Fan edit

A fan edit is a version of a film modified by a viewer, that removes, reorders, or adds material in order to create a new interpretation of the film. This includes the removal of scenes or dialogue, replacement of audio and/or visual elements, and adding material from sources such as deleted scenes or even other films. The trend became popular after an individual calling himself the "Phantom Editor" (later revealed as professional editor Mike J. Nichols) removed elements from George Lucas' "" that he felt detracted from the film, and made minor changes in languages and subtitles to give the film's villains a more menacing tone. [ [http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2001/11/05/phantom_edit/index.html?x Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | "The Phantom Edit" ] ] The end result became known as "The Phantom Edit", which achieved fame through distribution on VHS, DVD, and other media.

While fan editors originally focused on the "Star Wars" prequels, the trend spread to the original trilogy after their release on DVD, both because of higher quality source material, and due to further changes by Lucas to the films in 1997 and 2004. Many of the fan edits aimed to preserve the pre-"Special Edition" films or to correct perceived story flaws. Recently, fan editors have begun editing non-"Star Wars" films in the same fashion, such as the "Matrix" series, "Pearl Harbor", "Dune", "Superman II", and others. In addition to re-editing films, some fan edits feature basic corrections, such as colors or framing, that maintain or restore consistency within the film.

Before fanedit.org coined the term "fan edit", many "alternate versions" of films edited by other fans or professional editors where simply known as a "Cut". In the late 1970's many alternate "cuts" of films were released in the U.S. European films deemed unsuitable for American audiences under went further alterations, score changes and re-titlings. It is believed by some that these are the first true "fan edits".

Fair use issues

It should be noted that while fan edits skirt the lines of fair use, their creators emphasize the use of the final product should only be for those who own the source material (often commercial DVDs), and are not to be distributed for profit or other personal gain. Lucasfilm is aware of the existence of "Star Wars" fan edits, and has stated they will take action when they believe copyright infringement has taken place. [ [http://movies.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/1,1259,---7311,00.html Zap2it.com - Movie news - Phantom Editor Apologizes ] ] In July 2007, Lucasfilm took action against fan editor "daveytod" after taking issue with his fan edit documentary, "The Clones Revealed". It is unclear exactly why Lucasfilm took this action against "daveytod". Their email to him cited the possibility of 'consumer confusion', that "The Clones Revealed" might be mistaken for an official Lucasfilm product. The email was sent to several active members of the fan editing community and resulted in the short down time of FanEdit.org until it was made clear which film was being cited with a cease and desist. The reasoning given by Lucasfilm's anti-piracy team during communications with fanedit.org moderators seemed to display the mistaken impression that 'The Clones Revealed' was an "" bootleg. Fact|date=November 2007

References

External links

* [http://wiki.dvdholocron.com/index.php?title=The_Clones_Revealed] - The Clones Revealed on the DVDHolocron wiki
* [http://www.dvdholocron.com DVDHolocron.com] - Star Wars related Fan Edits, Fan Films, and Fan Preservation Projects that have been released on DVD.
* [http://www.fanedit.org Fanedit.org] – A site for fan edit information on a wide variety of films.
* [http://fanedits.com/ Fanedits.com] – A wiki-style site dedicated to fan edits and other fan projects
* [http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/forum.cfm/Star-Wars-Fan-Edits-and-Preservation-Efforts/forum/9/ OriginalTrilogy.com: Star Wars Fan Edits and Preservation Efforts]
* [http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/forum.cfm/Other-Fan-Edits-and-Preservation-Efforts/forum/11/ OriginalTrilogy.com: Fan Edits and Preservation Efforts (Other Films)]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/retrohorrorremix/] - The official Retro Horror Remix site. Focuses only on horror-themed fan edits.
* [http://www.fosteronfilm.com/fanedits/revfanedits.htm Foster on Film - Fan Edits]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ6CbebAB1k&watch_response] - The best part of Superman II: The Fan Cut.
* [http://www.batman-on-film.com/review_jett_deassified.html] - Review of "Batman & Robin: De-assified"
* [http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74] - discussion on "Bad Boys II - Mark Mancina Remix".