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An observation
I work with a number of folks who are director/DPs and who occasionally edit their own projects. I’ve noticed that they tend to use FCPX as a scratch pad to work out temp ideas, but then go to Premiere Pro for the real edit. Part of this has to do with the fact that Premiere is more familiar as they used to use FCP7. They’ve only learned the basics of X and don’t or can’t invest the time to learn more than the initial drag & drop basic editing. I wonder of others see this same thing.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
50 Replies
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Here’s my 2¢ on this Oliver.
I bought FCPX. I learned it. It’s quick and fairly easy to use for projects that to me are geared towards sizzles or promos, bumpers, commercials etc., that type of project.
I tried to do some narrative work but unless you have assistants that can set up all the meta data/roles or you are Paramount Pictures and have someone setting up roles for dialogue, etc, I can’t get past the no tracks for long form narrative. I started on a sync block at Roger Corman when I was 20 and that was basically tracks. Sure people will argue with me and I’ll get flamed, but for me as a user, I want to spend time editing, not massaging the workflow or the program. I want to cut the scene with the most impact and don’t want to have to concern myself with audio or clips jumping where I don’t want them if I delete a clip.
Again, my 2¢. I like FCPX speed and real time. I just wish they had a preference to turn off Magnetic Timeline and use Tracks or turn it on and work in the new paradigm. Wouldn’t that be nice.
Warren Eig
O 310-470-0905email: warren@babyboompictures.com
website: https://www.BabyBoomPictures.comREEL: https://www.babyboompictures.com/BabyBoomPictures/Reels.html
For Camera Accessories – Monitors and Batteries
website: https://www.EigRig.com -
Basically…
“I’m really good at how I’ve always edited”
“Can’t be bothered to change that much.”
“So I’ll stick with what I know.”
Which is ALL perfectly reasonable and perfectly rational and definitely gets the job done.
Other editors – particularly the young – without those decades of behavioral conditioning – will explore their options and decide for themselves whether or not the editing processes that have been in common use since us old timers were kids are still the best way to do things after nearly 50 years of progress and refinement in almost all the other areas of our lives.
Tracks are the mashed potatoes of the NLE world. Comforting.
And so it goes.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
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No not really. I knew there would be flames.
Have you ever had to deliver to Protools from FCPX on anything long? Cutting narrative is all about storytelling and crafting a scene. I use different editing muscles when cutting promos or commercials.
Not mashed potatoes not comfort, just more intuitive when you want to checkerboard dialogue.
Warren Eig
O 310-470-0905email: warren@babyboompictures.com
website: https://www.BabyBoomPictures.comREEL: https://www.babyboompictures.com/BabyBoomPictures/Reels.html
For Camera Accessories – Monitors and Batteries
website: https://www.EigRig.com -
[Oliver Peters] “I wonder of others see this same thing.”
Just in my casual observation I’ve seen a lot of director/DP types take to X and really like it because Legend, Avid, etc., always seemed overly complicated and obtuse for their needs.
[Bill Davis] “Other editors – particularly the young – without those decades of behavioral conditioning – will explore their options and decide for themselves whether or not the editing processes that have been in common use since us old timers were kids are still the best way to do things after nearly 50 years of progress and refinement in almost all the other areas of our lives.”
FWIW, when X dropped I was working with a number of 20-something editors and all of them were pissed. FCP Legend was the NLE they grew up on, it was the only one they knew, and now it’s done. Talk about losing a security blanket. I hoped it would be a wakeup call that change is inevitable so just go with it, but I know at least some of them are still just using FCP 7 and haven’t taken a serious stab at learning X, PPro or Avid yet.
Not to rehash old talking points (who am I kidding, we love rehashing old talking points!) but if X had debuted with the features of 10.1 instead of 10.0 I think the reception would have been much warmer. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression though and, as you correctly point out Bill, ripples of that initial negatively still influence the perception of X by some people.
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From what I’ve read here over time, it seems to me as if track-based editing is the grand piano, and trackless editing is the theramin. Just another lousy metaphor to consider…
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
[Joseph W. Bourke] “trackless editing is the theramin.”
OMG, this forum has officially justified its entire existence.
Not that theremin operators can’t be totally badass. If you ask me politely I MIGHT tell you why I have a folder of pictures of Jimmy Page playing the theremin…but I do in fact have a folder of pictures of Jimmy Page playing the theremin.
We could certainly add playing violin with a bow to this simile, but I think we can agree that, ultimately, Jimmy Page’s badassitude derives from the theremin and bow being parts of a much larger skillset.
And wardrobe.
Signed, as I wrote in my junior high notebook oh so many times,
Mrs. Jimmy Page
Mrs. Jimmy Page
Mrs. Jimmy Page
Mrs. Jimmy Page
Mrs. Jimmy Page -
[Warren Eig] “t’s quick and fairly easy to use for projects that to me are geared towards sizzles or promos, bumpers, commercials etc., that type of project.
I tried to do some narrative work but unless you have assistants that can set up all the meta data/roles or you are Paramount Pictures and have someone setting up roles for dialogue, etc,”Interesting. I actually find the opposite to be true for me. Obviously different things work or don’t work for each’s different approach. For me, I like it for narrative and documentary-style stuff, but dislike it for anything requiring rapid, rhythmic cutting.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Bill Davis] “Other editors – particularly the young – without those decades of behavioral conditioning – will explore their options and decide for themselves”
Hmm.. I actually see more older editors adapting to it than younger editors. In the original observation, it was younger colleagues.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Joseph W. Bourke] “track-based editing is the grand piano, and trackless editing is the theramin”
I am sooooo stealin’ that!
😉
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
So far the gist I’m getting is that not everyone works the same way so one man’s steak might be another man’s cardboard.
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