What Makes A Perfect GIPHY Clip?

Here at GIPHY we’re often asked “Hey, GIPHY?”

To which we usually reply, “Yeah?”

And then a lot of times they’ll say something like, “What is it that makes a perfect GIPHY Clip? Is there a perfect look? A perfect length? A perfect sound?”

To answer this question as best we can, we turned to GIPHY Studio’s Creative Producer & self-proclaimed Clip-Boy Extraordinaire, Chris Cimino, to shed some light, plumb the depths, and give us the lowdown on what he thinks makes “The Perfect GIPHY Clip.”

Firstly, and most importantly, is that a GIPHY Clip needs to have a unique, interesting, ear-captivating soundtrack. And that doesn’t always have to mean music! It could be anything that sonically qualifies as sound. Whether that’s a rockin’ beat, a wet fart, a sploosh, a kerplunk, or a kablooey! Hear for yourself:

Without the benefit of a soundtrack, this GIPHY Clip of a “Seal Sneezing That Sounds Like a Fart” is actually just a GIF of a “Seal Sneezing.” Here, I’ll show you…

See what we mean? Okay, maybe you’re not convinced…

Exhibit B — More Seal Sneeze Farts. Or, Snarts.

And now for the GIF:

See what we mean? Err — hear what we mean?

Snarts > Sneezes.

Sound > No Sound.

It’s a tale as old as time.

Up next, the length of a Clip… not too long, not too short, but riiiiight in that sweet spot. Usually that’s anywhere from two to four seconds. But to be completely honest, it all depends!

Imagine you cut Marty McFly short. No, wait, don’t. Because you wouldn’t want to cut Marty McFly short. He’s done nothing to deserve that. You also don’t want to drag your Clip out for any longer than it has to be, because you could potentially bleed into the following shot of the person he’s talking to, or the reverse shot. To do so would just look messy, and unintentionally wonky.

Finally, Universality vs. Specificity… With each GIPHY Clip, a specific emotion is conveyed, and yet can be simultaneously understood similarly by any number of people. That’s the power of GIFs & Clips. People say that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” which must mean that “a moving picture is worth one billion words.” Don’t fault the math. Just watch this Clip:

This Clip speaks to us all. It may be used conversationally to convey a particular emotion (specificity), but it’ll never go misunderstood (universality). The right Clip used at the right time, in the right context, is practically better than actually speaking. Who needs a mouth & voice box when you have GIPHY Clips!

And so now you know What Makes the Perfect GIPHY Clip! Godspeed, and Happy Clipping!

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