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Carrion Crow and Roadkill
I have to wonder whether any of critics of FCPX have actually spent time with the programme.
And by spending time I don’t mean looking at online video demos but actually investing time in learning how to use the programme. Because it is very different from any of the other alternatives out there, it stands alone with its reinvention of the process of editing clips together.
People question Apples decision to stamp Final Cut Studio with an EOL sticker but honestly how else are they going to take things forward. To keep Final Cut Studio as an active, in constant development, suite of software is not feasible. Apple have realised that it has peaked, that it is too similar to its competition, and have taken a very long view on developing it for the future.
These are still very early days, less than 5 months from launch, one update in and already the restrictions of how FCPX communicates with other video and audio production software are lifting. On an almost daily basis new products and links are announced. FCPX is no longer an island in a self contained ocean.
However just as FCPX is opening up it seems that the minds of many of its vociferous critics are shutting down.
Like carrion crows that are circling roadkill they descend at the earliest opportunity to tear FCPX apart.
But how about keeping a tiny bit of perspective on the issue. All of the software within Final Cut Studio still works, both Avid and Adobe offer products that do the same job in much of the same way, it’s not a one horse race.
Apple have made a huge leap forward with this software and where they lead others will follow. They have broken the link with celluloid workflows and taken a fresh look at how moving image can be better organised and manipulated to tell stories in what is now a truly digital age.
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42 Replies
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[Mark Dobson] “People question Apples decision to stamp Final Cut Studio with an EOL sticker but honestly how else are they going to take things forward. To keep Final Cut Studio as an active, in constant development, suite of software is not feasible.”
It is constantly mentioned, over and over again by even it’s most vociferous supporters that FCPX is still a 1.0 product in development. It has been described, by these same supporters, as either Alpha or Beta software. For these reasons we are told not to judge it by what it is now, but rather by what it might become.
Given that the baby cannot walk yet, what was the point in EOL’ing Legacy suddenly, without notice. Why not keep selling it and supporting it while announcing that there would be no future development? Why not make it an essential point to develop a translator for Legacy to X, to reinforce the idea of a slow nurtured migration?
I question all of Apple’s decisions concerning the rollout. I think they either intended to alienate their high end users, or were just so incredibly inept that they did it unintentionally. There were many ways to “take things forward” and they chose the worst way.
[Mark Dobson] “Apple have made a huge leap forward with this software and where they lead others will follow.”
Or they’ve made a leap off the cliff that no one will follow. The jury is still out on that one.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
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Hi Herb,
[Herb Sevush] “Given that the baby cannot walk yet, what was the point in EOL’ing Legacy suddenly, without notice. Why not keep selling it and supporting it while announcing that there would be no future development? Why not make it an essential point to develop a translator for Legacy to X, to reinforce the idea of a slow nurtured migration?”
We all need to keep moving forward and the last couple of years have cemented the transfer from tape based to file based workflows. Nobody would go backwards once they have made the inevitable transition.
So why keep developing or selling something that has no future. A product with one foot in the past. It’s an unsustainable activity.
Final Cut Studio is still a fully functioning and highly professional suite of software. And as to support? I’ve never had any software support from Apple in all the years I’ve been using FCP – Support has always come from peers and forums such as the venerable Cow.
I understand that many people need to continue to access tapebased archives and previous FCP Legacy edits and for them FCPX simply will not work at the moment ( give it a couple of weeks)
I also understand that those working at the top end of the game would have operational problems with the present toolset of interactivity. However most of them are probably already using turnkey Avid systems or have availed themselves of Adobes opportune marketing campaign .
[Herb Sevush] “I question all of Apple’s decisions concerning the rollout. I think they either intended to alienate their high end users, or were just so incredibly inept that they did it unintentionally. There were many ways to “take things forward” and they chose the worst way.”
Change can be difficult especially when imposed without warning.
FCPX is so radically different from any previous version that any way it was presented was going to be controversial.
So why not simply draw a line in the sand. Then at least people can make a clear choice.
History does not look kindly on the luddites.
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[Mark Dobson] “So why keep developing or selling something that has no future. A product with one foot in the past. It’s an unsustainable activity.”
Why, because it helps your customers that’s why. Let’s say you do post for reality shows and you get a contract for a new show, requires 20 seats, but you are all booked with previous shows. Apple has now totally screwed you – FCPX isn’t ready to handle this load and you’re no longer able to buy 20 new seats of Legacy.
I don’t know how “futurists” like you do business, but I still occasionally have to receive and deliver BetaCam material for my shows. If I can’t handle it my client goes elsewhere. I will give up tape when my clients do, not a minute before. Any company that cannot support me in my operations is worthless to me. At the moment, Apple is such a company.
[Mark Dobson] “And as to support? I’ve never had any software support from Apple in all the years I’ve been using FCP”
So you’ve never downloaded new updates from Apple to fix problems and deal with new drivers as the operating system advanced? Are you still on FC 1.0 ?
[Mark Dobson] “FCPX is so radically different from any previous version that any way it was presented was going to be controversial. So why not simply draw a line in the sand. Then at least people can make a clear choice.”
“Doctor is this needle in my arm going to hurt?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m going to stab you in the eye at the same time so you won’t complain about your arm.”Yes, great business model, something is going to be difficult for your customers, so let’s make it as painful as possible. I must say I’m glad I don’t do business with you.
[Mark Dobson] “History does not look kindly on the luddites.”
