Fan-created edit: remixing existing film/TV footage with new audio track — creates visual interpretation or commentary. Originated in sci-fi fandom, now ubiquitous on YouTube.
Vidding emerged in the 1970s from the science fiction fandom scene — long before YouTube existed. Fans took scenes from Star Trek, Stargate, or other series, copied them onto VHS, and set them to music. The result was not merely a compilation, but an emotional or analytical reinterpretation of the source material. Where the original series told adventures, a vid could suddenly highlight a love story between two characters — or articulate a subtle critique of the narrative style itself. The music was not a frame, but the structural scaffolding: the editing followed the tempo, melody, and emotional arc of the song.
On set and in the edit suite, vidding operates with a clear logic: you don't work through the material chronologically. Instead, you specifically seek out moments — glances, movements, cuts — that fit into the new musical rhythm. A bass drum hit can punctuate an action scene. A vocal entry can enhance a close-up of a facial reaction. The editor becomes the director of a second layer, working beneath the original staging. This requires a different editing mentality than classical film editing: not narrative clarity, but rhythmic and emotional resonance.
Today, vidding is ubiquitous on YouTube and TikTok — though often unprofessionally or purely associatively. The better works, however, demonstrate a craft understanding of timing, edit frequency, and sound design. A good vid uses jump cuts strategically, works with dissolves or match cuts that visually enhance the music. There are different vidding styles: shipping vids (focused on relationships), character studies (psychological portraits), meta-vids (self-referential critique of the series itself), or pure music videos, which prioritize mood above all else.
For practitioners, vidding means training in rhythmic editing and audio-driven montage. It trains you to read material not dramaturgically, but musically. And it shows how powerful a new soundtrack can be over existing visual material — a principle that is also central to advertising and music video production.