Fan edit

A fan edit, fanedit or 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 source material. 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.

Fan edits came to prominence when, in 2000, professional editor Mike J. Nichols, under the pseudonym of "Phantom Editor", released The Phantom Edit, an edited version of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, that removed elements of the film he found distracting. The Phantom Edit circulated online and received attention by the media for its attempt to improve upon the original film, which inspired others to attempt their edits of the film, or other films, and since then dozens more fan edits have been created.

In their most common form, fan edits resemble the work done by professional editors when creating a director's or extended cut of a film, although fan edits are usually limited by the footage already made available to the public with the official home video release of a film, while professional editors working for a film studio have access to more and higher quality footage and elements. 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, such as the Star Wars fan-restoration Harmy's Despecialized Edition, which aims at restoring the Star Wars Original Trilogy to its original, pre-Special Edition form.

Fan edits are made for non-commercial purposes and as such could be considered a case of fair use, however their legality is unclear.

Before the term "fan edit" was coined, many alternate versions of films edited by other fans or professional editors were simply known as a "cut." In the late 1970s, many alternate "cuts" of films were released in the United States, and foreign films (such as those from Europe or Japan) deemed unsuitable for American audiences underwent further alterations, score changes and re-titlings.

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