Introduction:

Last semester, I went out on a limb and edited a meme-related video. Edited on a computer on the first floor of the library, a video titled “polygon’s brian david gilbert out of context,” in which I took funny quotes that Brian David Gilbert said on his show on Polygon’s YouTube channel came into existence. I made this video because I had seen videos of this format but not for this creator. The video was uploaded on February 28, 2019 and it now currently sits at 352k views. Making these videos made me think a lot about what meme videos are and how they work.

Meme editing was not something I thought I would have to define. The gist of its conceptualization has already deeply integrated itself into the psyche of many young users of the internet. However, explaining it to my professors or fellow classmates that had not seen this type of video before proved difficult. In order to define meme editing past the colloquial, I will be exploring the past predecessors of the editing style and humor.

Colloquial Understanding:

The kind of humor that underlines many meme editing videos is usually attributed to the rise of Vine.

• Use Jenna Marbles clip as reference here

Differentiate and Identify Predecessors:

Compilation editing: (DISCUSS FILM PREDECESSORS HERE: Bruce Conner)

Compilation editing has existed far longer than its internet related counterparts. A well known participant in this art form is Bruce Conner. His first film was A MOVIE in 1958.

• Hodge: “Supercut and aggressive compilation works by Jonathan Harris and Jason Salavon respectively build on the experimental film legacy of the found footage film pioneered by Bruce Conner and the art historical legacies of pop art.”

Supercut:

Supercut is a genre of video editing that is highly associated with compilation editing. It thus holds roots in film and television editing, but is also related to a different digital genre called vidding. 

1. Compilation
2. The same type of action, scene, word, phrase, object, gesture, cliché or trope

ABOUT THE DISCOURSE AROUND SUPERCUT: Raferty: “In many ways, supercuts could only have thrived in the mid-to-late ‘00s, a period in which the web was still transitioning from quasi-lawless creative outpost to monetized, polarized aggravation machine” “There’s always a chance, of course, that the style of supercuts that took off a decade ago could return.” The general oversight in this assessment is that although there is more content on the internet now, that allows for a new “quasi-lawless creative outpost.” Instead of movies and television, creators are supercutting other content creators. Although Raftery and the person he quotes, Saslaw, give leave that some of the format is returning, even that conversation is slightly stilted: “‘They’re not super-elevated the way our supercuts were, but there is a supercutty component of it: It’s the same formula, and with the same appreciation, but with all of these crazy effects.’”

Mashup (YouTube Poop):

1. humorous, profane, annoying, confusing, shocking, détournement, or dramatic purposes
2. visual and auditory effects to alter the underlying work.
3. may involve completely or partially repurposing sources to create or convey a story, while others follow a non-linear narrative, and some may contain no storyline at all

Remix and Remix Culture:

A remix is a piece of media that has been altered from its original form by changing it. This is usually accomplished by adding, removing or completely changing pieces of the media. 

DISCUSS Remix Culture HERE:

Consolidating new definitions with old predecessors/Conclusion: 

Meme editing/Meme videos have become a modern take on comedy, remix culture and compilation. The new genre of these videos encompassed by the title “meme editing” has pervaded popular colloquial knowledge to the point that even the creators are not fully conscious of its predecessors, derivative techniques, and the qualities it draws from the past. Remix culture in this day and age allows the viewer to also be the creator; it allows them to participate in the media they consume by supporting this kind of editing and reediting.

1.

“Conclusion: DATA INCOMPLETE: The Web As Already There.” Sensations of History: Animation and New Media Art, by James J. Hodge, University of Minnesota Press, MINNEAPOLIS; LONDON, 2019, pp. 171–180. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctvpb3wh2.8.

This source is the conclusion of the book “DATA INCOMPLETE: The Web As Already There” In this, I have been able to identify that the supercut genre and thus effectively the meme edit genre pulls from roots of compilation film editing. Hodge even mentions Bruce Conner when he states that “Supercut and aggressive compilation works by Jonathan Harris and Jason Salavon respectively build on the experimental film legacy of the found footage film pioneered by Bruce Conner and the art historical legacies of pop art.” This section was particularly enlightening because although I understood how meme editing worked, and could identify certain predecessors were, I was not aware of the predigital roots of this form of compilation genre.

2.

Xu, Weiai Wayne, et al. “Networked Cultural Diffusion and Creation on YouTube: An Analysis of YouTube Memes.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 60, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 104–122. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1127241.

