitasking helps me finish videos faster. Right now, I have at least five projects that are halfway done. Time management is important just as it is for many things in life, whether that be for school, work, or other hobbies. It’s alright if you don’t have the time or if you want to take a break from your hobby. Taking a break can be like hitting the refresh button and allow for you to get new inspiration, because you never know what ideas can form when you take a step back. Another good thing to do is take down notes of your ideas for those times you’re not at your computer or don’t have a chance to work on them, it’s a smart way to capture them before they disappear from your mind. At first, I never took notes, but now I have become more organized with some of my projects and have started taking notes of what scenes or voiceovers I would want to add, and this really helps me. I also tend to take screenshots on my phone of a scene with subtitles on it or with the episode number on it. I put the screenshots in their own folders, and this helps me tremendously in the long run. I am a very visual person so having these screenshots helps me even more than taking notes.
I can’t imagine a world without my hobby and the same way goes for your hobbies. Whether that be in designing, illustrating, sports, video games, cooking, traveling, dancing, singing, etc. Life is beautiful when you have something you truly love that makes you happy and you might not even gain anything from it in the end. It makes it even more special because you do it for yourself and not for others. Whatever makes you passionate, keep doing it! However small or big it is. Do it! Don’t regret trying new things. You will be surprised how impactful they will become in your life.
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Any artistic direction can offer both a physical and emotional outlet. Even if it’s not realistically physical, the emotional outlet can cause a physical one. They are both connected in the end. Fanvidding has become a big part of my life and I will always be thankful that I took the time and patience to learn something new. I never imagined it would become this essential in my life and sharing this hobby with other people around the world makes it even more exciting. How I started video editing is what I truly won’t forget and the feelings I had when I started are still here with me. Now let’s dive deep into the making of a fanvid!
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Both ways work wonders and can be very useful depending on what kind of vidder you are. At the end of the day that’s the most important thing with making fanvids is developing those techniques that work for you, just like any other skill.
I never imagined it would become this essential in my life and sharing this hobby with other people around the world makes it even more exciting.
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CH2
BEHIND THE VIDS
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THE MAKING OF A FANVID The making of a fanvid is quite a tedious process. Most of my family and friends believe that it’s simple, but that’s not the case. It takes time, patience, inspiration, motivation, but mostly getting ideas for a new video project. Ideas are the most important part of video editing. Having inspiration to make a video is one thing, but without an idea, your project will most likely get nowhere. There are ways you can start getting ideas and one thing I learned is to take breaks! It’s incredibly important to take time for yourself even if this is something that makes you happy. Go for a walk, eat a snack, watch a show, watch another fanvid. You never know, you can eventually get inspiration by taking this time for yourself and not staring at the screen wondering what idea to come up with and most ideas happen when you’re not thinking about it. So don’t overthink. The best ideas happen when you give yourself time and not rush getting something done for a specific day.
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Rushing getting videos done is what I have noticed lots of vidders struggle in the same way. In what way do I mean struggle? Well, struggling to rush can put lots of stress on yourself, mentally but also physically. When you get tired mentally you feel like your whole body is about to drop. I’ve felt like that many times. I tend to be a turtle when it comes to video editing. Back then I didn’t care about the details that much and I honestly didn’t even know what details to look at. Once I got more experience, I started noticing more mistakes I have made. By noticing these mistakes, I wanted to get better and better in each video. Eventually, I learned to focus on the details because of practice. You know the saying “practice makes perfect”. Well, it’s true. When you give yourself time to be patient with what you love, whether that be your hobby or your career, it ends up being something special in the end. The experience is rewarding in many ways.
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BEHIND THE MUSIC
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Music… Music speaks to the soul. It’s an escape from reality at times, yet it can also connect with what you’re going through. Like a lot of people, I’ve always enjoyed listening and singing along to songs. However, now my experience with music has taken on a completely different life of its own. What do I mean? When you listen to a song where does your mind go? To an old memory maybe, or something that connected you to a particular lyric. For us we still have those personal ties to music but ask most vidders and you might get a different response. The truth is we see a different world entirely. Put your playlist on shuffle or imagine a song you recently heard. Then think about your favorite movie, TV show, character, romantic relationship, friendship and the list from there is endless. Did you get a new idea? What did you picture? There is a good chance that a video editor could get an idea just from that exercise alone. Ideas can come anywhere from music considering we have hundreds, if not thousands of TV shows or movies that song could evoke. Maybe it’s something emotional or happy from your chosen fandom that’s connected to your song. Music is the first thing that comes before starting the video and if you don’t have a song, how would you start it? Therefore, many vidders have trouble starting a video. Finding a good song that you like, are inspired by, and having ideas what to edit for it, is one of most important parts of fanvidding.
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A year after my grandma passed away, I started working on an emotional video portraying how my family and I felt through different characters. I first chose the song “Trauma” by NF because it gave me inspiration and then ideas for what scenes and voiceovers I wanted to use came rushing through my mind.
I have hundreds of songs in my playlist on YouTube and sometimes I’m inspired to edit, but can’t find the perfect song for my idea. Sometimes you get an idea before choosing a song and other times music helps from the start. Unfortunately, there are times where there is absolutely no song in my playlist that would work for the specific idea I have. Then, I tend to search on YouTube. What I do is type out a word for what kind of song I want. Am I looking for an Emotional song? Happy? Instrumental? Humor? Romantic? Epic? And the list goes on.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=IorKFbXLN70
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when I listen to music, I can imagine the whole video made in my head from start to finish.
Most of the time when I listen to music, I can imagine the whole video made in my head from start to finish. Music is so much different for me now than it was eight years ago. I used to just think about stuff in my life while listening to music, but now, every single song I hear I think of different TV shows, movies, characters, and couples that I can edit to. I can no longer imagine listening to songs and not picture editing to them. My view of music has completely changed, and I can’t imagine years later when I’m not doing this hobby anymore, will I still picture making videos while listening to music? I believe I will. I hope and wish that I can have this hobby forever, but I am afraid that everything in life is temporary or at least most hobbies tend to be temporary.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
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Scenes are also another significant factor for creating videos that connect to music. I would say they are the second most important part in vidding. Cutting scenes takes more time than you can imagine. Sometimes, it is even longer than editing the actual video. That sounds astounding, right? Trust me, it is! There are times when I am too tired to keep cutting scenes and just give into editing. I have a tendency not to edit chronologically, which means I don’t start from the intro and finish editing at the outro of my videos. My mind is all over the place and when I listen to songs, I picture what scenes and voiceovers would fit, at a particular part in the song. For example, I’m listening to a song and reach the middle. The middle of the songs usually consist of the buildup. You know those amazing songs that have a slow part in the middle and then the drums, guitar and piano start playing faster. This is where I tend to have the most ideas of what scenes I want to add and it’s my favorite part of songs. I usually start video editing from that section of the song. Then, I go back to the beginning and get an idea for what scenes I want to include after putting scenes in the middle. After that, I get an idea for the ending and then back to the middle, and so on. In that case, I would say I am an out of order vidder. Is that good or bad? I would say if that’s what you are comfortable with, then it’s good. There is nothing wrong with being an out of order video editor. The same way there is nothing wrong with being a chronological video editor. Everyone has a different way of creating their videos and we all equally think the same way, just in different creative ways.
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I have tried a few times to edit chronologically, but it never ended well. Honestly, I just went back to my out of order editing, because it feels more natural to me. Maybe it’s because I’m really used to it, but it’s the easiest way for me to organize my ideas and it makes you think how is it even organized if it’s not in a chronological order? Well, to be organized it’s not necessary to be in a chronological order. You can still be organized by cutting those specific scenes that are in your head, taking notes, making folders, and etc. I am writing this book in the same way I would video edit. Writing out of order seems a bit insane, doesn’t it? Well, when it comes to writing about something I really enjoy and when I have all my headers and subheads listed, then it’s easier for me to be organized and go back and forth between sections. I don’t consider myself a good writer and I have always struggled with it; however, writing about something you are passionate about makes it that much enjoyable and exciting. I can write for hours about my hobby, and I wouldn’t get tired. Quick question for you: Which category do you think you would fall into, chronological or out of order person? Do you like a little unpredictability, or do you need a clear place to start and end? In what way? Your hobby, career, school, or in most parts of your life?
AESTHETICS
There are some vidders who love to focus on aesthetics. This means they will use scenes with no faces of the actors and focus purely on showcasing the beauty of a scene and eliciting a certain emotion. They can create a whole video with this style alone. In this video I wanted to capture a fun atmosphere which also led me to create a new coloring to match what vibes the song was giving me. It’s fascinating to me, because you see what you normally might miss while watching films and TV. We tend to focus on the characters and what’s going on in their lives. However, giving full attention to the sceneries or just focusing on hands, lips, body, hair, feet, eyes or etc., can give you a different perspective and change the way you feel about the film. Fanvids attract the viewers’ attention and get them to see something that they didn’t notice while watching the film and that’s truly compelling.
Right around when covid started there was a challenge to create a video that was “Faceless”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it on time; however, I plan on working on it even if it’s not meant for the challenge.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjzCHuxmDZ8
PARALLELS
An important aspect of video editing that you learn early on, is the importance of using Parallels. Why are they important you might ask? They are essential because they can connect the viewer to many different moments at once and use those scenes to show the journey that those characters have taken, or in a multifandom video can link multiple moments across other TV shows or movies together. Vidders use their knowledge of different TV shows or movies they have seen and then find scenes that look similar or for voiceovers say the same word or sentence. It takes time to find these scenes and then cut them, because sometimes we struggle finding the perfect ones that match each other.
Here I am using parallels of different characters looking in the mirror, in the shower crying, and putting their hands on their head. This is a collab part for an emotional collab.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwwIFpNm6HA THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids
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BEHIND THE VOICEOVERS AND SOUND EFFECTS 28 | THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids
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VOICEOVERS
What are voiceovers you might ask? And how are they a key component to editing? Voiceovers are exactly as they sound; they are voices from characters in films and TV shows. Most video editors prefer clean voiceovers. Which is the removable of background music or other distracting noises that can take away from the music used for editing. How do we get clean voiceovers when there’s music in the background? Well, first we need to find footage that comes with 6-channel audio or 5.1 surround sound. What we usually look for is called either 5.1 DD or 5.1 DDP. DD stands for Dolby Digital and DDP stands for Dolby Digital Plus. The reason why they call 5.1 surround sound 6 channels, is because that .1 is a channel itself. 2-channel audios only give you all audio from the film or TV show in one or two channels. This is usually a problem for video editors because distracting sounds and music in the background can make it extremely difficult to hear the voices clearly. It can be masked easier when we edit faster songs with lots of beats; however, if we want to add voiceovers to slower songs where you can hear every small noise onto the song, then yes, it does become an issue.
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There is no way you can make a 2-channel audio become a 5.1 audio… Well, unless you are a wizard and have a spell in your back pocket. Although maybe you won’t need a spell after all. You can try to remove the background music using software called Audacity. Audacity can be connected to the video editing program you use, such as Sony Vegas Pro or now called just Vegas. Once you connect it to your program you can right click on your mouse on the audio you want to fix. Then, go to “Open copy in audio editor” and this will open it in Audacity or any other audio program you have downloaded. You want it to be a copy in order to keep the original audio file how it was in case you make a mistake.
Voiceovers are one of the most exciting parts of video editing. In my experience, I absolutely love working with voiceovers. I like to adjust the volume and add effects. I tend to use “reverb” which makes the audio sound like the voice is in your head. Another great effect I like to add to voiceovers is called “Smooth Enhance”. Smooth Enhance makes the audio sound like it’s underwater. I usually put two Smooth Enhance effects because I want it to sound even more like you are underwater. I only use this effect when I work with underwater scenes, but it can be used for other scenes. I also remove the Smooth Enhance effects while a character comes out of the water, in order to make it sound more realistic. This also goes towards the sound effects section that will be coming up next.
But it might be a bit hard to understand. Why don’t I show you instead? SCAN OR CLICK ON THE QR CODE TO OPEN THE LINK IN ANOTHER TAB FOR A SHORT TUTORIAL: This video will only be available for you. That doesn’t sound bad, does it?
youtu.be/Dx6Wt8d6xk8
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SOUND EFFECTS
Sound effects are another universe. Most of you guys have watched trailers of movies and TV shows. I am sure you have noticed many sound effects being used, such as, punching, kicking, glass breaking, fire, ripping paper, etc. Those are usually sound effects from the actual film.
*Trigger Warning* If you don't want to see any blood please don't watch. There's a very short clip showing it.
Here’s an example of an emotional epic collab I joined, and I created two parts. I had so much fun with editing this style and I would consider this style to be my favorite. I used sound effects, voiceovers, and paralleled scenes to each other without any transitions. I am also using a glitch overlay on top of the scenes. These are very short, because they are collab parts and are usually meant to be between 8 to 12 seconds. 32 | THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids
There are some sound effects that video editors themselves add that are not in films. Fanvidders like to add in sound effects that will make their video stand out and make the viewers feel like they are actually living in the video. There are times when there is background music in the scene I want to use the sound effect from. If that happens, I would head over to YouTube and search for a similar sound that would fit for the specific scene.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l-v3wQo4ws
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGnHSZyxh4E
Here is a very short collab part that I edited for an epic collab. We had to use only HD scenes and clear audio. This is one of my first attempts at editing something very crisp. Working with voiceovers and sound effects from the scenes I chose was so much fun and I believe this was the moment I realized I loved working with this kind of style. I am using very few effects, such as, glow and gaussian blur. There is also no transitions, but rather changing between scenes while following the beat of the song.
The vidder community uses sound effects such as, a swoosh sound. This swoosh sound is usually used alongside an effect, transition, or overlay. We use it to switch between scenes. It’s also sometimes used to show a flashback or when editors stack multiple clips and play them fast so that the sound mimics events flashing by. Not too often because then it becomes excessive, but it’s a great sound effect that makes the edit a bit more interesting. The same thing goes for graphic designers and writers. Overusing the same design elements, effects, or words can make your project inferior. Make sure what you use in your projects is consistent, but not too repetitive.
