The problem with editing to viral trends

Do you want to infect your brand with viral editing 🦠?

Almost every editor job ad that I see lists “able to make engaging cuts” as a requirement of the role.

Sometimes it’s even worse and says something like "able to keep up with viral trends" as if everything we make is designed to be a clone of another's work, thereby conf

ning all our independent choices to a single outcome.

How often do you watch a video think… Yep, the 20 cuts in that 30 second spot really blew my mind? In particular that one cut that was really engaging.

I'd wager that it's pretty rare.

If it held your attention all the way to the end of the video, I'd guess you might draw a more complete thought like "that was an insightful/emotional/funny/resonating video."

Not many people know that I’m a dedicated reader, I finished 120 books last year. Fiction, non-fiction, textbooks, scripts, you name it. But it’s not just for joy - which it does bring me.

I read, primarily to learn.

And it's not only books that I chase; every film I see, show that I watch, ad or project that I take on represents another step in a lifelong exploration to understand and decode how stories are told.

To see how others experiment with the building blocks, why they succeed, or what they're doing that doesn't work so well, and how I can bring those learnings into my work.

It’s important for editors to know the editing tools like the various NLEs, AE, Resolve. Or to put it another way; how to cut, but what defines a good editor is one who knows why.

Editing, at its most fundamental level is about crafting narrative, and that’s really what you want from an editor. Someone who can see the subtext between the shots and conform those ingredients onto the framework of a story.

Human beings are narrative beings, and there is an elemental alchemy that happens when we properly engage with good storytelling. It's natural to us, and we all have a sixth sense that tells us when it's working and when it isn't.

It is emotion that resonates, and when we connect with something, we remember it.

If you’re only focused on the cuts, all you get is a dopamine rush from a forgetful video that probably stresses your audience out.

While it's fun to piggy-back onto the algorithm and reap the benefits that comes from riffing on the viral-style of the moment, what often ends up happening is that your video just gets lost in the pack.

And more than that, you lose your voice a little bit every time by imitating the voice of another.

If you really want evergreen content that ages slow, stays relevant and is remembered, you need to be focussed on telling your story, your way.