The great thing about edits is that, like many other forms of art, they connect people. Senior Zoe Juarez, an avid consumer of cinematic edits, likes to hear what other people have to say about the edits she watches. 

“They can bring people together. If you see a really good edit and then you go to the comments, everybody’s like ‘oh my god, this edit is insane,’” Juarez said.

This connection can also help increase engagement in shows or movies by inspiring other netizens to join the “fandom,” a group of people online who are connected by their interests in certain media.

“They can sometimes make you appreciate the movie more because they make you notice things that you probably wouldn’t notice; unless you were an editor,” Juarez said. 

It takes a keen eye to truly appreciate a video edit but different people appreciate different things; Juarez tends to lean towards bold stylistic choices.

“The first thing [I look for] is good music cause if there’s bad music then I’m not gonna watch it. Layering stuff is really, really good. Right now there’s a really big trend where they take clips and they take out the subject of it and then they layer all of the subjects and it always looks cool because it flashes back and forth. Just creative ideas,” Juarez said.

Lightworks writer Chris Wells emphasizes the immense amount of skill that goes into creating videos like these in his article “The Evolution of Engagement: Editing for the YouTube and TikTok Generation.”

Wells defines the micro-entertainment paradigms as creative use of music, trend participation and effect driven storytelling. With most creators encompassing these traits, they are able to create attractive videos that are not only able to serve as a tribute to their contents but also remain relevant in the digital world.

“In the digital age, platforms like YouTube and TikTok have emerged as powerful catalysts for creative expression, transforming the landscape of content creation and consumption,” Wells said.

Sure, gaining popularity from a cool edit is fun but what it comes down to is self expression and sharing interests.

“These platforms have not only opened new avenues for storytelling but have also reshaped the techniques and strategies editors use to engage with their audience,” Wells said.