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BEHIND THE COLORINGS
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How do we go about choosing the right coloring? Well, some people are very talented at making incredible and unique colorings. They are also willing to share with the rest of the vidding community. Some people decide to use other people's coloring and others use their own. When I first started video editing in 2014, I was creating my own; however, they weren’t anything special. I didn’t know how to make them. Then, I decided to use other vidders colorings. Years later, now I make and use my own. I struggle to use other people’s colorings now, because I feel like the video isn’t fully my own in a way. Nothing against when other fanvidders use other people's colorings, but it’s just how I feel.
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The only time I use other vidders colorings is when I open collabs (I talk about collaborating in ch5) and people join. The reason why I don’t use my own is because I don’t think the coloring will look good on every scene. In order to make it good on every scene it has to be altered individually. Very rare, and honestly, don’t even know if I ever stumbled upon one that worked without having to adjust something. In my own colorings I always have to adjust either the brightness, contrast, or saturation. Every scene has a different lighting and coloration. The scenes I have trouble with the most are the dark ones. In films and TV shows you have most likely seen how certain shots are filmed darker on purpose to create an atmosphere and mood. Well, for vidders it’s extremely nerve-wracking because it makes us go insane to find that perfect coloring or make that coloring that would fit those dark scenes.
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Colorings are what make the videos have an atmosphere and style. It’s important to choose the right coloring for the kind of mood you want the video to express. Making sure it fits with the song you chose, whether it’s a song with lyrics or an instrumental.
Colorings are what make the videos have an atmosphere and style.
Creating colorings takes lots of patience and practice. I have around 10 colorings so far, maybe even more; however, I only use 5 of those 10. I take those 5 colorings I usually use and alter them instead of starting from scratch. Changing one thing can really change the outcome of the whole coloring. This gives me an advantage to have many different colorings and create them faster. After creating a coloring and in order to save it in my program I would have to give it a name. It can be any name I want. You can give it a cool and unique name that would suit the way the coloring looks.
If I make a coloring that looks like coffee, well, then maybe I would name it “Coffee” or give it a fun spin to it and name it “Coffee Cake”. It’s great to name your colorings because it gives more life to them and makes them unforgettable. When it comes to sharing those colorings with other vidders, that’s when those names become momentous.
Here I am talking about creating colorings for scenes and how I make them, as well as, how I choose which ones fit with the video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJ0PW2F_M8
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BEHIND THE EFFECTS, TRANSITIONS, AND OVERLAYS 38 | THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids
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EFFECTS (VIDEO FX)
What are effects? I know most of you know what they are. Especially as graphic designers we tend to add some effects, such as drop shadow, textures, glow, emboss, etc. In the vidding community and in our program Sony Vegas Pro, they are called Video FX.
Here is an example of me going crazy with effects. This was for a Happy Multifandom collab that I joined and the main style was effect heavy. I used fun scenes, such as dancing, while I explored to work with beats to match the song.
Why do we use them? Well, effects are used for many things in the vidding world, whether that be for scenes or typography. Some video editors choose to add effects like glow and gaussian blur… and others go crazy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R12myQtfzuI
How do we use them? Effects can be used in many ways, either to follow the beats, lyrics, or overall style. It’s the video editors choice what effects to use.
Here is a tutorial on what video fx are and how I use them. There are many effects you can work with to create your own presets for future uses. The video in the tutorial is available in the description box.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fDjUFLQmXg
I really love to play around with effects and change my style from time to time. The two main effects that I use are glow and gaussian blur. However, many editors do use them as well, but they have their own settings saved, and not all of us will have the exact same or use them in the same way. When it comes to effects, we can play around with them for hours and when we find the perfect ones we like, we save the presets. The option to save effects as presets is a big plus because we can use them in our future projects.
TRANSITIONS
What are transitions? Transitions offer a lot of possibilities of being more creative and making your videos stand out. A fast transition that hits the beat just right can send your heart racing or a soft transition can create an emotional build up. The right transition can captivate and move whoever is watching. There are many transitions available for you in video editing programs. You can alter them and even make your own from scratch. I have never made my own from scratch, but it would be fun to try it out some day. What I do is play around with adjusting the existing transitions and saving them as my own presets. The same thing I do for the effects, I do for the transitions.
Here is an example of a video to my favorite character I did and I challenged myself to play around with lots of effects and transitions. I also added typography and played around with the placement and effects.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vskVAEpNLgw Why do we use them? We use transitions because we want to convey something in our videos and if it fits with our style, then it gives more uniqueness to it. Softer transitions are often not noticed as much; however, they have power to them even if they are simple. Sometimes just a simple crossover fading with a little gaussian blur in the end can add a lot to the edit and it’s all about the song and tone you want to set. Another example is using crazy transitions that are usually used for particular videos. If you have watched humor videos or if you haven’t, I definitely recommend checking them out. Some humor videos that go fast with following the beats, use many transitions in between scenes and text. Vidders also use effects with these transitions. To watch a few humor videos, I recommend typing on YouTube in the search bar “Multifandom humor” or “Multicouples humor”.
Here is a tutorial on what transitions are and how I use them. The video I am showing in the tutorial is available in the description box of the video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gehokrhn5I0
In this video you can see that I’m working a lot with big and colorful text. I added some effects such as, glow and gaussian blur. I only used few transitions that you can see throughout the video to keep it consistent. I showed the transitions in the beginning, middle and end.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3jVqVi2xNw
The video above is about a romantic couple that is from a foreign country (Turkey) and fanvidders tend to add the subtitles for foreign movies and TV shows at the bottom, usually in the middle. Some choose to add them inside the video and others as CC on YouTube. I prefer to add them inside my videos, because I know people sometimes forget to check and turn on the CC. I myself forget to do it and this makes it easier. “True Love” by Pink was a song that I have always wanted to create a video for and have had it in my song playlist for years. Cutting the scenes for this Turkish TV couple took way more than I expected; however, after the most time consuming part was over, then came the excitement. Putting together the scenes I have cut while also finding voiceover parallels to match each other was a really fun experience for me. The last thing I did for this video is add the typography, while also figuring out which effects and transitions looked good. This was also my first video that showcased my new
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YouTube channel logo. I wanted to create a logo that described me as a night owl and adding those headphones on top of the owl really gave it more life to it. Listening to music many hours of the day and staying up late until the birds start chirping is what my logo portrays. Having this amazing passion for video editing my favorite TV shows and movies really makes my days.
iFF
Making humor videos is one of my favorite kinds of edits to make. They make me smile and laugh when I’m feeling down. Humor videos really get you to experiment a lot with text, color, effects, and transitions.
Here I am showing a quick tutorial on what overlays are and how I use them. The video in the tutorial is available in the link in the description box.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnT_m9Ov5n4
OVERLAYS
What are overlays? Overlays are a bit different from effects and transitions. They’re not something that can be found within your editing software; however, you can still use your program to make your own. I have personally experimented using Sony Vegas to create some, but haven’t gotten around to including them in my videos. This is another way editors can stand out by creating something that’s unique to them. Overlays are usually found on YouTube for free. In our community, vidders don’t know who creates these overlays. Sometimes it will say in the description box of the video who it was made by and if it’s fair use. The main thing about overlays is that you can find every overlay you are looking for on YouTube. All you have to do is copy the link and download it onto your computer. In some cases, the person who uploaded will have a link available to download in the description box.
Lots of vidders share overlays as “overlays giveaway” on YouTube. These shared overlays are either made from the vidders or they have collected them from different places. Sometimes you can see vidders sharing “overlays, colorings and fonts giveaway” on YouTube as well. This is what we call a package in the vidding community. When vidders collect fonts and share them with the rest of the community, it makes life easier for us because we get to see those fonts and download them quicker than looking for them in other places. Why do we use them? The vidder community uses overlays in order to express a style or even just follow the beats of the song. Overlays can be colorful or black and white. Usually, you can change their coloring in the programs.
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BEHIND THE TYPOGRAPHY
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Should typography be used or not? Typography in the vidding community has become very popular over the years. The question we ask ourselves a lot “should I use text in my video or leave it as it is?” I have asked these questions myself plenty of times. I am very indecisive and having to choose typefaces for my videos is very time consuming. I admire how some vidders can choose the perfect fonts that work well for their video. To answer the question, even if they ask their friends or family members if they should use typography or not, it becomes their decision in the end.
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How do we know when to use text in our videos? Well, we follow our instincts whether we should add text or not. Vidders choose to either add text for the lyrics of the song, for the voiceovers or even for both. Choosing whether to add text to your video is one of the last parts in vidding. This part is usually right before you render/export you video. However, some vidders choose to work on the text while editing. It really depends how they work and what makes it comfortable for them.
TYPOGRAPHY COMPARISON VIDEO PROGRAM
VS
Another important factor with typography is that in the window preview of the programs we use, the text might look like a great size; however, once we upload to YouTube it looks huge. In order to check how it looks before uploading the final video to the public is to upload a short section of your video onto YouTube as unlisted. I would suggest checking the size of the text from the beginning, so you don’t waste your time re-doing every text. This is very similar when graphic designers do test prints of their work. It lets you see how your work will really look like and it’s an important step before printing or uploading your final project.
YOUTUBE
I don’t want to mention how many times the text or coloring looked horrible once I uploaded on YouTube. Unfortunately, YouTube tends to convert videos differently, either by making them darker, brighter, or blurrier. When vidders collect fonts and share them with the rest of the community, it makes life easier for us because we get to see those fonts and download them quicker than looking for them in other places. Sharing resources is part of what makes the video editing community what it is, because at the end of the day we love to help each other out where we can. Encouraging others to share their creativity in its various forms is an incredible feeling.
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BEHIND THE THUMBNAILS
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Thumbnails often get overlooked because they are outside the actual vidding process. The truth is they are a crucial element to someone choosing to scroll past your video or give it a look. They are essentially the advertisement that will attract someone to even give your video a chance, and the first introduction to see what your video is about. Without a good thumbnail your video could be easily overlooked amongst the thousands of other videos uploaded at that time.
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It’s also important to use the same scenes with the same style from your video, so it matches what the viewers will expect to see. I have seen thumbnails that aren’t connected to the actual video. I would say this is more of a click-bait even if the editors aren’t aware that they do it. Not every thumbnail you make must be the same style every single time. Not every video you make will have the same style. However, thumbnails should always connect to your video.
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As I mentioned in the previous section about typography, choosing a font usually starts from inside your video. If you decide to add the lyrics of the song or text of voiceovers, you would have made your decision while editing your video. This then makes it easier for your thumbnail because you would have chosen your fonts beforehand. Taking your chosen fonts from your video and using them in your thumbnail will give it more consistency.
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Thumbnails take time as well to make them perfect. Not as much time as video editing, but still takes time. You want the thumbnail to captivate you and the viewers. Choosing what scenes you want to include from your video on your thumbnail can have a big impact on what you want the viewers to see and feel from them. They can say a lot about the overall video. Typography is also another important part in thumbnails. Some vidders add the title of their video and others don’t. The font or typeface choice is also significant on choosing which fits with the style or feel of your video.
They are essentially the advertisement that will attract someone to even give your video a chance...
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BEHIND THE STRUGGLE AND COPYRIGHT
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There are times when technology really works great for us and other times where we want to pull out our hair and throw our laptops out the window. Alright, that might be a bit too much… but our plans not happening the way we envisioned, can really mess with our head and make us feel like we are going insane. The list of struggles video editors go through is endless, but believe me when I say our program cashing when our ideas are flowing, and everything feels like it’s coming together just like we imagined, is the worst! Fanvidders and all kinds of video editors struggle a lot when it comes to their programs not cooperating with them. I have had times when I almost cried when a program crashed without a warning, it’s one of the worst things that could happen. Imagine all of those
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added scenes, effects, transitions, overlays, sound effects, voiceovers, and anything else you changed would not have been saved. The only thing that’s left at that point is hoping by some miracle autosave managed to rescue your now non-existent project. This is a vidders only safety net and hope that those hours spent are not gone forever. There is a folder on your computer you can access that contains all auto saved files, it’s not always the easiest to find so you might have to search. The minutes between locating this folder and opening your last saved file, can feel like an eternity and all you are left to do is sit there hoping that everything will be there. Video editors make sure to have their auto saves on and another thing is to set the auto
saves to a quicker timeframe, such as 5 min. You would have to set this timeframe in the program you are using. I would also recommend saving your project every time you make an update.
beeping noise. Unfortunately, this blue screen of death can make you lose your progress and cry in your pillow… or rip it apart, your choice. Therefore, you must get used to saving after every update.
There are other times when our programs will say “not responding”. This is very similar to the program crashing without a warning. However, we get to stare at the not responding loading circle, until it either cooperates again or shuts down. Isn’t that neat?
Vidders block is another struggle that we face and is very similar to designer's block and writer's block. When it comes to vidders block, we struggle a lot with coming up with ideas or hating that our inspiration is out the door. Sometimes our vidders block lasts for days, weeks, months, and even years. I have heard stories from vidders not editing for over five years and then coming back full swing with lots of ideas and inspiration. Sometimes all it takes is a short or long hiatus to get us back thinking, planning, and editing.
I have encountered problems with the blue screen of death. This is more of a computer issue than a video editor issue. However, I have had times while editing and my computer out of nowhere turns blue. Sometimes it even gives off a very loud
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TIME MANAGEMENT
Balancing things in life can be nerve wrecking at times. When life hits you suddenly your whole plan and motivation for vidding goes out the door. Having the perfect amount of time to sit down and get a lot of your ideas is not what most vidders can do. All of us get busy with our personal lives. There seems to be a phenomenon amongst most vidders, and that’s we are always most inspired when we usually have the least amount of time and can’t do anything about it. Likewise, when by some luck we find ourselves with free time suddenly those ideas have vanished like a puff of smoke. This can lead to endless frustration and self-deprecating jokes about our constant bad luck. It’s like we become star-crossed lovers with our own inspiration.
EMOTIONAL STATE
Emotional state and insecurities hit most of us very hard. This incredible hobby that we have genuinely has helped us cope with our emotional state. Insecurities can become very heavy on us when we downgrade ourselves that we aren’t good enough. Thinking and believing that we are not as good editors as others can make us insecure about whether to finish a video or not even upload it. I know vidders have struggled with this, but many other writers and designers struggle with it as well. I believe we need to become a team and not worry about who’s better, because in the end competitions are not important and at all something we should take too seriously.
