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Digital editing emerges as a new art form for younger generations

With platforms like TikTok remaining relevant among younger generations, creators must adapt to create engaging and creative videos.
Digital editing emerges as a new art form for younger generations

Edits have revolutionized the way younger creators are able to express themselves online. They take our favorite moments from movies and TV shows and cut them down into bite sized pieces with flashy transitions and a good song and immediately we’re hooked. They have evolved so much from the notorious Josh Hutcherson “whistle edit,” originally published in 2014, to a point where they’ve become an art form.

Edit by wunderlandfilms on TikTok - "live every minute of it"

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.

Edit by wunderlandfilms on TikTok – “live every minute of it”
Edit by sakuragi on TikTok - "Caravan"

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.

Edit by sakuragi on TikTok – “Caravan”

Making and posting these digital art pieces isn’t always about what will get you the most views, it’s about making what you like. When thinking about creative expression, there are a lot of different avenues to explore and that’s exactly what junior John Calohan has done.

“There’s a lot of different styles of edits, there’s aesthetic styles, shake styles, transition edits; it varies a lot…There’s a lot of different styles that have come out in the last two years like jug and symbiote…There’s obviously a lot of apps you can use, I mainly use Video Star, CapCut and Alight Motion,” Calohan said.

Sometimes though, even if it’s not your main goal, you don’t always get the engagement you’re looking for.

“I’ve kind of accepted it. I used to get frustrated but I still have people who support me so that’s all that really matters,” Calohan said.

There’s more that can go wrong too, the artistic process is exactly that— a process. That means that there are going to be struggles.

“[My biggest editing struggles are] not getting reach online or internal failure in the apps or when you thought it turned out good and then you play it back and it looks awkward to you so you have to just go over and fix it,” Calohan said.

But when it all comes together, Calohan enjoys sitting back and admiring his hard work.

“If it’s an edit I really like, I usually watch them back… Positive comments and stuff [are] also really refreshing, that’s probably the most satisfying part,” Calohan said.

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Mj Garcia
Mj Garcia, Digital managing editor
Mj Garcia, senior, is in her second year on staff and is stepping into the new role of digital managing editor. After high school, Garcia plans on taking a gap year before entering Paralegal Studies at a university on the West Coast or in New England.
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