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For re-edits in music, see Re-edit

A re-edited film is a film that has been edited from the original theatrical release.

This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page.

Contents 1 Types of re-editing 2 History 3 Re-editing techniques 3.1 Manual re-editing 3.2 Programmed re-editing 4 History of manual re-editing 5 History of programmed re-editing 6 Future of the industry 7 References 8 See also

Films edited for format, length, and content.

• Format: movie theaters typically show films in either a 1.85:1 aspect ratio or 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Television currently has two screen formats. There is the more standard 1.33:1 (or 4:3) aspect ratio, and the growing standard of 1.78:1 (or 16:9) aspect ratio.
• Length: Films may be shortened for television broadcasting or for use on airlines. DVD releases of films may also contain longer cuts. In a growing trend, more and more films are being released in an Unrated cut of the film.
• Content: Some films have content deemed objectionable to "family audiences": sexual content, obscene language, and graphic violence. To make these films suitable for younger or more conservative audiences, alternative versions are created with such content removed. Often, profanities are replaced with minced oaths. For example, in the edited version of Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson uses the minced oath "screw" instead of "fuck". The editing of these versions is performed by a censor and not the producer or director of the work.

The first theatrical film to be re-edited for television was the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch.^{[citation needed]}

Re-edited films have existed for several decades for broadcast television and on airlines. Since the advent of VHS films being readily available in the mass consumer market, some consumer groups have asked films studios to make the airline version of films available for wide release.^{[citation needed]}

There are two main techniques for re-editing films:

Purchased film content is downloaded onto an editing work station hard drive and third-party editors manually re-edit the video and audio tracks, removing objectionable content. The re-edited version is then copied onto media (VHS or DVD) and made available for rental or purchase provided an original version has been purchased in correlation with the re-edited copy. Some manual re-edits are done by fans (see The Phantom Edit) to cut a film to their own -or their peers- specifications.

Programmed re-editing occurs when software (such as that employed in a DVD player) is used to skip portions of the video and/or audio content on-the-fly according to pre-programmed instruction sets which are knowingly used by the consumer.

In response to consumer demand, families began to re-edit purchased VHS tapes literally by making cuts and splices to the tape. A hotbed for this activity has been Utah with its conservative yet entrepreneurial population. When "Titanic" was released on VHS, a video store owner in Utah began offering to re-edit purchased copies of the movie for a $5 service fee. The service became very popular. Before long, several video rental businesses purchased VHS tapes and had them re-edited for their rental club/co-op members to watch.

When DVD technology emerged, the re-editing industry began offering for sale or rental a disabled DVD accompanied by a re-edited version of the film on a coupled DVD-R. Several companies attempted this business. First, some tried to do it via physical brick and mortar stores, the most successful being the deal model and proprietary stores owned by CleanFlicks, Inc. of Utah. CleanFilms later became the largest and most successful company in the business by employing an online rental model (similar to Netflix) and avoiding any physical stores. CleanFlicks and CleanFilms were recently sued and have stopped offering the rental service. Some argue that the rental companies were clearly violating copyright law since the original was not sent with the edited version. ClearPlay was not affected by this ruling.

As soon as the DVD aspect of the re-editing industry emerged, the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association of America sued most of these industry players for copyright infringement and claims regarding derivative works. In 2006, Judge Richard P. Matsch of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado ruled that unauthorized manual re-editing constituted copyright violation.

Although the lawsuit in United States federal court affects companies located within the United States, there is no such ruling of law in other countries. Canadian companies, such as Clean DVD Edited Movies and FamilySafe Movies, are still in operation since the U.S. lawsuit does not affect them. However, it is illegal for these companies to sell or ship edited movies in the United States. There is a certain irony in the fact that these companies will break the law in the name of family values, and also that people interested in protecting their families from offensive content will participate in the same. There is a certain irony that the last sentence was based in opinion and this is an encyclopedia.

ClearPlay was sued by the DGA and MPAA, but the case was rendered moot by the The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, which clarified that ClearPlay's filtering approach was legal and did not violate copyright law. As a result, ClearPlay has been able to offer its products to consumers in the U.S. while others have discontinued for legal reasons.

Another aspect of re-editing comes with consumer made edits, which are called fan edits (or fanedits). It is when consumers load the movies into their computers and use video editing software to produce mostly a version with changed content for their own entertainment. Fan edits are becoming more popular since they are spread over the internet.

It is unclear where this industry is headed. There is demand for the product. One survey found that almost 40% of Americans said they might rent re-edited films. A majority, however, said re-editing should not be allowed.^[1]

• V-chip
• Hays Code
• Motion picture rating system, MPAA film rating system
• Television rating system
• Standards & Practices
• Censorship
• Radio edit
• Film editing, the techniques used
• Turner Broadcasting System