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Trying to push yourself to be like everyone else will cause lots of mental stress. What’s so good about being like everyone else? You are your own creative self and start thinking that your projects are one of a kind. It can really change your mindset and make you content.
NEGATIVITY
Dislikes and rude comments sometimes discourage video editors to continue making videos. They are hurtful and usually contain not even a trace of constructive criticism. These are comments out to wound and are usually some careless individuals who don’t take into consideration the impact of their words, or something silly like “this would be so much better without music” which would no longer make it a fanvid and it would be just clips. I, however, try not to think about them because there are so many amazing comments and like that outweigh this form of negativity. Though there is no denying that sinking feeling when you're excited to post a video and you get it uploaded only a few minutes later to be greeted by a dislike. We must outweigh the good with the bad, because there is more positivity in our community than negativity. My advice is to ignore, move on, and recognize all the love and support that does surround you. There will always be people who want to tear you down but they’re not worth your time or energy.
HARD DRIVE ISSUES
Hard drive breaking or dying is an absolute disaster! Technology is an overall disaster but having your personal hard drive malfunctioning when 80% of your content is on it… is a big yikes. You either break it by accident or it dies on its own. What most editors hate is when their hard drives don’t show a warning that they
aren’t working properly. If they showed a warning, you would at least have some time to save your content to another hard drive. I had a hard drive that was 1tb and it started making a very faint noise. I googled the issue and there were many problems that can be happening to cause the noise. It was also acting slower than usual. Then I decided to not risk it and buy a new hard drive that was 2tb and transfer all my content such as TV shows, movies, video projects and anything else that was video related. If this ever happens again, I made sure to upload all of my essential things for video editing in my google drive, because it will never remove your content even if you didn’t log in for an extended period of time. Now, I can’t upload TV show episodes and movies in google drive because of the huge file sizes. In the end I can always download them again. Unfortunately, it would take lots of time and I know a few vidders who have had to re-download because they lost all their content. My advice is to make sure all of your important stuff is uploaded into google drive.
COMFORT ZONE
Stepping out of our comfort zone is an astonishing feeling because we end up being proud that we took a risk. Taking risks in the vidding community can be a great way to build our skills and try out different styles. For example, if I don’t work well with typography then I would take a risk to learn and give it my best shot. If I’m not good with effects, then I will play around with them and maybe create something epic! Escaping your comfort zone will give you a big bonus and it’s something that you shouldn’t overthink.
INDECISIVENESS
Dealing with indecisiveness is a mood killer. I would know because indecision is something I struggle with in video editing, graphic design, photography, writing, and everything else. Being indecisive is never a good thing, because when you need to make a fast decision and you have no one next to you to ask for suggestions. Well… then, you are screwed. The trick is to not let yourself overthink every decision and realize there is no right or wrong one, it’s all psychological. Don’t let it get the best of you because otherwise you spend all your energy second guessing and never get anything accomplished.
PRESSURE
Pressure to upload is what causes most vidders to be exhausted and stop vidding for a while. Being surrounded by other vidders in your life is great, the constant new uploads in your subscription box and edits post about their up-and-coming videos on social media. However, this is where that initial pressure comes from. The thing is not all vidders upload constantly, but when you are around so many editors all the time you are very aware of how often people are uploading. Some are naturally fast at editing and therefore upload a lot more frequently, while others have more time on their hands. Having time and how fast you are can really enhance how many videos you upload in a week or month. I believe that we shouldn’t put pressure on our hobbies even though it naturally happens from time to time. There’s no rush because most masterpieces take time, patience, motivation, and inspiration.
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COPYRIGHT
Imagine being able to earn some money from your hobby. Wouldn’t that be a dream? Earning money is not possible for fanvidders, because we don’t own the original footage. However, we put so much effort and time into video editing that at times we feel that it’s unfair to us that we can’t make a small percentage. YouTube is intense sometimes when it comes to copyright. Scratch that. It’s always intense. We create videos that tell a story. Some may have tons of effects, and some are on the simpler side. It’s like we are creating trailers for movies and TV shows. We use the content but spin it around and make it our own version through our eyes. When people watch our videos, they see something different than the original content. Something they didn’t notice while watching their favorite TV show or movie.
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Copyright on YouTube is at times a tough cookie. There are times when YouTube will partially block your video, which means some countries in the world won’t be able to see it. Other times, well… it will just block it worldwide or remove it without your knowledge. These are the hardest ones because that means no one can see your video. There are ways to get your blocked video worldwide unblocked. First thing you can try to do is file a dispute. Filing a dispute however might not make the case better for you. In some way it can make things worse because you don’t own the content you are using, and you don’t even own the music. Therefore, going that route is a huge risk to your channel if they agree with the claim. Even though most editors put disclaimers in the description of their videos stating the only ownership we claim is the editing itself. It’s the truth because in the vidding community the only thing you do own is your thoughts, ideas, and the editing you create with it.
The ideas you want to portray in your videos are noticeable and can change a viewer's perspective. Another direction you can take is to just wait it out. Most videos become unblocked in a few weeks or months. There are vidders out there who have gotten strikes on their channels. Three strikes and you are out! Whenever I hear of vidders getting strikes I start to worry. It’s a huge concern because we all know that is a road no one wants to go down. The idea of losing your channel temporarily or worse permanently after years of hard work establishing it is every vidders nightmare. After three strikes YouTube suspends your channel and you no longer have the option to upload videos or gain new subscribers. You will have to contact someone to see if you can remove the strikes or try to wait it out. I don’t know the specifics of that process and I would like to keep it that way.
Now, there’s a downfall when writing the names of the characters and what fandom they are from in the DB. When it comes to YouTube blocking videos, there are some shows that you should not list the name of. Some fandoms are known in the vidder community that get blocked, so we try our best to think of different ways to name our videos. The title is one of the most important parts to let the viewers know what they will be watching. However, this is where the thumbnails come into a bigger play. Creating thumbnails with only scenes from the videos will increasingly help the viewers know what the video will contain. In this case, adding text onto the thumbnails is not necessary. YouTube can also track your content from what you put in your thumbnail.
In worst case scenarios your videos will never be back, but you will still have your YouTube channel. There are ways you can still share your blocked videos with everyone else. One thing that fanvidders do is to upload the original video without any audio and put giant text saying “Preview”. Then, in the title it would most likely say “please read the description box (DB)”. The description box or as we call it for short, DB, is used for information about the video. This is where we can let the viewers know that the full video with audio is available at the link provided.
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CH3
WHAT I LEARNED There are many possible techniques you can learn through video editing. Some of them can be found through tutorials, whether on YouTube or on another learning website. When I first started learning and experiencing new skills, I first watched YouTube tutorials and played around by myself with the effects and transitions available in the program Sony Vegas Pro (SVP). While getting experience with new tools in the program I also started using Photoshop (PSD) to create YouTube thumbnails. However, you can also create them in SVP. Photoshop gives you more freedom by blending in images with the eraser tool. I prefer to make thumbnails in PSD rather than on SVP.
I remember that I asked around on some of my favorite videos back then, “how did you get this effect”? I was so happy when they responded to me and gave me some helpful tips. I only ever asked them because what they did in their video wasn’t available as a tutorial anywhere. It’s a great feeling when you get to talk with some of your favorite video editors who offer feedback and now, I’m glad to make people happy the same way. In this chapter I will cover the main key parts of video editing that I believe all video editors should know.
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KEYFRAMES WHAT ARE KEYFRAMES?
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They are a starting and stopping point
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Used for effects, transitions, masking and for zooming in and out on scenes
PREVIOUS FIRST
NEXT
DELETE
LAST
ADD
SHOWS THE TIME YOU ARE AT
CURSOR
When checked like this, means it’s synced to the media timeline
SMOOTH
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You can set the circle keyframes to linear, smooth, fast, slow, sharp, and hold
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Set them by right clicking with your mouse
SLOW
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PRESETS WHAT ARE PRESETS?
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Are saved effects and transitions you have created
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Used to save for future uses
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfo-Cc4GH6c
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MARKERS WHAT ARE MARKERS?
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They are orange lines that help organize where you want to place your scenes
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They are really useful when it comes to following the beat of the song
Markers can be placed in the program by pressing the "m" button on the keyboard
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmQ6euGxLAo
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TYPOGRAPHY HOW DO WE USE TYPOGRAPHY?
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Text is used for lyrics, voiceovers, or subtitles
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Can be placed anywhere in the video that doesn't get in the way of the scene
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Should be visible and not blend with the backgorund
BIG TEXT
Big text is usually used to give emphasis to what the person is saying or to the lyrics of a song. Is usually used for humor or epic videos that contain fight sequences. It's a great way to play around with effects and transitions. The size can be as big as you would like.
SMALL TEXT
Small text is usually used for subtitles of what the characters are saying, or as we call them voiceovers. Most of the time they are used with a drop shadow so that it doesn't blend into the scene. Another color used for subtitles is yellow. The perfect size can be anywhere from 8 to 16
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5gzGAgzd0
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AUDIO WHAT ARE AUDIO TRACKS?
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They are tracks that go all the way across the program
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They can only have audio, such as, mp3 or audio from films and TV shows
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Usually used for music, voiceovers, and sound effects
VIDEO TRACK VIDEO TRACK
AUDIO TRACK
www.youtube.com/watch?v=INWP9aUg2v0
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SCENES HOW DO WE USE SCENES?
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Scenes are clips taken from TV shows and films, that are then cut/split into smaller clips
Scenes can be cut/split by pressing the "s" button on the keyboard.
They can be adjusted by adding color, effects, transitions, overlays, and zooming in and out of the scene
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUQfI-tDuHE
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CH4
THE COMMUNITY
The video editing community is a special place. It has brought me amazing friendships that I have never expected to make and it has taught me many life lessons that I will cherrish forever.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is a big part in the vidding community. I don’t remember it being this useful when I first started editing eight years ago. However, it has really become important for us to communicate. We use different platforms for different things. For example, I use Twitter, Skype, Discord and WhatsApp to connect with my friends and other people from our community. Twitter is manly used to share your input on a TV show or movie. This platform helps us communicate with other vidders who we don’t talk to on a regular basis. We might not be as close to some vidders as we are to others, but that makes us no less of a family. Which is how most of us look at the vidder community because it is so inclusive. We can talk about anything and not feel judged because we know these people are going through the same experiences as you, and we relate to one another. Now it’s not always perfect because there’s no such thing as a place removed from judgment. However, this community is as close as it gets because we all share a unique bond that not many people out there in the world and our day to day lives can relate to. This is how we become closer to new people who can sometimes become lifelong friends. There is no denying social media has become a big presence in our lives and has made so much of this possible. We can talk about anything and not feel judged. Not every time, because in reality there’s no such thing as judgment being nonexistent. However, when we share our love for the same thing, our bond grows stronger. This is how we become closer and eventually make a lifelong friend. Social media has become a big presence in our lives and in everyone’s.
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FRIENDSHIPS
Not many people believe you can make friends online. I don’t know where that thinking came from, but social media and technology have changed the way we connect with people. During times like these with Covid being a part of our lives, it’s harder to make friends in person. Friendships shouldn’t be labeled where you should make them. Whether you live five minutes away or eight hours by airplane, distance doesn’t matter and there’s nothing that can break that friendship. The downside is that you won’t always get to meet them in person. However, talking on the phone or just messaging each other can still be a strong friendship. I have got the chance to talk to one of my best friends on the phone. At first, I was very nervous because I tend to be on the timid side. However, once we talked I got more comfortable. It was mostly since we have many things in common and we can talk for hours. All of us are a small, beautiful family; in the same way my senior design class is. We pick each other up, give each other advice, and are there for each other no matter what.
STOLEN VIDEOS
Stolen… What do you feel when you hear the word stolen? It gives off a negative feeling, doesn’t it? Imagine your design or essay being stolen. Even while having your logo and name on it, people still choose to steal it, remove the logo, not give credit, and say it’s theirs. This has happened so many times in our world and it’s nothing new. I have witnessed stolen designs, videos, essays, ideas, etc.
POSITIVITY AND NEGATIVITY
There are many positives and negatives in our life and the same goes for my hobby. No matter how much I love it and choose to see the positive. The negative will still be there. I have witnessed comments on videos from other people that have left negativity, without acknowledging the actual video. Other times, just ignoring how much effort it took the video editor to create this edit. Compassion comes a long way and regardless what people say, you should always see the light at the end of the tunnel, instead of the darkness.
It’s horrifying to hear and see that your work has been stolen. When it comes to technology and having your work available on the internet, it becomes risky. There is a fine line between giving credit and not. Let’s say the person you want to share the work of on other platforms mentions that you can re-post their work unless you credit them. This is completely fine, because you admired it or it inspired you to share it with other platforms, so more people can see it.
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...you should always see the light at the end of the tunnel, instead of the darkness.
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CH5
COLLABORATING
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HOW DO WE COLLABORATE WITH OTHER FANVIDDERS?
Well, collaborating with other fanvidders across the world is something special. Getting to share the same passion we have for fanvids together is an amazing feeling. Joining collabs is one of the most ecstatic things about the vidder community. The experience, skills, and new friendships we make through collabs is a big plus in our lives.
HOW DO WE CONTACT?
Vidders contact through social media, such as, Twitter, Skype, Instagram, or YouTube. YouTube notifications are not good in this sense, because for some odd reason YouTube has stopped giving us notifications. Another great way to contact each other is through “WhatsApp”. This is a great text messaging app that is available to use internationally and most vidders have been using it lately. Another great and new app to contact each other is “Discord”. Most people have been using it more, because of how organized it can be compared to Skype or Twitter. You can make multiple groups for different chats in your own group. I have also noticed many students at George Mason have started using it. It’s a great way to contact each other in big groups.
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WHO HOSTS THESE COLLABS?
Collab or Collabs are usually hosted by one person. One way it begins is by that person choosing a song and cutting the song between 8-12 seconds for each part. Then the host will upload the collab to YouTube and they would list how many parts are available in the description box. Other video editors will then comment under the video for what parts they would like to have. We call them Collab Parts. Another way that’s become very popular in our community is by making a group on Twitter or Skype and inviting many vidders. Some vidders can say that they’ll love to join, and others might not be able to. By this process the host will take note of how many people want to join and start cutting the parts. The parts again are usually between 8-12 seconds. They can be more or less, but most of us recommend sticking to no less than 8 and no more than 12. The reason behind how many seconds one part should be, is because you don’t want it to be too fast or too slow. You want that perfect balance. Some people follow the beat, and some don’t. In that case not everyone will have the exact same number of scenes in their parts.