History does not look kindly on many things – people who thought they could turn lead into gold, people who thought they had produced cold fusion, stock brokers who rode the 90’s internet bubble, and anyone who invested in the Lisa amongst them. I’ll take my chances.
And the Luddite line has been used ad nauseum before, try coming up with something fresher. Or is that the limit of your creativity?
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
And Herb, the Luddite metaphor is so far off as to be laughable. The Luddites were a group who fought to keep a superior technology, mechanized looms, which would put them out of work, from being adopted.
From what I’ve heard in this forum, FCPX is anything but a superior technology, at least at this point in time. And the user has the choice to adopt or not adopt, which was not the case with textile artisans of the 19th century.
I think a better metaphor might be calling early adopters of FCPX “the Hemlock Society”, at least in certain industry sectors, in which it just doesn’t work (yet)(maybe). In parts of the broadcast industy, and post houses where backward compatibility with projects, tape input and output, and other features which have been bandied about ad nauseum here are considered, adopting FCPX now is akin to suicide.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Ouch!
Sure if you regularly buy 20 seats for new shows this has not been a good time to be involved with FCP.
So with bugles blaring over the horizon comes Adobe Premier Pro who have done for NLE editing systems what Skoda did for the automobile industry, turned their reputation around on a sixpence and come up with a viable if slightly square alternative to what was FCP. And for those that regularly use After Effects and Photoshop this all makes sense.
No question they will do really well out of the present incarnation of FCPX. Droves of editors have decided to ditch their still functioning copies of Final Cut Studio and sit down with Premier Pro.
My company originates and edits all its own material. We are not a facility. My experience ( and good business sense ) tells me that material dates really quickly. A lot of the material we use is shot out in the real world, with real people driving real cars – and these types of shots normally look dated within a year.
So fortunately backward tape compatibility is not a big issue.
Which means I can try out something new and get a kick from learning how it all works.
And FCPX does work. I’ve been using for the last 4 months with increasing ease.
I personally think these are great times for video producers. Especially those starting off their careers.
Really high quality cameras are now available for a ridiculously low prices and I think Apple with FCP X will attract the new generation of visual content creators. Whilst it might ruffle the feathers of the older more established editors, it really does look forward to new ways of working that are not constrained by 75 year old work practices.
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[Herb Sevush] “Given that the baby cannot walk yet, what was the point in EOL’ing Legacy suddenly, without notice.”
Maybe a rare moment but I agree with Herb. Apple’s history has always been long transitions such as OS9 to OSX, PPC to Intel, heck even MobileMe to iCloud. I still can’t imagine why Apple tossed out their history of long migrations to replacement programs.
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Mark –
I totally agree with your post – there is a place for FCPX, but not in certain industry sectors. My feeling is, that if the tool works for you, then use it. If it speeds up your workflow, much the better.
My analogy pertained only to the larger workgroup type of setting. In my last job in broadcast, we went from an AVID setup with four AVIDs on a Unity network. The workflow, which had promised the world (thanks AVID), cut our productivity down by roughly 30 to 40 percent, due to crashes (in which the media wasn’t lost, but a day was lost re-linking media), and a slow, quirky, interface. We were also promised an upgrade path to HD, which never transpired.
It was so frustrating that we managed to get engineering to let us try a station of CS3, editing on PPro. Workflow quickly came back to where it was pre-AVID, when we were using EDIT* workstations. Since the first test, the corporate owners have adopted the Creative Suite workflow in all 28 of their broadcast stations. I know it seems off topic, but this shows how even the “king” of the editing hill is not always the best tool for the job, especially when you’re cutting news, promos, and low-budget spots with multiple users/workstations/shifts.
Use the tool which is best for the job at hand. I use PPro, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use FCPX if it made my job easier, without any loss in what I could offer my clients. Carrion my wayward crow!
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Joseph,
Herb share your views about the use of the term Luddite.
I’m the guilty party.
You are right. The luddites opposed the introduction of industrial machinery that enabled unskilled labour to do the work previously carried out by skilled textile workers.
Similar to the arguments that were originally thrown against FCPX and the philosophy behind it.
But seriously, I’m now able to do the work previously carried out by 4 different technicians due to the amazing software and hardware thats now available.
FCPX is simply the first step in a new way of thinking and doing things.
These are extreme times what with you suggesting assisted suicide and Herb suggesting jumping off a cliff !
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I didn’t buy X. But let me break it down for you;
People directly and indirectly connected to whom I work with are NLE agnostic.
Heck, most never had one in the first place – but a few has had Studio.They own Macs,Iphones, Ipods and Ipads. They see a new release, they buy.
That’s fine for me BTW as it is a new medium that I relate to.So Apple is offering NLEs cheap to everyone, at their finger tips literally.
And it’s not the vloggers or youtubers crowd that are their only target.
Directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, ad agency types
and people working for clients in general who own Macs ARE jumping in.Well, at least some of them actually but the point was, this is a Beta Software.
Now I can’t work in peace anymore without someone having problems wtih it.
I’m not talking here about me or other editor who may be well-informed.
I’m talking about people who are now able to download it to their computers.Some are screwing up systems without following Apple’s directions.
Some had been loosing hours of work.
Others had bought new X27 to find out it doesn’t translate compound clips.
And so on, and on…Not everyone is fully acknowledgeable as Apple is making it look too easy.
And at the end of the day others will have to make it work for them.
It has been a tiresome task to deal with this poor release.
I am making some money out of this but in a way that I didn’t want to.Ultimately I realized Apple is going to kill its computer line.
Pro Apps that went south are the blurb behind the big writing on the wall.
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