Xu et al explore the cultural ecosystem and proliferation of YouTube memes using the viral video “Gangnam Style” as its focal point. Although the article focuses on cultural diffusion and virality, this source is extremely valuable to me because it not only acknowledges memes on Youtube but gives good background on memes. One drawback is that it is from three years ago. The conception of memes and meme videos on YouTube has shifted a bit so much in the past few years that although it is interesting to see the conceptualization of the content and structure of memes by Xu et al, the shift is something to keep into consideration. The most helpful parts will be the introduction, background and discussion portions of this study.

3.

McKinnon, John. “End Notes: Bruce Conner, 1933-2008.” X-Tra: Contemporary Art Quarterly, vol. 11, no. 4, Summer 2009, p. 66. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brb&AN=505445828&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

As someone that was not only mentioned in the Hodge article as well as by Dr. Allison as someone to regard, I thought that looking into Bruce Conner would be helpful. Regardless of how odd it feels to use an obituary as a source, there is something to be said about obituaries as a summary of significance. McKinnon does a particularly thorough and helpful job of looking at Connor’s main projects in both what it was and how it worked not only within the film but also in the audience. Especially since I did not know anything about Bruce Conner or his work beforehand, this source was extremely helpful in getting an understanding of how he made large strides in this field that has taken a life of its own.

4.

“INCONGRUITIES.” Humour, by Terry Eagleton, Yale University Press, New Haven; London, 2019, pp. 67–93. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvfc528q.6.

Continuing on the train of odd sources, this source was one that will help me quite a lot if I continue to look at how these meme videos work in subverting and fulfilling expectation. Incongruity theory is a theory in the philosophy of humor focused on subverting expectations. Described as “a temporary ‘derailment of sense,’ it involves the disruption of orderly thought processes or the violation of laws and conventions.” Eagerton not only helps define and give examples of incongruity theory but also brings in a multitude of philosophers and their own takes of and critiques on the theory. As a chapter in a book published this year, it is a very comprehensive and overall analysis of the theory.

5.

Raftery, Brian. “I’m Not Here to Make Friends: The Rise and Fall of the Supercut Video.” Wired, 30 Aug. 2018, https://www.wired.com/story/supercut-video-rise-and-fall/.

Written over a year ago, Raftery’s “I’m Not Here to Make Friends: The Rise and Fall of the Supercut Video” has a comprehensive take on the history of the Supercut genre. Using Juzwiak as a prime example, he also goes through how videos were made and what the content usually was. As informative as it is on mid-to-late ‘00s’s version of online video editing, it also seems short sighted and closed off for being written a year ago. Near the beginning he states that “In many ways, supercuts could only have thrived in the mid-to-late ‘00s, a period in which the web was still transitioning from quasi-lawless creative outpost to monetized, polarized aggravation machine” and at the end that “There’s always a chance, of course, that the style of supercuts that took off a decade ago could return.” The general oversight in this article is that although there is more content on the internet now, that allows for a new “quasi-lawless creative outpost.” Instead of movies and television, creators are supercutting other content creators. Although Raftery and the person he quotes, Saslaw give leave that some of the format is returning, even that conversation is slightly stilted: “‘They’re not super-elevated the way our supercuts were, but there is a supercutty component of it: It’s the same formula, and with the same appreciation, but with all of these crazy effects.’”

6.

“Supercut.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Oct. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercut.

I was searching wildly for a Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary definition of “meme editing.” Unfortunately, it is a term that is mostly used colloquially and is harder to define, especially with it being fairly current. I was able to find a Wikipedia page for “Supercut,” however, which I deem to be a very strong predecessor of meme editing. Interestingly enough, there are multiple aspects of supercut as an editing genre that plays into current day meme editing such as that some videos have a supercut feel by being “a speedy compilation or montage using seconds of video clips that feature the same type of action, scene, word, phrase, object, gesture, cliché or trope from pre-existing visual media.” Although it does not always, some videos also “obsessively isolate a single element from its source or from multiple sources.” Finally, most meme editing videos “create a satirical or comic effect,” and a few “collapse a long and complex narrative into a brief summary.” The trickiest thing with working within other definitions of digital online editing is that analytically some meme editing videos take direct roots from their supercut past and others do not. It is an interesting situation where although it can be reasonably argued that the clearest predecessor of meme edit videos are supercut, only a certain subsection of meme videos could be classified as supercut. In addition to sparking many of these thoughts, supercuts have a more directly video background which is helpful in looking at the history and past of it.

7.

“Remix.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Oct. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix.

Another strong predecessor of meme editing that I could find is digital remix, but not quite in the same way as it used to be. The base definition speaks to a more transformative result than supercuts: “A remix is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, and changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, books, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The only characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new.” Although remixes to me are mostly associated with music, I believe meme editing speaks to a kind of “remixing” or reimagining of a video or a selection of videos.