The profession of video editing is a delicate one. Since the earliest days of the cinema, editing has been an often invisible but unbelievably powerful tool in generating an emotional response from an audience. While other film-related professions, such as acting, writing, and directing, receive more attention, editing is a disciplined, rigorously structured craft that largely goes underappreciated. This is doubly true in the digital age. Thousands of videos are uploaded to YouTube every day, and a large portion of them have dedicated editors working tirelessly to create engaging content. One such video editor is the self-taught and successful Dennis Lopes, whose one-man editing operation has contributed to four years’ worth of content and nearly 5 billion views to one YouTuber.
Dennis works for a highly successful YouTuber named FaZe Rug. He began working for FaZe Rug’s channel in November 2020 and single-handedly edited every video posted between then and January 2024. FaZe Rug’s channel currently has over 27 million subscribers and over 9 billion total views, more than half of which have been acquired since Dennis came on board.
From Modest Beginnings to Global Success
As a child, Dennis was always interested in how things worked behind the scenes. As he says, “Seeing how professionals set up shots, how they go about recording, stuff like that. It’s really interesting how a bunch of random clips can be put together in a way where everything just lines up and becomes a seamless and highly engaging story.”
Growing up in Brazil, he was always a very creative person but didn’t exactly have the means to enter the entertainment field at anything resembling a professional level or to receive professional lessons. But he always wanted to extend his reach, so Dennis taught himself English, began learning video editing techniques through making gaming montages, and connected with bigger creators over Twitch. All of these connections led to him meeting and joining FaZe Rug and his channel years later.
As an editor, Dennis has developed a high viewer retention style of video editing. His style has worked very well for FaZe Rug’s channel and has become very recognizable. In fact, his editing style is often used as a reference for other channels that are looking to imitate the success and feel of FaZe Rug’s videos. As Dennis describes it, “The video style itself is professional but in the sense that it feels authentic for the audience and it does not feel overproduced.”
The Challenges of Being a One-Man Editing Team
However, Dennis’ ascent to success has certainly not been without its challenges. His editing position requires him to organize and manage huge quantities of data from multiple camera angles and microphones. Often resulting in over four hours of raw footage that must be condensed into a single video, it can be “quite overwhelming,” he says. But for as daunting as being the lead editor for one of the world’s largest creators can be, the hard work pays off, and Dennis believes that anyone can do whatever they put their mind to. “Your only opponent is yourself,” he concludes.
In an era where credentials often take the spotlight, hard work remains the cornerstone of success. Dennis Lopes believes his story is not just about one person’s diligence but rather a broader reminder that dedication, combined with passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence, can shape not only individual careers but entire industries.
