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Editor’s Dilema
For those confused by the angst over FCP X, I offer the “Prisoners’ Dilema.”
We have two players: Apple and the Hollywood Editor.
Each player has two choices.
For Apple, it is to support the Hollywood Editor by providing tools that make their efforts more productive (and lucrative) and providing the necessary hardware to make that software meaningful. They must also encourage 3rd party development (hardware and software) wherever they feel that Apple cannot or will not compete. We’ll call that decision, Trust.
Apple’s other option is to provide software for the much larger collection of casual users – with an emphasis on simplicity over power, with minimal effort in encouraging 3rd party support, causing the Hollywood Editor to constantly search for workarounds, and eventually have to move off the FCP platform in order to remain competitive. We’ll call that decision, Distrust.
For the Hollywood Editor, they can invest the time and resources into learning FCP X, flooding the Creative Cow’s FCP X Techniques forum with questions and strategies, trusting that Apple will continue to develop for their needs, patiently waiting for the needed updates and 3rd party assistance, while resting in the thought that Apple has their back. This is also a decision of Trust.
Or they can invest in other packages (which share more in common with FCP 7), and remove their professional dependence from a company whose mind they cannot read. The cost of moving away is insignificant. This is Distrust.
Now for the game.
(I’ll be using TT or DT etc to help label the scenario. The first letter denotes Apple’s choice and the second letter denotes the Hollywood Editor’s choice. So DT would mean a scenario where Apple does little to make FCP X an editing powerhouse, but the Hollywood Editor had chosen to stay loyal to Apple. Distrust/Trust.)
Here we go.
In a trust/trust (TT) situation, both players engage in a trusting relationship, and all goes well, and for very little expense, the Hollywood Editor moves forward with minor angst – as the development of the softare/hardware is exclusively under Apple’s timeline and tight-lipped control. It’s a good situation, but not one driven by a passion for the amazing (on Apple’s part) or a whole lot of feedback on the editor’s part. Because he cannot fully incorporate FCP X into a full-blown edit workflow to meet client demands, he must keep using the much slower FCP 7 along with FCP X, choosing one app over the other depending on risks and needs as he sees them. Seeing Apple’s response to Hollywood Compositors, when Apple bought Smoke, the Hollywood Editor realizes that, while he enjoys FCP X, he’s completely at Apple’s mercy, since they have a long history of being the dictators on how and what they deliver – with simplicity being their calling card. Considering that FCP X is a new app with unproven track record, and has limited inroads with post-production houses, and still needs FCP 7 to help cover the gaps, we give this scenario a score of 3.
In a trust/distrust (TD) scenario, Apple stays loyal, but the Hollywood Editor doesn’t, The Hollywood Editor moves to another program at minimal expense. The Hollywood Editor also gains more features than he had with FCP X (in its current incarnation) and boosts productivity – being faster than he was on FCP 7, while still being more compatible with other post-houses than if he would be in FCP X. Also, his reputation is unaffected since there is currently no doubt about the capability of the package he has chosen to work with, so he sees a gain in revenue and peace of mind. Because his transition to another software package requires minimal effort and cost (track-based, same language and culture, common keyboard shortcuts available on a majority of features, etc.), he can focus on either mastering new skills, or taking on new work, his basic workflow being unaffected. And because Apple stays loyal, the Hollywood editor doesn’t have to leave OSX, so he maintains his hardware and infrastructure, and happily producing more work. We’ll give this a score of 5.
In a distrust/trust (DT), however, the Hollywood Editor stays loyal, and Apple stalls, refusing to compete with Avid, et. al. in the broadcast market, refusing to make hardware necessary to meet the growing demands of digital cinema, then the Hollywood Editor loses clients, his reputation suffers, and he’s now forever playing catch up to his competition. Score 0.
Finally, if the Hollywood Editor is disloyal, and Apple is disloyal, then the Hollywood Editor is safe for moving away, but as he realizes that Apple’s computer division is slowly dissolving away, he has the added expense of moving over to Windows/Linux systems, buying crossgrades for all his programs, etc. While gaining advantage over FCP X devotees, he still has to spend a lot of money to stay in the game. DD (Distrust/Distrust). Score 3.