WHAT ARE COLLAB GROUPS?
Collab groups are initially made by one person and that person can have co-captains to help. Collab groups are usually made for channels that will upload regularly. The collab group will have a specific YouTube channel available for them and it will list all the members as part of the group. First the Host will open auditions to see if anyone wants to join. Unfortunately, not everyone will be accepted into collab groups all the time. Some collab groups want a specific style from the video editors, but some accept everyone. A collab group can be focused on either one fandom, for example a Harry Potter group. In this collab group we will be video editing only from the Harry Potter world. Another example of a collab group can be focused on only romantic couples. We call them “Multicouples” because it’s multiple different couples from different fandoms. Second example would be, “Multifandom” collab group.
This will focus on everything, from couples, characters, TV shows, movies, family, friendships, and anything you can think of. Third example would be, to focus mainly on one TV show, such as, “Supernatural”, “One Tree Hill”, “Supergirl”, “Smallville”, etc. As you can see, there are many focuses a collab group can be made for. There’s another great example of collabs or just videos in general and they are called “MultiCrossovers”. A MultiCrossover is combining actors from different fandoms in the same world. This world is usually made up by the video editor. They have a story to tell and want to create their own characters using different actors that would fit their vision. I have always been extremely amazed by what these MultiCrossover editors can do. It’s like they write their own book or create their own world and choose which actors would fit their characters. I never thought in a million years that I would edit any crossovers; however, I gave it a shot and it really surprised me how much I enjoyed it.
Here is the last tutorial of the book and I will be covering how you can mask out characters from their TV show or movie and add them onto another.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUwdGTX6rQk
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In the MultiCrossover collabs I took part in, I used masking inside my program to remove either the background or the actors from the background. Then I blended them in the other actor's background. I also made sure the coloring, such as, the brightness, saturation, and contrast was all the same. How did I do?
MultiCrossover collab part with actors Selena Gomez and Jason Behr. I took scenes from their TV shows and movies to make it look like they are in the same world. Creating a story for them using the mask tool in Sony Vegas.
I plan on making full MultiCrossover videos in the future and now that I have tried making them it truly makes me want to go into that world from time to time.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fLHuzcbRgo
My second MultiCrossover collab I took a part in was with actors Kerem Bürsin (who is a famous Turkish actor) and Lily Collins. I used scenes from their TV shows and movies to create a world they both live in using the mask tool.
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If you are still not sure what exactly a collab is, you can head over to YouTube and type in the search box, “fanvid collab groups”. There are great examples of what kinds are out there. Some collab groups might focus on just one TV show and others can focus on various TV shows and movies. The collabs usually look like one person made them, but if you check the DB you'll be able to see many other channel names of the participants who took part.
ONE ON ONE VS GROUP COLLABS
One on one can be as much fun as group collabs, if not better. Group collabs are not the same as collab groups. A group collab is when you make a video with more than three people and there can be as many as 30 people, even more. It makes it harder when there’s a lot of people mostly because of tracking who turned in their collab part. Sometimes personal issues arise in our lives and in that case, we might have to let the person know who hosted the collab that we won’t be able to complete our part. The good thing about this is that they will be able to get a fill in to do our part. The bad thing is that this might make it hard and stressful for the hosts to find someone. In certain times, there might not be anyone who can fill in.
TIME ZONES
The vidding community struggles a lot with time zones because we can’t contact each other whenever we are all free. It can be a real struggle when planning things or figuring out times to get together and talk about collaborating. My best friends live three hours behind me, which might not seem like a lot, but it can be very hard at times to talk to them when I am free because maybe then they are busy or vice versa.
COLLAB PARTS VIDEOS
Collab parts videos are going to sound a bit confusing at first. As I talked about in the previous sections, a collab part is usually between 8 -12 seconds. Once you have created your collab part for the collab you joined, then you still have it in your computer. Most people tend to keep their collab parts because they are like small portfolio pieces. Collab parts videos are edits that combine all of your collab parts from different collabs into one video. Imagine having 50 collab parts and most of them are from different collabs you have joined. Then those 50 collab parts will be in one video and the video will most likely be 3 to 5 min long or in some cases, longer. We create these videos to showcase the collab parts we have made, and this also helps us see our progress.
Here I combined some of my favorite collab parts that I got to work on for different styles. I had so much fun for each one and have gotten the chance to learn new techniques and grow as a video editor. My favorite editing style to work with is definitely more on the raw side with few effects and focusing more on the voiceovers and sound effects.
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CH6
INTERVIEWS Welcome to chapter 6! In this chapter I will be covering interviews from fanvidders across the world. They all have answered the 6 questions that I have sent them. Each person shared their experience and journey of how they started this incredible hobby and how it changed their life. I have included their country focused on the map with a polaroid of a picture of them. Some were not comfortable sharing pictures and for them they have sent me pictures of flowers. Most of them have sent me over the shoulder pictures of them video editing and some descriptions of what they are working on.
QUESTIONS 1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING? 2. HOW DID YOU START IT? 3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? 4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION? 5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY? 6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
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Alessandra from Italy 1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
Since I was a child I have always been passionate about TV series and movies. I remember looking for some videos on YouTube of a series and I said, “wow, this is great.” It was a simple video, but I remember being impressed with how you could do a montage of scenes, with the song. What pushed me to start was watching many videos of a couple I liked, but I couldn’t find a video with that song I wanted and I said, “okay come on, now I’ll try to do it!” And from there I entered the world of video editing.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
Then the question arose “how do I do it? where do I start? what should I edit with? where do I find the scenes”? In 2014 I had a computer that already had a video editing program, it was not the best but to start, it helped me a lot. It was my first approach in the world of video editing. I learned the basic things, such as cropping, putting scenes together, and putting a song under the scenes. It was not easy at all, but with some tutorials and some discoveries that I did every day, I learned a lot. Before opening my YouTube channel, I spent a lot of time making “test” videos, and this also helped me.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? Interesting question. Of course, yes, and I think my passion has also increased over the years. I never imagined that this could become such an important thing to me, but I have to admit the more I go on, more I remember there was a time when I couldn’t do anything because I was demanding too much of myself, but then I realized that I was wrong and that I had to stop, breathe, and enjoy what I was doing. It’s my passion, it’s my hobby, why stress me so much? If I do it, it’s because I like it and because it gives me serenity. It’s a passion that I enjoy a lot, it also gives me another way of seeing and listening to things. For example, when I listen to a song, I listen to it more carefully and in my head, there are thousand things I imagine. When I think of a scene I can make parallels, it’s a beautiful thing for me! So yes, I’m still passionate and I think that every day my passion grows more and more.
I think so, often I watch my videos and I notice how I have changed my style, and how I’ve made progress over the years. That makes me very proud of myself, because when I look at my videos, I look at myself. It’s my thing, something that I started and this makes me happy with how I managed to do all this alone.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Yes, it has helped me a lot in so many aspects of my life. Now I’m 18, and when I started I was 11, so it accompanied me throughout my adolescence, and for me it let my creativity shine over the years. Maybe it may seem strange, but editing also helps me express what I feel. Thanks to editing and the vidder community I met many people with the same passion, from different countries, new cultures, languages, and this made me feel less alone and that what I do is a normal thing. Initially, I hid my passion
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...it brought some light into that dark time for me.
and my YouTube channel, but going on I realized that there is nothing more beautiful than to share my videos and ideas with people I love. I started talking about it with friends, professors, parents, etc. I still don’t know how to speak fluently English, but I have learned many terms that I have not even studied at school. Video editing has helped me even in the most difficult period of my life. In the period of the pandemic I have not been at my best. I really wanted to give up everything, do nothing more, it was really a bad time for me, but seriously sometimes the only thing that made me want to get up was listening to a song and getting inspiration for a video. It really helped me move forward and it brought some light into that dark time for me.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
YouTube has also become a safe place for me, and video editing is now part of my daily life and makes me very happy. Next year, I would like to join an academy or university that allows me to do this in my life.
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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
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Jasmine
from Vancouver, Canada
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
In a way I always had a love for editing but I just didn’t have a name for it back then. Even when I was a young kid in elementary and middle school, I used to make small projects with windows movie maker, only it was with pictures and music. I remember in high school coming across a fan video on YouTube for the first time, and I was mesmerized by how someone could capture my feelings so clearly in one 4-minute video. From that point on for a couple of years I just watched other people’s videos on various shows I loved at the time. When I finished high school, I had taken a year off to work and save up for college and I found myself with a lot of free time, so I just decided why not finally try making one.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I just used my personal YouTube channel and uploaded my first videos there. Over the years that channel has shifted to just vidding but it’s still the same one. I started making my videos using windows movie maker, which anyone who has probably used it before knows it’s very limited in what it can do. I couldn’t figure out how to get my videos to look more professional until I realized a lot
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of the channels that I was subscribed to were using Sony Vegas. So, for three years I was using the Sony Vegas Movie Studio version, which was huge step up. It was from there I got more comfortable using a more professional editing software. From that point is where I really fell in love with video editing.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? At the start everything is new and exciting, and you have very little knowledge of anything so anytime I achieved something it felt like this huge accomplishment. It was such a crazy idea someone was even watching my videos and to get a comment and see someone saying they enjoyed it. Now it’s a quieter excitement, but it’s still there when I sit down and open a new project. For example, when I have a really good idea for a video and I’m able to actually translate the idea into something people can watch, and experience is an incredible feeling. I also think the community plays a huge part now. I’m way more active in the social side then I was back then and seeing other people’s excitement and creativity usually sparks my own. Only now with classes and college it’s harder to find the time.
I keep every video I’ve ever made so I can see the progress. Now I find those earlier videos to be almost unwatchable, but it also makes me realize just how far I have come. For the longest time I didn’t watch tutorials because I wanted to figure everything out on my own, but I later came to realize how valuable someone else’s knowledge can be. Playing with new styles is a lot of fun, especially in a collab setting. I never feel 100% confident in my editing because I know there’s always new skills to learn and creative ideas to try out.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
I’ve met people from all around the world that I otherwise never would have and have made my life better. Finding so many people who are all collectively passionate about the same things is a wonderful feeling. Especially during pandemic times where I wasn’t leaving the house very
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often, I realized how important having a hobby and community like this was. It’s become this irreplaceable constant in my life and no matter the changes just knowing I have that there is a comfort.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Without a doubt, I’ve never in my life had a hobby that has brought me so much joy! It’s not stress free by any means especially when your editing software is not being cooperative, or times I’m having a mental block and have no clue how to start a project. However, the positives always outweigh the negatives and for me this is very a rewarding hobby. I’m a creative person by nature and I really loved things like art, photography, and acting growing up. It wasn’t though until I found video editing that I found something where I could combine all the things, I love in one place. The fact I get to use music I love with the shows I’m passionate about and use those two mediums to re-tell stories is a dream. So much time and effort that goes into every video I make, but it’s worth it.
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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Finding so many people who are all collectively passionate about the same things is a wonderful feeling.
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Sanne
from the Netherlands
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I started fan editing because of my sister. I had been editing simple things like lyric videos and slideshows in Windows Movie Maker, but when I saw my sister working with effects and certain tools in Sony Vegas it made me want to try it too. There were so many more possibilities that got me really intrigued. I always loved watching the videos she created, so I wanted to be able to create videos like that as well. It’s a great way to be creative with topics, celebrities or tv-shows you adore.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
When I started working with Sony Vegas and really started editing with effects, I watched a lot of tutorials to learn the basics. Luckily there are plenty of them on YouTube and it really helped me grow as an editor and create my own style. I didn’t always upload everything on YouTube since I also loved working on things just for myself or my family. But as my channel started growing with subscribers, it became more interesting to share my edits more frequently online.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? No, unfortunately not. But that’s mainly because I don’t have as much time for it as I used to. There were times where I used to edit days in a row. I don’t do that as much anymore. But it’s definitely still something that I enjoy doing in my free time though! And in moments like these I’m still as passionate as I was when I started editing. That’s also because it never becomes boring. Every new video is a new story to tell. And I love that.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Yes, I think so. You learn along the way and practice makes perfect. Also, my style has changed a lot over the years. My first videos are full of effects and mostly pictures of celebrities. Nowadays, my edits contain fiction, like scenes from TV shows and movies, and not as many effects. As my life changes, my interests in topics to edit changed with that.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
It’s a hobby that brings me joy and I love the creative side to it. There are periods where I don’t edit for weeks, or even months, because I don’t have the time and I’m really starting to miss it then. So, whenever I do have some free time, I always go back to it. It’s also very stress reducing, because I’m working with shows and characters that I love. When I’m vidding I kind of dive into the world of the characters and escape my own for a little while.
It’s an outlet for me at times when I cannot express feelings into words. Watching scenes that say exactly what you’ve been feeling and putting that together kind of feels like keeping a diary sometimes. I’ve met some amazing people in the vidding community that I can really call friends even though they live all across the world.
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I kind of dive into the world of the characters and escape my own for a little while.
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Amber
from Jamaica
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
There were a lot of things that inspired me to start fan editing, but I think my interest began with my love for TV shows and dramas and I got really invested in ships in particular! In looking for more content with my favorites, I came across tons of edits on YouTube! I was like a kid in a candy store! Everything was so creative and new to me, and I was really enamored by the passion that the vidders had in creating those edits! It made me feel like there were other people who were just as invested in the ships as I was!
2. HOW DID YOU START IT? After a few years of just watching, I started
trying to learn how to navigate various programs and started making small edits for people’s books on Wattpad for practice and exposure. Then, it wasn’t until the beginning of 2020 that I really started uploading edits for myself.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I am still very passionate about it actually! My mind is always teeming with new ideas, themes, and possible styles that would match all the great songs I come across! I write them all down in my notes. However, I think with time I’ve also grown more and more critical of my edits and how well I’m able to execute what I envision them to look like, and that often hinders my progress. I can be a bit of a perfectionist sometimes and so it becomes more of a tedious process than a fun experience at times, particularly when working with deadlines.
