an interview by and with by Type12point
Fan-editing is the process of reworking a movie into something that suits your taste, or re-imagining it into a brand new form.  It involves ripping a commercial DVD to your hard drive, tinkering with it in an editing suite or via effects software, and then re-burning the DVD.

Aren’t fan-editors pirates?

They’re less likely to be pirates.  Making a good fan-edit requires the original dual layer DVD of a film, along with its exclusive bonus material.  Some fan-editors do put their work up on the Web, however.

Then aren’t they encouraging piracy?

I can’t imagine why anybody would download a fan-edit when it’s much easier to find a copy of the original film through identical means.  Fan-edits are frequently imperfect in quality or highly personalized.

So you don’t want anybody to see your changes?

Of course we do, but the curiosity of one stranger in several million is about all we can hope for.  I don’t think there are many fan-editors out there who think they’re on the road to fame or fortune.

So fan-editors are just jealous wannabes?

Yes.

And unbelievably arrogant?

Not at all.  Most do not claim to be David Lean or Stanley Kubrick, or even Brett Rattner.  Most reasons a film invites “re-imagining” have nothing to do with contesting the talent of the director or other filmmakers.  Think: studio intervention, market pandering by executives, Hollywood cynicism, changes in styles between sequels, etc.  Not to mention sometimes we just have a different take on the material.

So you’re geeks?

Absolutely.

Aren’t fan-edit, fan-editor and fan-editing commonly spelled as two words?

Not when I do it.

Won’t you get sued?

As long as we own the source DVDs, no.  As long as we never try to sell our work, no.  If you own an album on CD and rip it to your MP3 player and in the process of doing so you remove one song you don’t like, then you’re doing exactly the same thing we are.  Only we like to share

Seriously, won’t you get sued?

What am I, a lawyer?

If you don’t like a movie, why bother with it?

Well—

And if you do like a movie, why change it?

Okay, okay, settle down.  Few movies are perfect from start to finish, but that’s not why most films get picked.  You’ll notice fan-editors tend to zero in on a narrow choice of targets.  One of the reasons that Star Wars is the franchise with the most fan-edits by far has to do with the love people feel for the original property.  Superhero films are popular targets for the same reason.  This is the first and most common reason for fan-editing: love of a certain property, genre, or style of film.  It’s hard to devote 20+ hours of tedious computer time to something that is not a labour of love.

Are there other reasons?

Well, like any discipline it can be performed just for practice, or for the challenge involved.  There’s nothing to love about the movie White Chicks, but you can bet if there’s a fan-editor out there who figures out how to turn it into Casablanca, he’ll do it. (And will be famous, I’m betting.)

Most fan-edits are crap, aren’t they?

Uh, yes.  But some are worked on very hard indeed.  I suggest downloading A New Hope: Revisited by a fellow calling himself Adywan.  No matter how much a modernization of 1977’s Star Wars might irk some people, the skill and dedication on display make it worth watching.

Don’t you feel stupid wasting so much of your time on fan-editing?

No more than I do playing video games or watching television.  Less, actually.  When you consider how much those more passive endeavours can suck out of a life, I’m probably ahead in the long run.  In the process I’ve learned a lot of software, not to mention a lot about editing.  And speaking of tremendous wastes of time, I don’t just edit films into versions that will never be seen, I write screenplays for films that will never be made.

(You truly are a geek.)  So, do you watch your version or the original movie?

The goal is to become so good that you can watch your version.  Unfortunately, a lot of “rest time” is required.  It’s hard watching something that you just squinted at and listened to over and over for days until it made you sick.  Also, it’s hard to ignore the stuff you just couldn’t make as good as it needed to be.

So, ultimately, you’re just nuts to be doing this.

Guess so.

Okay, so what will I have to do to make my own fan-edit?

First, be very obsessive about movies, much more so than they deserve.  Second, overcome any fear of computers you might have.  Third, learn Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro or Avid or something similar, DVD ripping and authoring basics, After Effects, sound manipulation in the audio program of your choice, video format conversion, and, if you’re really ambitious, 3D animation.  Fourth, be willing to spend two hours a night trying to get rid of the faintest ghost noises from the rear right channel.  Fifth, be willing to spend twenty more nights just like it.  Sixth, watch your rough cut.  Seventh, try not to commit suicide after turning off your rough cut.  Then go back to the fourth step.

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