CH6 INTERVIEWS

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?

INTERVIEWS | 79

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.

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.

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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS

IN YOUR OPINION?

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 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.

“...it brought some light into that dark time for me. “

THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 81

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 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.

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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS

IN YOUR OPINION?

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 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.

“Finding so many people who are all collectively passionate about the same things is a wonderful feeling. “

THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 83

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?

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.

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.

“I kind of dive into the world of the characters and escape my own for a little while. “

THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 85

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!

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.

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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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?

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 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.

6. DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?

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.

“I was like a kid in a candy store! “

THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 87

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 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.

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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE?

IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?

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.

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. “

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).

THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 89

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.

“Vidding helps me escape the real world and my own life like a series or a movie would. “

THE CREATIVE LIFE BEHIND #fanvids | 91

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 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.

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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…

5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE?

IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?

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.

“In many ways I think it saved me… or at least my sanity. “

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. 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

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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.

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.

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.

“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...!

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

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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.

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 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!

“...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 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.

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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS

IN YOUR OPINION?

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 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.

“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 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

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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!

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.

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.

“...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.

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.

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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE?

IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?

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.

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. “

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.

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

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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.

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 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..

“...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 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

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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.

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 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.

“...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. 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

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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

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.

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.

“...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.

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.

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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.

5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE?

IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?

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. ...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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

“...it opened up a Pandora's box of opportunity for me to express myself. “

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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.

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.

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4. HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS

IN YOUR OPINION?

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. 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.

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

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.

“...and that’s such a wonderful feeling to create something and to see how people react to a video. “

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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,

116 | INTERVIEWS 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.

“Then, I was so satisfied and I went to my therapist and I told her, ‘I found my happy place'. “

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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?

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.

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.

“For me editing is also a way to express myself and let out my emotions. “

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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.

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.

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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.

“It’s fun to discover a new editing style. “

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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.

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.

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5. HAS IT HELPED YOU IN LIFE?

IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?

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.

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!

“...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. 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.

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