I tend to join a lot of small collaborations though, which keeps me active especially when I haven’t edited for myself in a while. Each one I’ve taken part in has inspired me in some way and makes me excited to start working on my own projects again.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Yes! I would like to think I have! When I watch older edits of mine - some of which I’ve removed from my channel - and compare them with edits and collab parts I’ve made more recently. I can see how much my editing style has changed and how much I’ve learned over time! Collabs especially, have taught me a lot about how to use Vegas and other resources.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes, quite a bit I would suppose. In the past I would have had several class presentations at school that called for added creative pieces, and I would
When I’m not stressing over every detail, it makes me incredibly happy! I can use it as an escape, or a means of expressing myself! Simply hearing a great song and matching the lyrics to scenes in my head makes me excited! But once I start to overthink, it takes away from any happiness I may get from it.
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I was like a kid in a candy store!
always opt to make a short video each time! I’ve made mini trailers and fake marketing product commercials and so on! Looking back, they weren’t very good from a more critical standpoint, but making them made my assignments more appealing and fulfilling to complete because I was able to incorporate my favorite characters and vidding elements into my work! I would also say that vidding and the vidding community in general has helped me a lot! I’ve found great comfort in being part of the community, meeting such incredible people here, and forging friendships I cherish dearly! Without it, I think I would have had a much more difficult time coping during the pandemic.
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Marti
from Italy
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I’ve always enjoyed watching videos made by fans, and when I was younger, anything I liked made by other people I wanted to make myself, so this passion was born. I started making my first ‘videos’ around the age of 12-13 years old, I remember watching videos about singers, in fact I followed a lot zaynie clips, who made videos mainly about one direction, then I started to watch videos about couples, and my first inspiration was an Italian editor. Initially I started to make videos on singers I liked, I considered it “less tiring” than videos on couples... Now I edit practically only on couples, it’s my favorite theme.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I started with my first videos with my old computer that my parents gave me when I was 11, initially I used movie maker, I didn’t make many videos with that program, it was kind of pitiful, then I saw that most of the editors used Sony Vegas Pro, so I searched the Internet for a download for that program. To understand a little bit how this program worked, I looked for
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different video tutorials on YouTube, then when I more or less understood I started to experiment making different videos with this program.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? Yes and no, in the sense that before I was younger and therefore, I did things a bit more hastily, now that I’m older I’m much more maniacal, I pay attention to every detail, and therefore it takes much more time. I’ll tell you the truth, it goes by periods, right now I’m enjoying editing, but it had not happened for several months, and for a moment I thought of giving up. Those who watch from the outside cannot understand the work behind. For them it may be 30 seconds, 1/2/3 minutes, small stuff, but behind can be days or months, even behind a video that is 1/2 minutes.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Yes, absolutely, I underestimate myself a lot. I don’t like almost anything I do but compared to the beginning I have improved a lot.
It helped me a lot during the first lockdown of COVID-19, I had already been making videos for a while, but I didn’t know the world of “vidding” and all the people in it, since then, I started following more and more editors.
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6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes, at the moment, but now I’m also starting to do mini edits on one couple to post on Twitter and Instagram, maybe even on YouTube... and I must say that this is making me quite happy, also because I don’t use the whole song, but I try to use only the part that reflects the couple more. That’s why I don’t make videos longer than a minute/a minute and a half on a single couple. I like to follow the lyrics with the scenes, and using a couple is not always possible.
Those who watch from the outside cannot understand the work behind.
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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
I am currently working on two multicouples, (mostly on YouTube) one with “Angels like you” by Miley Cyrus and the other with “Bones” by JC Stewart. Then, I started some mini edits that I will put on Instagram/Twitter, now I finished this little edit on an Italian couple, but I’m also working on a mini edit on Serkan and Eda by Sen Çal Kapimi (Turkish TV show).
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Nina
from France
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I was part of a Role Player Game where all the players’ characters had real actors face claims. To celebrate the first anniversary of the game, I had the idea of making a trailer video starring all the actors we were using. I tried to play with the footage to tell the story of the game with the editing. As this video was made for the game and not only for me, I posted it on YouTube so the other players can see it. That was my first video and first crossover too and I’m still posting on this very same channel since then.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
After this first experience in editing, which I enjoyed so much, I kept having ideas for other fan videos, so I kept editing. I started editing with a little Apple software named iMovie. As I’m selftaught, it was really great to begin with. When I reached the full potential of iMovie, I decided to try and learn a little more about Final Cut Pro X and I’m still editing on that software nowadays.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I’m 200% more passionate about it than the first day. When I started, I honestly didn’t know it would became such a huge part of my life. I wake up in the morning thinking about editing and I go to sleep at night in the same way. When I watch movies and series, I always try to find content that could be useful for my videos. Five years after starting editing fan videos and crossover videos for myself, I created my micro-business in editing. I worked on little projects in my town, filming interviews and editing them or even editing cooking tutorials for Down Syndrome people so they can learn to cook by themselves and be more autonomous.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Yes, I really think I did. I am more demanding of myself, I always try to find the best quality of footage, the best combination of clips to really match the stories I want to tell, and the emotions I want to give. I also try to do new effects and I often re-watch my old videos to compare them to the new ones and try to improve myself. I watch a lot
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Vidding helps me escape the real world and my own life like a series or a movie would. I also noticed that when I’m really happy, I like to edit sad/drama videos and on the contrary, when I’m sad, I prefer to edit happy/humor videos. So I guess editing is a balance for me. I also met so many great people to whom I talk almost every day, so I found emotional support through YouTube editors. I met my best friend thanks to vidding so yes, of course it helped me in life, and it still does.
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6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
When I spend more than two days without editing, I feel like something is missing inside me. Vidding is a true passion and a way for me to be creative. When I’m not editing a video for my main channel, I am editing a collab part (part of a collaboration video with multiple vidding editors) or I am editing scene finders videos (videos where we list/show all the scenes of a specific character from a series or movie). I also feel helpful with vidding. When I have the opportunity to help other vidding editors, I jump on it. Thanks to fan editing, I now have a really close vidding friend who gets me and it’s my safe place so yes, it really makes me happy! When I tell people that editing is my passion, a lot of them ask me why I don’t make it my main job. Editing makes me so happy and safe; I don’t want it to become a constraint. I want to be able to choose the projects I’m working on, finish them on my own time, without deadlines and just do whatever I want whenever I want.
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of tutorial videos on Final Cut Pro to push my limits and I surrounded myself with vidding editors with whom I share my works in progress to have their opinion and advice. Vidding also gave me confidence to create my little freelance business in editing and was talking about earlier. I also launched a Patreon page almost a year ago where I share Final Cut Pro tutorials, editing content and colorings I created to help people to improve their videos too.
Vidding helps me escape the real world and my own life like a series or a movie would.
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Andréa
from Spain
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I was going through a very traumatic experience when I discovered the vidding world. I don’t quite remember how I came upon it, but I can for certain say it changed my life. What I do remember is that I started out as a YouTube ‘series’ editor in 2010. I had seen a video with celebrities playing characters that youtubers had written scripts for and got other youtubers to participate as voiceover actors. I myself had my own ‘series’ and also participated as a voice actress for many projects. The community slowly dwindled to a stop back in 2013. To this day I still occasionally do some voiceover work, but I have been making fanvids (mostly crossover work and some multicouples edits) for about eight years. I have always been a creative person and I consider myself very lucky to have stumbled upon this community. In many ways I think it saved me… or at least my sanity.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
This is also quite hazy for me… as I said I was going through some trauma at the time. I know I started out using this editing software called iMovie, it was what automatically came with my mac. I believe
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I stayed with iMovie for about two years before I moved to Final Cut Pro X. Final Cut opened many new creative opportunities for me and when I started using it my love for editing truly evolved. I really believe I can do some pretty amazing things with Final Cut Pro even though it can be quite limited artistically. I find a way around the obstacles by using programs like Photoshop for a little help. To this day I am happy with it as is.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I believe I am as passionate as the day I started but in a different way. I started editing at 14 and I am now 27 years old, as a person I changed/ grew thus did my passion for the kind of work I do. I started out a dreamy eyed teenager who wished for this huge editing career, my life in a way revolved around editing, and now I think I can call it a healthier passion. I no longer rely on editing as much for my happiness, it helps but I don’t put all my stakes in it. I now consider it a passionate hobby… That does not mean I’d close any open doors that may come my way for it as a profession.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
One hundred percent, I have. Not only has what I edit changed content wise, but my style is constantly changing and improving. I look back at edits from a decade ago and remember how proud I was of them at the time and now I can’t help but laugh, not in a self-deprecating way, but rather at how much I’ve evolved. My ‘editors eye’ has become much sharper and having been a part of the community for such a long time has provided me with such a vast timeline of content that looks like three different people created. It honestly makes me emotional when I go down memory lane because I don’t have many photos or any footage to look back on of me growing up, my only source is what I’ve posted throughout the years. My edits are what say, “this was Andréa at 14 or 19” and so on…
From my previous four answers I think it’s safe to say, yes. If editing has done anything for me, it’s help me in life. I’ve never really had roots or much of anything constant in life and that has always been very hard for me. But no matter where I’ve been in the last decade, so has editing. It’s my solace... my life away from life. The editing community has also been the one place I’ve been able to forge real friendships, because it’s the one place I can be my truest self.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
It makes me so happy. Yes, there have been challenges but nothing in life is perfect. Though YouTube and editing sure come close.
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In many ways I think it saved me… or at least my sanity.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 93
Martina
from Italy
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I started editing thanks to TV shows, YouTube, and my aunt. The first shows I started watching were The Vampire Diaries, Castle, and Arrow and after every episode I would go on YouTube and search for videos related to them. After a few months of seeing videos on YouTube I told myself why not, and I started editing small length videos thanks also to the support of my aunt. She always encouraged me to try fan editing and, she’s the one that introduced me to the TV shows that I mentioned above.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I started editing with Windows Movie Maker in 2013 with a laptop my aunt gave me because she wasn’t using it anymore. It wasn’t a very good laptop for editing because it was very slow and not fitted for editing but I was a beginner, so I didn’t care much at the time.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I’m still passionate about editing TV shows and movies, maybe not as much as before because other responsibilities have come up while growing.
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When I started, I was 16 and in high school, and besides studying I had a lot of free time for editing, now that I’m 27 I have much less time due to my job (I work as a waitress) and family related stuff, plus while growing up I developed interest in other “hobbies” such as football, tennis, and other sports. I kind of prioritize them above editing because of my friends and family. It’s much easier when we hang out to talk about sports than editing, because not everyone is into it and don’t realize how much effort and patience it takes to finish a video.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
I believe I did. When I started with Windows Movie Maker, I honestly had no clue of what to do or where to start, I never took professional video editing courses, I always learned everything by myself. After one year I switched to Sony Vegas Pro, and it was very traumatizing at the beginning because everything was completely different from the previous software, especially the layout. But video after video I learned how to use certain effects, transitions, and text. It was a long process but in the end I did it. I’m still learning new things
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Editing really helped me going through my high school period. I was a girl with not many friends and “hobbies” and when I discovered it really changed my life. It gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people from my country, but also from all around the world via Skype, Twitter, and Discord. It also helped me with my job because when there’s a new dish or the restaurant to promote it, my boss always asks me to film a small video, edit it a little bit, and then share it on social media.
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6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yeah, it makes me happy because I would never do anything that doesn’t, but it’s not the only feeling that I experience while I edit. I feel proud when I finish a video that has taken me a lot of days or weeks. I feel exhausted because sometimes editing sucks all the energy out of my body, I feel sad when I edit an ended show or a couple that didn’t get their happy ending or when I edit a couple that I wasn’t vidding in a long time. I feel stressed when I have too much collab parts to do and so little time or when I need a certain clip and I cannot find it. I could go on and on, but I’ll just end it here. So yeah, editing makes me happy but it’s not the only feeling. I don’t want it to become a constraint. I want to be able to choose the projects I’m working on, finish them on my own time, without deadlines and just do whatever I want whenever I want.
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even now after 11 years (like how to make a good coloring). Another thing that really helped me in this learning process were these videos called “tips and tricks”. To help beginners a lot of experienced vidders shared these types of videos where they showed how to make a certain type of effect or how to make an intro, but also really simple things like marking the beats of a song.
It gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people from my country, but also from all around the world...
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 95
Jana
from Greece
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
When I first started watching Turkish shows online, I joined a Greek group in Facebook, which translated them. The administrator then was editing one of my favorite couples and it was the first time that I saw an edit, so I searched about it on YouTube. I started watching edits with American couples and then I saw a promo about an editing contest (there aren’t anymore), which had as a theme sad multicouples. That was the reason that I started editing! Of course, it was the worst edit and I got only 9/100 as I neither cut the scenes nor put coloring, but the journey had already started!
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
After searching a lot of Turkish editors, I found a Greek girl, who was my favorite and I asked her, which program she used. She told me that she was using Sony Vegas Pro and then I downloaded it, but it seemed like hieroglyph to me! Then I thought about giving up, but I found another Greek editor, who was editing in the style that I edit myself (dark/angst/sad) and I asked her to help me. So, she sent me two tutorials and told me some tips. Then I started editing more frequently...!
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING?
I am and was never a consistent editor, because after some time I totally lost my motivation. To be honest, in the beginning, I was feeling cooler than now, as then there weren’t so many editors, especially in Greece and not so much excitement. Excitement I feel now, even though I don’t have any inspiration right now. That happens because the shows are so much better now from many aspects and of course I have more friends to share my excitement and comments about shows and my edits.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
As I told before I am not a consistent editor. I had made a break of 2 years and when I edit, I edit maximum 1 edit per 1-2 weeks, so I don’t practice a lot to make any significant progress. Within a short period of time, I don’t make any progress as many times I am afraid to try about something new or I never complete them so I can’t see the final result to notice what I should change. In a long period of time, if we consider that I am editing on and off about 5-6
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Even though I didn’t expect that yes it has helped me a lot! From then I am watching things in real life from another aspect, I notice more details and of course I appreciate more the little things like holding hands. In one phrase I can say that “I am searching for scenes to cut”. Moreover, my creativity has improved so much as I am thinking out of the box, and I experiment. Furthermore, I am expressing myself better, as I am putting things in a line and without many unnecessary
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words. Finally, in my projects I can put a video that I have edited myself and not a text, so it automatically becomes more interesting.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes, it makes me the happiest person in this world. This happens for many reasons. First, I am watching again the scenes from my favorite shows, and I make “my own stories” with them. I watch closely many characters and I hear music! Of course, the feeling of completing something and watching it as a whole, is something that I can’t describe. You may find them really bad or feel proud of them without a specific reason, but it makes you happy as it is your work. It would be remiss of me not to mention that one of the parts of editing that make me happy is of course the community. You know new people from around the world and some of them become your friends. Also, you laugh with them, you make comments to each other about your edits, and you improve all together by searching and collecting ideas. Of course, we make collabs, which are very fun!