Now, in the classic Prisoner’s Dilema, one party doesn’t know what the other party’s going to do.
The Hollywood Editor must look at his two choices and compare the score he’ll get based on the other player’s options.Let’s look at a loyal Apple first.
If the Hollywood Editor is loyal, TT, he gets a 3.
If the Hollywood Editor is disloyal, TD, he gets a 5.Now look at the disloyal Apple.
If the Hollywood Editor is loyal, DT, he gets a 0.
If the Hollywood Editor is disloyal, DD, he gets 3.Not knowing what Apple is going to do, the Hollywood Editor realizes that in each situation, by being disloyal, *D, he scores the higher points.
And thus, on this debate forum, a “hater” is born.
LOL.
Now, I may generate some heat for my first set of numbers, but we could even say that TT and DT should both be 5’s and I still prove my point. In a case of not being able to read Apple’s mind, the only rational decision is to be disloyal.
Game over. Close the forum. Get back to work. 😉
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26 Replies
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Wait what? I need another cup of coffee….
Lance Bachelder
Writer, Editor, Director
Irvine, California -
In a prisoner’s dilemma the payoff for both sides cooperating needs to be greater than for both sides defecting. The dilemma is if both sides defect they do worse than if they had cooperated. Boost TT to 4 and you’ll have a dilemma.
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And in the meantime the ‘Hollywood Editors’ jobs have been outsourced India, Avid has went bust and we’re all counting down the days until the broadcast transmission signal get switched off 😉
Seriously… It is a big planet. If anything Hollywood is synonyms with mass produced formulaic film & TV production and is in need of a serious shake up. So maybe the ‘Hollywood Editor’ needs to ‘Think Different’ regardless of what software they use.
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I live and work in Hollywood and havent heard of anyone loosing jobs to India. Also, I personally dont think TV has ever been better. Show like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and my current favorite this your UK’s Luther.
That said, and I’ve made this argument here before, it’s not the editor in Hollywood that resists change, it the giant system around us. Producers, EP, directors, are used to certain workflow, and when that much money is on the line they fear change.
CK
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The entire industry has become too broad to paint with broad strokes. This isn’t 30yrs ago where it was ABC, NBC, CBS or nothing. Companies that used to just distributed the work of others (AMC, HBO, etc.,) are now creating compelling content. This is the best of times (Game of Thrones) and this is the worst of times (some Reality TV show I saw about a family that makes fish tanks). 😉
As for what a Hollywood Editor is, I have no idea. Trailers, promos, workout videos, docs, scripted TV drams, reality shows, web-only videos, big budget summer blockbusters, porn, etc., are all done in Hollywood. And they all can have different workflow requirements which may or may not be conducive to what FCPX has to offer.
-Andrew
2.9 GHz 8-core (4,1), FCP 7.0.3, 10.6.6
Blackmagic Multibridge Eclipse (7.9.5) -
To be fair I do think some great TV comes out of Hollywood. HBO in particular. And Luther was the BBC stepping up to compete with HBO. I was just playing devil’s advocate as this forum is too hollywood centric especially when talking about the products of global companies like Adobe, Apple and Avid.
Although… Iron Man 3. It is a slippery slop for Hollywood.
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I definitely see your point. Andrew also made a good point about reality editors etc. I was thinking about those of us under the Union umbrella, we all lumped in with DPs grips etc, so it would be hard to export our jobs, without fury break loose. Trailer editors are unionized but not most reality editors, and I guess I could see that being a problem.
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[Andrew Kimery] “The entire industry has become too broad to paint with broad strokes.”
Andrew, brilliant.
Also I like how you put porn in there. That was very funny (and true : )
Waaayyyyy too many people cutting way too many things to get a handle on it.
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niiiice! I like it.
and thus this will be one’s new flame short hand:
listen, you god forsaken TD, I’d like to think I’m a DT, but we all know what Apple are like: it’s DD editing world man, it’s just a DD editing world.
https://vimeo.com/user1590967/videos
http://www.ogallchoir.net
promo producer/editor.grading/motion graphics -
Is there a cliff notes version of this post?
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