6 Creators Who Defined YouTube Editing Styles
Guest post by Rachel Kisela
Recently, a conversation with a fellow video editor got me thinking about creators we use as communication cornerstones when describing YouTube editing styles. So, I thought I would put together a list of some of these creators for the Delavie Creative community. For this list, I’m specifically looking at what happens in post-production - not creators whose styles are primarily defined by cinematography, production design, format, or subject matter.
When you say to an editor, “edit this like Emma Chamberlain,” they know what you mean. So what other creators have defined styles of post-production so distinct that they can be referred to in this way?
1. H3H3
H3H3 (Ethan Klein) gained prominence on YouTube in the mid 2010s through a series of reaction/commentary videos (e.g. “THESE GLASSES CURED OUR COLOR BLINDNESS! FT. iDubbbzTV,” 22M views, 2016) and original skits (e.g. “Vape Nation,” 30M views, 2016). But before these viral videos, Ethan Klein didn’t always show his face on camera - he was the editor behind a series of videos ending in “.exe” where he remixed and replayed clips from other sources. In this series, nearly all of the humor was conveyed through post-production. Klein would continue this same editing language in his reaction videos, and I see his techniques (repetition through both audio and visual soundbites) echoed throughout more recent reaction videos from creators like Kurtis Conner and Danny Gonzalez.
2. Casey Neistat
In Neistat’s 534 daily YouTube vlogs he posted from 2015 to 2016, he was able to cement an editing style that is still definable - abandoning complex effects and templates in favor of simple cuts and default fonts. Pacing breaks with timelapses, drone shots, and swelling, rhythmic music break up the structure of each video. Although this is touching into production techniques, Neistat replaces tasks normally almost entirely relegated to post-production, such as title cards and labels, with handmade practical props. While Emma Chamberlain commonly records in a locked-off camera position with emphasis zooms added in post-production, Neistat tends to zoom in and out during recording, leaving less to the editor. But that doesn’t mean that post-production isn’t thoughtful - with all the effects stripped back, each editing decision must serve a strong purpose in the narrative.
3. Emma Chamberlain
We couldn’t possibly have this conversation without mentioning the YouTube editing GOAT herself. Emma Chamberlain popularized a variety of editing techniques that have become norms, some of which were defined by the NLE she was using in her early vlogs (Final Cut Pro) - most notably, the spiral face filter or voice pitching up and down. She uses a series of recognizable sound effects that are mirrored in creators that followed her, like Antonio Garza, as well as present-day vloggers, like Vanilla Mace (thanks to her editor Vic). Chamberlain’s editing style is so distinct that many fans on YouTube have compiled her assets into packs you can download from YouTube (All sounds effects, meme audio & background music emma chamberlain uses !(2017-2021)).
Another signature of her early videos was the “clip from me editing” interjection, where present-day Emma would interrupt the vlog to comment on footage of her past self, making the post-production process itself part of the content. It’s a technique that has become familiar across YouTube vlogging, used by creators like Tana Mongeau.
4. David Dobrik
Throughout Dobrik’s heyday, he was a solo creator/editor, so he was able to define himself through both production and post-production. At a time where many YouTubers were avoiding copyrighted music like the plague, Dobrik differentiated himself by using popular, sing-along tracks to bring high energy into his vlogs. Of course, his vlogs were also strictly capped at 4:20, and that compression led to extremely fast pacing and utilizing lengthy J cuts, especially after cutting on laughter, to bring that energy into the next scene. He frequently enters scenes and situations as late as possible, lets us in on the punchline, and moves onto the next scene immediately after the payoff.
5. MrBeast
The specific defining feature of MrBeast editing is efficient information compression. And although the MrBeast editing style has changed throughout the years, there’s many post-production techniques that have persisted throughout the last couple years of the channel’s growth. Intros are tightly paced with a cinematic/epic song choice, everything quantifiable translates to an on-screen counter or graphic, and voiceover is utilized periodically to speed through tasks or explanations. Unlike Neistat, who prefers practical effects, MrBeast frequently uses digital graphics to assist understandability and build the viewer’s mental map of where the story takes place.
6. Quenlin Blackwell
Quen has an impressive range of online presence, from a series of viral Vines as a teenager to walking as a model in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. But her editor, Olive Oaking, has differentiated Quen’s current longform YouTube videos from other creators with a Stan-Twitter-infused, asset-heavy, maximalist editing style that contrasts Casey Neistat’s simplicity. When a creator says “edit this like Quen Blackwell’s videos,” the editor knows it will involve a meme folder with hundreds of assets, interspersed throughout the video as if the memes themselves are the other side of a conversation with Quen.
If you’ll be at VidSummit this year and want to hear directly from Olive about her creative process and collaboration with Quen, check out our panel “Beyond the Timeline: The Editors Behind YouTube’s Biggest Channels.” Olive will share the stage with me and Mariah Zenk, where we’ll talk about editing Hopescope and Marques Brownlee’s videos as well. It’s going to be a genre-crossing, super informative conversation for anyone working in or around YouTube post-production.
Both Olive and Mariah are members of EditHers, the community I founded two years ago to connect women working in YouTube post-production. What started as a small Discord has grown to 300+ editors, creators, and managers representing channels like MrBeast, Smosh, Good Mythical Morning, Airrack, and BuzzFeed. If you’re a woman working professionally in YouTube post-production or a creator looking to hire from our hand-vetted community, you can apply at EditHers.com. And if you’re looking for more individualized post-production support, I offer consulting at RachelKisela.com.
I hope you find this list valuable. Thanks for reading!
Rachel
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P.S. If you're still reading - this is now Delaney speaking. I'm honored to have worked with Rachel at MrBeast years ago, and to have reconnected with her recently in person in Europe. She is a gem, and I'd highly recommend learning as much as you can from her and her community. If you're interested in sharing a community newsletter, feel free to reply, and we can discuss.
Keep creative,
Delaney