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years, of course there is a progress from all aspects. Now I am cutting better scenes, I use colorings that don’t make the lips purple and I use more than one program to edit, so the result is better. However, even if I didn’t want to change my editing, I couldn’t, because now you can’t make colorings like this and generally all the community has changed dramatically even the cinematography of the shows.
...you laugh with them, you make comments to each other about your edits, and you improve all together by searching and collecting ideas.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 97
Jazzi
from Kentucky, USA
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
After I started homeschooling during high school because of my mental health, I quickly realized I had a lot more time on my hands. I hated being bored and not having anything to do because I would just get depressed, so I started to look for hobbies. I got into reading and watching a lot of television which led to finding Fanvids on YouTube. Watching fanvids from other editors got me very interested and I wanted to try editing as well and I started making fan edits of books, TV shows, and movies. I was no longer bored for hours at a time because editing was so time-consuming, so I didn’t really have time to feel depressed or lonely.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
The first video I made was a book trailer for a book that I liked, and I wanted to use my dream cast and create a trailer using actors that liked for the book roles. After finishing my first video, I realized that I enjoyed editing and I soon began to edit other things, such as, characters and couples from TV shows and movies. At first, I was bad at it and barely got any feedback, but it took my mind off things and made me happy, so I didn’t really care. After using
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Wondershare for a while I noticed a lot of editors used Sony Vegas and I wanted to try it out as well. Learning things on Sony Vegas was much more of a challenge, but I eventually got used to it. I also started with a very slow and old computer. I bought it by myself used because it was all I could afford at the time. If you are a video editor, you know that you need a good computer to edit with or you are going to have lots of problems. To edit with Sony Vegas, there are certain requirements your computer needs to work right and mine didn’t have them. At the time though, I was grateful for it, and I didn’t really know any better. Thankfully not long after I started using Sony Vegas though, I ended up getting a computer.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I would say I’m still passionate about it when I do actually get to edit, but where I am a college student now, I don’t have much time on my hands as I used to. When I first started, I used to edit every day and stay up all night just to finish one video. Today most of my time is spent doing schoolwork and I find myself missing editing a lot.
Oh definitely! When I first started, I thought my videos were good but now when I look back at them, I kind of cringe. When I look at old videos and realize all the mistakes I made, I now know how to avoid them and that shows me how much I have improved. They still remind me how happy I was while editing them.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
I started editing in a very dark time in my life and I needed something to keep my mind off things. I would make videos about my horrible childhood with parents who cared more about drugs and alcohol than they did about me and my siblings. I would make videos involving mental illness because my mother along with me and my siblings all struggle with one. Being able to show what I was feeling in my videos, was like therapy to me without having to talk someone. I would also receive
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comments from people who would tell me that I was not alone and it really did bring me comfort to know that. Honestly, I am not sure I would still be here if I hadn’t realized my love for editing back then. The vidding community is like the second family that I found all by myself. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes it does make me happy right now. Editing can also be stressful for me though, especially when my editing program is not working right. There are so many struggles that kind of make you want to go crazy sometimes. I once worked three days on a video, and I was so excited to finish it. However, for some reason, Sony Vegas kept freezing and refused to convert it for me, so I eventually gave up on it. I have definitely wanted to throw my computer several times while editing and quit right on the spot, but I could never go through with it. I try not to edit when I start to get stressed, because something that I enjoy as much as editing, I don’t want to ruin for myself.
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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Being able to show what I was feeling in my videos, was like therapy to me...
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 99
Fede
from Italy
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I started fan editing in 2015 after years of watching other fan edits on YouTube. I literally became obsessed with how people created videos about characters or couples showing their stories, and so I wanted to do the same with my favorite TV shows. So, I started as a fan of other people’s works and then started creating my own. To give my own “representation” of everything I felt while watching my favorite couples or characters on TV. I have never been a creative person in general but somehow with vidding I started being one and so I started to make my own art, and, in a way, I didn’t feel like I was “excluded” from people with talent, because most of the times I felt like I didn’t have a vocation. But that’s when vidding arrived and it proved me wrong!
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I started editing with GIFs, which was not the best, and then I switched to footage taken from YouTube, which was very low quality. All this using a standard editing program that was already installed in my father’s computer. I later changed programs and started using a more professional one, which was Sony Vegas and started getting high quality footage
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from TV episodes, from which I cut the scenes I needed. At first it was hard for me because it was completely different from the previous program and definitely more complicated since it had a lot of features and plug-ins which I’ve never seen before. However, I tried to understand everything by myself or even by watching tutorials on YouTube and eventually I got the hand of it, and it became super easy to use. I even started downloading other new plug-ins to improve my editing even more and creating my own “colorings” to use in videos. Which is one of the most fun things to do!
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I have to say I am not as passionate as before, but this for two different reasons. First because I don’t have much free time anymore. When I started, I was at the beginning of high school, so I didn’t have much to study… I definitely was freer and since it was the beginning of my vidding experience everything was fresh, and I was always inspired. However, growing up I got busier and got more work to do for school. Sometimes when I have time, I don’t have the inspiration so it’s always a
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
I think my editing has changed a lot during these years, it started as something very basic but then it became much more complex. I started adding the lyrics of the songs I used, overlays, textures, and the quality of my footage got better. However, in the last few months it has changed again because I wanted to make my videos simple again, and to not overdo anything! That’s why now I try to use less effects and anything because I really want to focus everything on the scenes I use and the emotions I want to convey.
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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
It has helped a lot in my life because, suffering from anxiety, whenever I had some problems video editing became my refugee and a way to get calmer so I can say it was my safe escape. Also, interacting with the community has helped me making more friends and confronting my ideas with others. The community is amazing because we all help each other, for example when someone needs help for creating a certain effect or when someone can’t find a certain episode of a TV show, there’s always someone willing to help and I honestly love this so much!
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
I can say it makes me happy because apart from making me calmer whenever I need it, it gives me the opportunity to show the love I have for my favorite TV shows and to show a bit of my creativity amongst the boredom of my life! It definitely is a big part of my life, and I can’t imagine my life without it.
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struggle! Also, another important factor is that unfortunately videos on YouTube don’t get the same recognition as before in general, and all this is kind of frustrating. Not only for me, but for the community in general as I noticed. So, this, connected with the fact that I don’t have much free time anymore, doesn’t really push me into making fan edits as much as I did before!
...suffering from anxiety, whenever I had some problems video editing became my refugee and a way to get calmer... THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 101
Amber
from California, USA
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I started editing because I love tv shows and music. I’ve always wanted to see my favorite tv shows with music I liked. Unfortunately, sometimes that was hard to find especially in 2011. I started by using iMovie but wasn’t aware of the vidding community, so it was more for myself.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I first started editing the tv show Gilmore Girls. This was right before the Gilmore Girls were added to Netflix and the news for the revival came out. When they announced that there would be a revival I started editing now as songoftheweek on YouTube and using Sony Vegas Pro (SVP). I then started meeting other vidders and everyone was saying they use twitter and I got on that.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I love editing and I always will. It’s one of my passions but as I get older and with more responsibilities, editing is not something I’m able to do everyday anymore. But I still sit and edit whenever I get a chance, keep up with people in the vidding community and still join friends collabs!
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
I definitely believe that I made more progress in my editing. I love looking back at my videos, it always reminds me of the things that I was connected to back then. The shows I was watching, the music I liked, the scenes that resonated with me. Editing has helped me a lot in life, it’s helped me express my creative side. It also showed me talent that I feel confident in and something that I believe I’m good at.
Even days where I don’t have the opportunity to edit, I still have vidding as an outlet for me. I always watch edits even if I’m no longer editing. And I’ll always comment on other editor’s videos as I know how impactful that can be to them and to the algorithm of YouTube. I really hope there’s a day where vidders can get recognized for the effort they put into videos. It would be really cool if producers contacted vidders to make edits as a way for marketing their TV show or film.
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6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
It’s an outlet for me to sit and let whatever I’m feeling out into a video. The community of people have also made a positive impact in my life. Being able to meet so many people from around the world who connect with me on a hobby that is not well known or on this genre of music has made a great impact in my life. Over the years, while my editing has changed, I’ve also stayed the same with my content. I’ve evolved with my transitions and with the colorings I’ve used. But in terms of content, I’ve always really liked parallels and longer scenes in videos, and I still do that today. Even the way I use my music is the same. I really love matching the scene to the lyrics and transitioning scenes with the beat of the music. I truly feel like even if a bunch of people were asked to vid the same 10 scenes to the same music, it would look entirely different. Everyone’s style of editing is different and that’s so important to understand.
Everyone’s style of editing is different and that’s so important to understand.
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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 103
Charlotte from the UK 1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
My passion for One Tree Hill (OTH) and for television. I was quite involved in the OTH fandom in 2007/2008 and when I saw people made fan videos I was utterly fascinated and wanted to learn how to do it.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
As previously mentioned I was quite involved with the fandom back in 2008 and one of my online friends made fan videos. She was super kind and helpful and showed me the ropes! She told me all about the editing software she used and how to use it and it just carried on from there, 13 years later, here we are!
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING?
I love it differently now, but 13 years is a long time. I’ve met people who changed my views on things and time has changed me as well. I was 14 when I first started fan editing and I am 27 now - a lot of my passions have changed not just this one - but this has been the one constant in my life for over a decade and my love for it is as strong as it’s ever been.
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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Absolutely. I first dabbled in Windows Movie Maker when I first decided I wanted to learn how to make videos and wow were they terrible. Over the years you learn new things, you find your own groove and style and ways you like to do things and the more you do something the more you learn about It and improve. Learning any new skill comes with its own trials and tribulations, especially when you have no background in it. The biggest struggles I experienced when I began was trying to figure out how Sony Vegas worked. I didn’t even know what rendering was! I remember when I made my first project, and I was ready to upload and show the world - I just saved the file and tried to upload the straight project file instead of rendering the project to create a video file (that still makes me laugh to this day). The biggest struggles for me have always been learning new editing programs. As previously noted, my passion for editing led to me getting a degree in television where I then learned how to use several other editing programs and a whole new program has definitely been one of the hardest things about editing. Relating directly to
fan editing - a lot of my struggles now come from pure inspiration. It’s a total inspiration-based hobby because if you aren’t feeling the project you’re working on, it translates to your viewers, they can really feel your lack of inspiration. That has always been one of my favourite things about editing though, how through editing (doesn’t matter what) people can feel your passion for the fandom, for the couple, for the character you’re editing and that’s definitely what I enjoy watching most; videos where I can feel the passion coming from the editor.
YouTube/Editing community and it has allowed me to travel the world. There is nothing that has changed my life more than fan editing.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
For the most part. I find it hard to set boundaries especially with fan editing and so sometimes it can be stressful, and it can test you but that feeling when you make something that you watch back and love and that you’re really proud of - there’s no feeling like it..
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Editing inspired me to get my degree in television. Through that I met some of the best friends I’ve ever made and have experiences that changed my life forever, for the good and the bad. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason and I could trace a lot of things in my life back to my passion of editing. Thanks to this I have met some of my best friends through the
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...and that’s definitely what I enjoy watching most; videos where I can feel the passion coming from the editor. THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 105
Maria
from Germany
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
It all started 4 years ago. There was a point when I really found myself obsessing over certain TV shows, characters and the relationships on these shows. It was a true escape from everyday life just to sit down in the evenings and find a little bit of comfort in these shows and their plots. The other thing I found comfort in was music. It has been like this forever because I was always able to cope through music and relate to most of the lyrics. So, what could’ve been better than combining these two huge factors in my life?
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
That leads me to my second answer. That’s simply what I did, combining these two things. I can’t remember exactly how that idea came into my head but soon I found myself downloading clips from my favorites fandoms and then adding those clips to my favorite songs. I tried to arrange it in a way, so it goes with beat and lyrics of the song. Back then I think it was mostly about having that “music video” in my head and wanting to see it “happening”. I tried to look it up to see if someone maybe did edit before but when I couldn’t find anything
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I basically did it myself. I think I used a free program like windows movie maker. But honestly it didn’t matter, because I just wanted to create it so I could see my idea coming to life. That was long before I found my way into the fan editing community, I didn’t even know what I was doing. Even when I looked it up, I didn’t think people have a name for it. Despite all that I still think I have never been that satisfied with a video again than with that first one, because back then it didn’t have to be the perfect transition, text, coloring etc. It only had to visualize that idea I had made up on my head.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING?
That is a tough one because I would say my inspiration and passion for vidding comes and goes in waves. I can go months without having any energy to add some simple clips together but other nights I find myself sitting in front of my computer for hours and hours because my inspiration is just hitting in. I don’t think I will ever fully lose my passion for vidding because it’s one of the only ways I can express my emotion through creating something beautiful. But it can also be the most exhausting and
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Oh yeah, I improved a lot in my opinion. But the sad thing about it is that I can never look back at my old videos without thinking “oh I could’ve done that better” or “I don’t like that transition”. Also, within a community there sometimes was a lot of pressure to improve your vidding or just change your vidding style so you can be able to join collabs and groups. That was a thin line for me though because who has the right to define what’s “good” and “bad”, especially when it comes to art. I just think people like different things and in the end, YOU must be satisfied. I’d just hope for the editing community to become more appreciative of the diversity in the different vidders styles more. But back to my own experience. One point is that I‘m always amazed
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how much more possibilities my current editing program still hides. I live watching tutorials and trying out tips and sometimes my own ideas. There’s still so much potential and creativity waisted.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
It helped me in life in a way nothing could for a long time. As I said, it distracted me from everything going on in the real world and gave me a feeling of satisfaction when I saw my ideas coming to life.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
There’s just one way to answer this and it’s “yes”. Despite all the stress or troubles it might cause sometimes, I still chose to do it because it gives me the same comfort it used to give me when I started.
