Why YOU should opt for the "retro look" in your next video edit!
Listen ... I love a good lens flare as much as anybody, so you'll be happy to hear I'll be doting on them CONSTANTLY throughout this post.
You could call it a part of my own personal editing style, or better yet (as more editors incorporate it into their pieces) the resurgence of retro-influenced content creation.
In other words, vintage edits are IN, baby! And they're not going away any time soon!
I first picked up on the emerging trend while scrolling through my Instagram Reels feed last September. I follow LOADS of content creators, cinematographers, and editors online. At this point, I feel like my feed is basically the equivalent to a video creator's encyclopedia.
Getting to watch all their different editing styles contrasting one another is so fascinating as a young content creator myself ... but I started to notice a string of similarities that connected them.
Lens flares and VHS-style transitions, glitch effects on graphics layers, film burns and film leader screen overlays connecting shot-to-shot ... it felt like I was being transported to the 90s!
Grain and film noise were being stylized and scratches were being welcomed with open arms. The push for crisp clean footage was no longer a necessity. Online, the beauty of grit and imperfection was now being embraced.
Some of my favorite video creators had now been branding their content to have a more vintage feel, upping the color contrast and saturation in all their digital media.
And guess what? It warranted TONS of viewer engagement.
150k likes ... 1,000+ comments per post just on Instagram Reels alone? Social media users are really eating this content up. Even app developers globally are finding ways to emulate the retro-digital and analog aesthetics for your photos and videos.
This trend inspired me to incorporate these vintage elements into my own work, helping me distinguish my own personal editing style.
I tried it out on a video "A Love Letter to the Memories I'd Forgotten" which was my first deep dive into this retro-editing aesthetic. I'd come across some old footage on my first video camera, a JVC Everio 2012 digital camcorder.
The footage was of a trip I'd taken to New York City several years back, but the memories still held strong and true. I added some old-fashioned radio-style narration to seal the deal, not doing much to the footage; just adding cuts and transitions.
This short, minute-long piece came out more beautiful than I'd imagined.
It wasn't perfect in terms of cinematography, of course, from my teen-hood, but it was raw and real ... all the reason to continue creating this type of content.
If that isn't enough of a reason to hook you into joining the vintage editing club, the nostalgia surely will. If not for someone else, then for yourself.
Take a look at "A Love Letter to the Memories I'd Forgotten by clicking the thumbnail below!
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