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frustrating thing ever especially if you work under stress. I might never lose my passion but the way I feel about vidding has changed as it starts to feel more like a responsibility sometimes than an escape.
...because who has the right to define what’s “good” and “bad”, especially when it comes to art.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 107
Yasmine
from Egypt
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I started fan editing when I was 16. I had a bit of free time on my hands, and I’ve always been very passionate about TV shows and characters. At that time I was writing fan fiction instead, because this was an area I already knew existed on the internet. Then one day I was searching for scenes of Damon and Elena from The Vampire Diaries, and I came upon a fan video. I was so intrigued by this new form of art that I had discovered and that apparently no one knew about. Then, I started searching for more of them and when I couldn’t find a video for a couple I really liked, I decided to start editing myself.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I started out by buying the Wondershare editing program and my videos really sucked. Plus I had an incredibly bad name for my channel too, so that didn’t help make things look better. I realized the program I was using wasn’t going to help me improve after I made 2 videos with it and they didn’t look nearly half as decent as the some of the videos I saw. I decided to see what program all the videos I liked were made with and one name kept popping up, Sony Vegas Pro.
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I immediately searched and found the program, downloaded it, and started watching tutorials to help me figure out how it works. A few hours later I started my first video with it and let’s face it, that one also sucks compared to my newest videos, but I guess that’s the importance of gaining experience. Whenever I meet new people in the community, I never hesitate to ask questions and every one of my friends is always so extremely helpful.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? Definitely! I think constantly improving and seeing that improvement appear in my work impacts my creativity and keeps me invested in my channel and in the process. Plus seeing how people respond to them and how much they appreciate the work and love it just makes me even more persistent to constantly get better. Only a year and a half ago did I decide that I should diverse my channel more and I started editing different shows, couples, and
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Of course! if you need any proof, just check my old videos. They are high key freaking terrible! Learned quickly on that while I have the gift of making videos. I do NOT have the gift of making gorgeous colorings so I gave up on that part of the experience because thankfully there are so many talented people in the community that do a way better job in creating colorings than I ever could. They are gracious enough in letting us all use it, as long as we credit them.
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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
The last couple of years have been some of the most tyring years. I’m not so great at expressing my emotions to the world and editing gave me the creative outlet that I needed to express my emotions. I was able to convey some of my emotions in my art and it helped me be able to release the negative emotions and focus on positive ones, better than anything else I’ve done before. It has also made me realize even more that I wanted to major in film. I already knew I loved photography and writing, but falling in love with editing made me realize that everything I love to do is combined within the same field.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
I think more than anything it makes me happy when I see the comments on my videos and how happy I’ve made other people. That I was able to capture something, that maybe, they wanted to capture, but just didn’t know how to do it.
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characters. It has definitely had a huge impact on growing my viewing audience and in helping me gain more enthusiastic encouraging subscribers. Seeing my videos reach 300+ views in the span of one day and seeing people commenting calling it a masterpiece and seeing my online friends’ reactions when I gift them a video, are all things that definitely help keep me passionate about it
...and it helped me be able to release the negative emotions and focus on positive ones.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 109
Vik
from Hungary
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
To be honest, I can't remember the basic reasons that made me decide to get into fan editing. I started this journey in 2009, when I was using Windows Movie Maker, geez! I know that I was addicted to Anne of Green Gables, and I was so captivated by the love story of Anne and Gilbert that I made my first video about them. Even at 14 I was a hopeless romantic. I didn't dive into fanvideos at the time. I just loved the couple and I heard a song or two that fit them and just went for it. The rest is history.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
Desperately. No joke, I didn't know what I was doing at first. I remember being really proud of that Windows Movie Maker video. Since then, when I rewatch that video, I can hardly stand it, but we all have to start at the beginning, nobody is born a professional. Not that I consider myself one now, but I've made a lot of progress. Especially since I started using Sony Vegas. That program alone has given me the opportunity to improve. I've watched a few tutorial videos, but to tell you the truth, I've mostly progressed by trial and error.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? It's a difficult question. I still love doing it, it's relaxing. Except when I'm stressing about it because I don't like something. I certainly enjoy it even more since I like the end result, I get out of my hands a significant percentage of the time. I'm an extreme perfectionist, plus my self-esteem has always been nightmarish. It's terribly hard to praise myself and acknowledge when I'm good at something. However, for a while now, I've been actually picking up on the subtle signs of my talent in the process. It's really trying to surface. Unfortunately, thanks to my anxiety, I haven't been able to continue with my projects or start something new lately, because I get the feeling that I'm not good enough. And as I wrote, I can see my progress, but for some reason it's not easy for me to believe in myself. However, I try to overcome this insecurity because video editing is like therapy for me.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Definitely. As I mentioned, especially since Sony Vegas, which gave me a lot of freedom and opportunity as a fanvideo editor. I started to use colorings, effects that I didn't even know existed before. I've been using this program since 2014. Since then, I've had plenty of chances to learn how to use it, but there are still new things to learn. I still have plenty of room for improvement. It's exciting, I just regret not taking enough time to edit. Whether it's laziness or insecurity, I don't edit nearly as much as I'd like. The more videos I've edited, the better I've gotten, but most of the time I work by intuition. I usually have a good sixth sense when it comes to editing and often I'll accidentally make a video so well, that I just blink and wonder how I did it. So most of the time I don't even know what I'm doing.
Fanvideo editing helped me a lot. Especially since the anxiety and depression came back into my life. I used to suffer from these years ago, and then the virus situation changed so many things around me that panic attacks are a regular "visitor" in my life. I've also made some fantastic friends through it who are talented, kind, and inspiring. It may sound cliché, but I couldn't imagine my life without a few of my fanvideo editor friends.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
I mean if I really feel like editing a video on the subject, sometimes I'll be eager to start editing. Then, I'll sit on the project for a few weeks. Afterwards, it's very difficult to finish and I don't enjoy the project as much. When I feel that inspiration has taken me to heights where I can pat myself on the back with pride, because what I've created is really good. It's rare, but it happens, and that makes me really happy.
...because I get the feeling that I'm not good enough.
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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
...I try to overcome this insecurity because video editing is like therapy for me. THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 111
Krista
from Nevada, USA
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I grew up in a semi-tumultuous household and I really needed an outlet to escape. I always loved watching film and television series growing up, and when I stumbled upon the vidding community, it opened up a Pandora's box of opportunity for me to express myself. There are so many videos that inspired me to edit my favorite couples and characters. I was able to try new things and discover different styles of editing. I have never looked back.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I watched so many videos from my favorite vidders. At this time, the vidding community was smaller and more low-key. I really had to navigate a lot of the process by myself. I used Final Cut Pro X in a community full of mostly Sony Vegas vidders. I had to teach myself how to edit, use overlays, color grade, etc. It wasn’t until I began to connect with the community later on in my vidding journey, where I was able to find more resources and make my editing something really, really special. I have met so many friends along the way. The community is very supportive.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? Editing has been in my life more than it hasn’t. The passion I felt then, is nothing to the way I feel now. I started this editing journey as a girl and now I am a grown woman. It’s such an important part of me.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
I think every single video that I have made has made me a better editor. I have ten years of growth and improvement under my belt. I think that sometimes we’re very critical of our work. It’s easy to get in a rut because you’re worried about everything being perfect. Something I have always prioritized, all these years, is maintaining my passion for it. This is especially important for vidders who are trying to get into the industry.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Without it I wouldn’t know who I am. It's the best feeling when you find something that you love, is a hobby of yours, and make it into a career. Editing has always been special to me and a safe space. I love everything about my journey within the community. I was able to find something that I was truly passionate about. We have so much fun creating things together and making edits that we’re proud of.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
I’d like to think I’m at my happiest when I can just get lost in editing a project. It has always been therapeutic to me and hopefully it will always be something that makes me happy.
Here I am editing a part for a MultiCrossover collaboration project that I am working on currently with a really good friend of mine. I love to take actors and their bodies of work and combine scenes, quotes, etc., from their different works to tell a new story. It's storytelling re-imagined. I have so much fun making manips and creating new actor combinations and just seeing what I can create with the resources at my disposal.
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...it opened up a Pandora's box of opportunity for me to express myself.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 113
Sophie
from France
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I was really young when I started watching videos on YouTube, at college. I always loved watching series, but I never thought of doing videos myself. One day, I was watching a video about Harry Potter, and I really wondered how I could do it myself. After that, I found a video “crossover”. It really was art for me, so I did some research to do some myself and I found what I was looking for.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
At first, I really didn’t know how to start because nobody was talking about it, and everything was in English. It’s really complicated to start something you don’t know anything about. So I tried with a free program for editing and I added some GIFs I found on the internet because honestly, I had no idea how to get footage for my video. This is really how I started editing and after that I continued to watch tutorials and to watch other videos. I also met people who helped me to be a better editor. There are a lot of programs you can use for vidding but when I found Sony Vegas Pro, this was really the moment I started editing.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING?
I’m still really passionate about making videos and it’s a place where I can totally be myself and do videos about the things I love the most. It's always really challenging even if sometimes I'm not inspired, I open and close my program, but I always found my way back to do the video. We always challenge ourselves to do better, to be the vidder we want to be. I think in this community we all have our favorite editors, and we all want to be able to be talented like them. It’s also a place where we meet people who love the same thing as us. In “real life” most of my friends aren’t interested in this, so it’s really a place where we can be ourselves. Something I love so much about it is also the people who don’t edit but watch videos. All over the years I received comments about my videos who really mean a lot to me, who helped me, also some bad ones, but it’s life and I think that all of this made me a better editor.
Yes, a lot, sometimes I rewatch some of my old edits. We always tried to do better. I know it because when I watch old edits, I see what I could have done better and things I didn't see at the moment. There are also a lot of editors who made tutorials for absolutely everything, text, overlay, and etc.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Definitely, in a personal and also in a professional way. Personally because I've met incredible friends, who were there for me when I lived through some tragic moment in my life and who also were there for really everything. The comments I received also helped me because some of them told me that they experienced the feeling I was vidding. For example when I’m vidding a sad video about grief and they told me the video helped them or that they felt something watching the video. Knowing
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that my video helped or gave a feeling to someone is really something because in the other way I also watched videos who made me feel something and that’s such a great feeling to have emotions when you watch something. Also in a professional way, because when I told the numbers of my subscribers, people got interested about it and it’s how I found a formation to be a graphic designer.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
When we are sad, we can make a sad video and we will be happy with the result so we will feel better about it, it’s the same thing for every single feeling. I can’t really say how we feel but we are proud of ourselves, proud of what we did and that’s such a wonderful feeling to create something and to see how people react to a video. I received some comments from people who really meant so much to me, people I didn't know, and that’s really wonderful. So a big yes, editing really makes me happy.
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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
...and that’s such a wonderful feeling to create something and to see how people react to a video.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 115
Carola
from Italy
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
Great question! 2015 was one of the worst years of my life, my grandma died, and I started to have panic attack, so my therapist suggested to me to find something to 'make my time unthinkable'. I honestly didn’t know what she meant back then because I was in a dark place, and I didn't really pay attention to what she said. After that she explained to me that I needed a passion, something to focus on and just do not think about my problems.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I started yoga, pet therapy, and a lot of things that at some point I dropped. During that period, I started watching a lot of TV shows. I remember The Royals, Sense8, and NCIS. They were my favorites, but I have watched tons of movies and shows because they became to be my comfort zone. I started vidding in 2016 and I always wanted to try this 'thing' and then I tried. I remember my first time with SV was awful, I mean i didn't really know anything about editing. So, I went on YouTube, and I watched tutorials about cutting clips, coloring, style, text, and basically everything. My first edit was about Jasper and Eleanor from The Royals,
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and it sucks, but I remember working weeks for that video. When I uploaded on YouTube for the first time, I was happy; I mean truly happy of what I made. Then, I was so satisfied and I went to my therapist and I told her, ‘I found my happy place'.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? It depends on a lot of things. From the project, if I work on a project that gives me good vibes and it's something I want to tell people, my answer is yes. If the project, it's not something I am totally into, or maybe real life is a bitch in that moment my answer is no. During last year lockdown a lot of editors uploaded tons of videos and I barely made one. My real life was crazy in that moment, so I didn't really have the chance to settle down and think about projects. I just watched 'Normal People' then and edit when I finished the show. The difference between the beginning and now, it's normal, I guess. In the beginning my life was a bad place but I had people who surrounded me and supported me. Now I have to fight every day for this person who got sick and my mind it doesn’t focus on vidding in the right way.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Progress...woah I think so, I am still slow, and this is a thing that is bothering me. I wish I would have the ability to make edits faster but that's not me. I think I’ve made progress with text; I love making them. I am actually working on cutting scenes, parallels, and quotes so I can maybe work a bit faster.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
It makes me happy, but it also drives me crazy when I picture a project in a certain way, and it came out totally different. But I love vidding, and I don't think I could ever leave vidding for good. Means too much to me.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Yes of course! I also made a lot of friends in the community who care about me. So it's not just the edit part, but also finding people who share the same passion and the creativity. It's beautiful to find a video on YouTube and through that video I actually met the editors who became my friends. It's the best thing about editing.
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Then, I was so satisfied and I went to my therapist and I told her, ‘I found my happy place'.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 117
Miri
from Germany
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I’ve started vidding because I’ve had seen some fan edits of a show I was watching on YouTube. I think I just wanted to search for a scene and ended up finding fan edits. I don’t remember exactly but then I just wanted to try it myself.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I‘ve started editing with iMovie, a program that was on my dad’s computer. At first, I just did it for myself. Just because I had fun creating videos and watching them. I think two years after I’ve started, I began uploading videos on YouTube. To be honest when I first started editing, I had no intention of sharing my videos on the internet. It was just that I told my siblings about my new hobby and even showed them some videos I’ve made. But they didn’t take vidding seriously. They would say stuff like “You‘re only destroying the material“. I don’t really know why exactly I did it but one day I‘ve created a channel and uploaded a video. I didn’t really expect anything of it, but some people saw my video and they liked it. People actually like something I had created and that motivated me to keep going. So that’s how I started it.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? Yes, I‘m very passionate about it. I think even more than when I‘ve started. At the beginning I could only edit on my dad’s computer, and we weren’t allowed more computer time than one hour a day, so I couldn’t really edit a lot. But that changed when I got my own computer. Also since four years ago I‘ve been working with another program. I have so many possibilities in this program and editing with it made me love it more.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Yes, I think I‘ve made huge progress. I‘ve learned so much since I‘ve started and I still do. I started out with a completely different program than the one I use now. When I started, I created a lot more simpler videos because I only knew how to do the basics and my program didn’t really gave me a lot options for the transitions between the clips. I could only use color filters of the program and they’re also very limited options to add text. After a few years I’ve started to use a different program, the one I use for editing now. It’s more complicated
to use but it also allows you to do a lot more and different things. I used to almost never add text because I had no idea how to really add it in a way that fits the video. But I think I really improved the way I use text. And I think I also made a lot of progress in color grading since I’ve started. I just I always want to try out new stuff with the program.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes. I can’t imagine not doing it. I mean of course it can be stressful and frustrating at times, but I still love it so much. I just love creating new videos and when I can’t edit much because I have to study or something, I really miss it. Also reading comments sometimes really improves my mood. It makes me very happy to see that there are people who enjoy my work.
Yes, very much. I‘ve started editing at a time when I currently didn’t have any friends. I felt very lonely and editing really helped me because it’s really time consuming and it made me happy. Also it helped me learn English or at least really improve it in a way. I‘ve mostly learned English by watching movies and tv shows in English. Also While editing but mostly because I‘m constantly replying to comments or talking to other people who are also vidding. For me editing is also a way to express myself and let out my emotions.
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For me editing is also a way to express myself and let out my emotions.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 119
Elena
from Toronto, Canada
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
What made me start fan editing was One Tree Hill, well Nathan and Haley specifically. I really wanted to make something of them back then, because I had this huge obsession with them and I didn’t know that fan editing was even a thing until I saw a video that a friend of mine shared on Bebo.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
This was so long ago that Bebo was still a thing in 2008-10 something like that and so I asked her how she made it which she tried to explain it to me and even helped me by teaching me how to do it by making tutorials for me and helping me find the software that she used. She still helps me to this day in getting the footage and such. I swear if it wasn’t for her teaching me this in the first place, I probably wouldn’t be doing it today.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? I don’t think I am as passionate about it as I was when I first started doing it. I mean, I am still passionate about it… at times but not as much as I was back then. Back when I first started doing it, I was editing Nathan and Haley pretty much every day and this was way back when I first discovered what editing even was and was trying to learn. Editing Naley always gave me so much inspiration that I was always thinking of songs to edit them to. But these days, you can say I’m less passionate about it, but I do still love doing it just not as much as I did.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
I would say I have made progress… back when I first started fan editing, my editing was, well horrible. Those old videos are probably still on YouTube somewhere, but they were just so bad, and I hated my editing. But now I do like my editing and although it does change in like every video, I like it better than I did back then. The last month my editing has been changing a little and I do love how it does change every time I make a new video. It’s fun to discover a new editing style.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
I don’t think that it’s really helped me in life? I mean, I guess it sort of has in the sense that I have gained skills with using Sony Vegas, and I have added ‘editing’ to my resume and that has helped me get jobs in the past (Not jobs related to editing). I also used to talk about it to teachers, but I hated when they’d ask about my channel or for me to show it to them, as I like to keep that private in my personal life.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes, it does, maybe not as happy as it did when I first started and even though I’m not as active as I was, it does make me happy when I start a project or finish a video of a couple I love.
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It’s fun to discover a new editing style.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 121
Luiza
from Romania
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
Well, I can say that, since I was little the desire of making fan videos started in me. I always loved to watch them on YouTube, and I was admiring people who made them, because I could have seen they put passion in every effect. All these made me think that someday I can be one of these talented people too. But what really got me in vidding was Delena, one of my biggest OTPs (favorite couple), so in December 2016 I posted my first video with them.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
After I set my mind to do this, I knew I had to do something as my laptop wasn’t really that performant and could not resist special programs. Because of that, I started editing with online program which to be honest wasn’t the best. After some time, I wished to progress and bought a new laptop and got Sony Vegas Pro 13.
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3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? Yes, I’m still very passionate about it. I can say that many times in my life this thought came to my mind, “But why can’t vidding be a job or a school subject?” It would make life easier for many of us. Unfortunately, as I grew up many things came into my life made me very busy, so I don’t really have much time for it anymore but I’m still doing it whenever I’m free with the same level of love as in the beginning!
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Judging from my early days in the vidding world yes, I think I’ve progressed, but I don’t like to talk about it from my point of view. I think the best is to let others tell this. Also, I can say one thing I LOVE about vidding is that it doesn’t matter how much you learn because every day you can discover new things, so progress never really stops.
Yes, vidding really changed my life in many ways. One of them is that because of it, I met people from many countries, with different traditions and cultures, who are always there for me and made me understand that friendship can go beyond any border! Another way that made me find vidding helpful or a good thing that changed my life is that it became my little corner of relaxation, making me forget all my worries.
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6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Yes, vidding always makes me happy and the reasons can be seen above. Moreover, YouTube community is one of my favorite things in the world. Whenever I have a bad day, all the nice comments make my day and lift my spirit. Vidding is a thing that now I can’t imagine my life without, and I will do that for as long as I can... Maybe I will never stop!
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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
...and made me understand that friendship can go beyond any border!
This is my next edit, which I plan to dedicate to a dear friend of mine here on YouTube! It’s about a Turkish couple she loves a lot. It’s a simple and cute edit in which I used simple overlays, in order to make it funny and to put in evidence the summer vibes!
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Teresa
from Minnesota, USA
1. WHAT MADE YOU START FAN VIDDING?
I had fallen in love with so many different tv couples and I wanted to channel that passion into something. I originally started making fan sites, fan art, and writing fanfiction. But after I discovered fanvids, I knew it was what I really wanted to do. I instantly fell in love with it.
2. HOW DID YOU START IT?
I downloaded the program “Windows Movie Maker”, and I immediately made my first video. The program is really easy to use so I instantly knew how to edit. My first videos were pretty terrible, so I watched other fanvids to help me figure out what I was doing wrong. I slowly transitioned to several other programs before I found my favorite program, “Sony Vegas Pro”.
3. ARE YOU STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WERE IN THE BEGINNING? No, because it was so new and exciting in the beginning. It’s hard to capture that same feeling once you’ve been doing something for so many years. I also think YouTube has changed a lot and it doesn’t feel as special as it was in the beginning.
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We used to be able to add friends, comment on their message board, and create our own specialized layout. The whole experience felt very personalized, and I really miss it. But I will always have a passion for editing. It helps me express my emotions and it gives me such powerful feelings.
4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS IN YOUR OPINION?
Yes, I think I’ve grown so much as an editor. I really didn’t know what I was doing in the beginning. I started out with very simple editing. But then I started experimenting with different ways to edit and I finally found my own vidding style. I feel like every single year my editing improves. I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.
5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Yes, editing can be a bit of a comfort for me. It can make me happy when I’m feeling down. And it really helps me express all the different emotions that I have. When I watch a sad tv show, sometimes I will edit it and it will make me feel better by capturing all the different emotions that I experienced.
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It helps me stay in that happy bubble, whenever I watch a good series.
6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Vidding makes me really happy because I love expressing my love for a tv show through the form of a video. It helps me stay in that happy bubble, whenever I watch a good series. I love being able to do something that requires a good amount of skill and be able to create something that not only I will be proud of, but other people will enjoy as well. It also makes me happy to be a part of a community where so many people have the same passions that I have.
I wrote down a list of about 75 lgbt couples in television and movies and then I did thorough research to figure out what scenes I wanted to use. I even watched several new shows so I could use as many couples as possible. The research and downloading the clips took approximately three months. And the editing took another three months. I really struggled with this video because the song was challenging to edit. But I was really proud of the outcome and it’s one of the best videos I’ve ever made. THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 125
CONCLUSION: We are coming to the end of the book, and I am so grateful I got to talk more about my hobby and maybe even educate and inspire others who might want to try it themselves. You have learned what fanvids are and why they are a big part of my life. You have seen how I like to work with different editing styles and find new ways to challenge myself. The main thing is if you have the passion, motivation, desire, and time to do it, then go for it. Make sure you start it for yourself and not to gain anything in the end. In most cases you won’t become popular, and it can take years to get people to become loyal subscribers. The most important part is for YOU to be happy that you made the right decision to take a chance on something that can possibly change your future. Who knows, where it can lead.
You may find a hobby you can become extremely passionate about or even a future career. I hope my book helped you to learn, but also understand what fanvids are. Maybe it even inspired you to watch some and even try to make your own. My personal advice is to take your time and enjoy what you love to do. You never know where your hobbies can take you. What can I say? This hobby is one of a kind and an incredible journey. Now don’t just sit there, head over to YouTube and see some of that talent out there for yourselves! It all starts by searching for any TV show, movie, character or couple you love, and going from there! You will be surprised at how many fanvids are out there. Maybe one will even inspire you to start your own fanvid.
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GLOSSARY AUDACITY: is a free audio program that can alter audio, such as, removing background music. Can be used for Windows and Mac.
MULTICOUPLES: are usually videos containing multiple different romantic couples from TV shows and movies.
CANON: is what fans agree "actually" happened in a film, television show, novel, comic book, or concert tour. Source: fanlore.org/wiki/Canon
MULTIFANDOM: are videos containing multiple different characters from TV shows and movies; however, you can also see different relationships portrayed, such as, family, friendship, and romantic.
FANDOM: is a term used to describe someone being a part of a common interest they share with other people around the world. Can be for a particular TV show, movie, sport, celebritiy, game, etc. FANVIDS/FANEDITS: Are videos created by fans using media content, such as, TV shows, movies, celebrities, and even animations. HIATUS: is usually when you take a short or long break in a hobby you normal do on a daily basis. KEYFRAMES: They are a starting and stopping point of an effect, transition, masking, and zooming in and out on scenes. MANIPS: are photo manipulations, often depicting TV and movie characters in situations different from canon. Source: fanlore.org/wiki/Manip MASKING: is when you remove the background from a specific scene and only want the character to be seen. Can also be used for text to create interesting effects or insert a background inside the text. 128 | GLOSSARY
MULTICROSSOVER: are videos containing characters that are put in another universe to create a unique story. Using the masking tool and blending those characters in another background, not in their own TV show or movie. MULTICHARACTERS: are videos containing multiple different characters from many TV shows and movies. There can be seen a lot of parallels used between these characters through their scenes or voiceovers. OVERLAYS: are pieces of footage used above scenes to enhance the video. They are blended into the video so you can see both at the same time. Examples could be particles, lens flare, light leaks, film grain, dust, snow, glitches, etc. PARALLELS: are variation of scenes, voiceovers, and sound effects used together to show the similarities. Parallels also make your video more interesting to watch and see how the video editors mind works.
PHOTOSHOP (PSD): is an adobe creative cloud program, that is used to create thumbnails that look good blended in by using the eraser tool.
TRANSITIONS: are similar to effects, but are used to transition between scenes and text that fade in and out. Can have a simple style or a heavy style.
PRESETS: are saved effects and transitions you have created. Used to save for future uses.
TYPOGRAPHY: is used for lyrics and voiceovers. Big text is usually used for humor videos and epic videos that contain fight sequences. Small text is used for lyrics, but mostly for subtitles that are usually centered at the bottom.
PROJECTS: are what fanvidders call the videos they have created, named, and saved the video as. PROJECT MEDIA: is where you import your media content, such as, TV show episodes and movies. RENDER/EXPORT: is when you are finished with your video and want to export it. The render button is located at the top left corner near the save button. REVERB: is a useful audio effect you can add onto your voiceovers to make it sound like someone is talking in your head. Can also be used to smooth out the audio if there is background noise. SHIP NAME: is a name combination particularly for romantic couples that fans love or want them to be together. Usually created by the fans.
VIDDERS: is a term used to describe the fanvidders. Can be used with "fan" in front, but sometimes without. VIDDING: is a term the fanvidders use to describe when they are creating a video. Example, "I am currently vidding a multifandom video". VIDEO FX: is the tab in Sony Vegas Pro where you can choose from hundreths of effects. VIDS: is a term used to describe videos, but is shortened and comes from the words "vidders" and "vidding". Example, "I currently have two vids completed, but I don't like the second vid".
SMOOTH ENHANCE: is a great audio effect usually used to create the audio muffle sound effect for underwater scenes. SONY VEGAS PRO (SVP)/VEGAS PRO: is generally the video editing program most fanvidders and video editors use. GLOSSARY | 129
Andy
from Bulgaria
Hi everyone, I'm Andy! I have to tell you, I have never written this much in my entire life and getting to share my favorite hobby and my passion with you, really makes me happy. I never imagined that years from when I first started doing this hobby that I would still be passionate about it; although, even more passionate.
I have always loved watching TV shows and movies. Ever since I was a little kid and till this day, any time I had free time all I would do is watch my favorites. Getting to create stories through video editing some of my favorite characters and portraying their emotions in a way I see through my eyes, is something special.
I am extremely lucky to have a passion for something that I can escape into and away from the real world for a while. I remember years ago when I first started I didn't tell anyone what I was doing all day in my room, with my earbuds in 24/7. In a way I felt embarrassed or like they wouldn't understand. However, I don't feel that way anymore and I shouldn't let that stop me from talking about this amazing hobby.
I got to make amazing friendships through my hobby and finding out that so many people all over the world love the same thing I do, is truly incredible. I am thankful for the people in my life who I get to share my hobby with and support me in every step.
130 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My dream is to one day work for the film industry, where I can design movie posters and do postproduction editing to create trailers and title sequences. I would love to be a part of creating and telling stories through TV shows and movies.
THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 131
The Creative Life Behind #fanvids dives behind the scenes on what fanvids are, why, how, and with what they are made. Look at examples with links and QR codes available to scan with your phone. Learn with tutorials available for anyone that’s interested in seeing the process behind video editing. Hear the story of what other fanvidders across the world have to say about this life changing hobby and has even lead some to their career path.
