Final Cut Studio 3 and MacPro

[Shane Ross]

[Greg Burke] ” SHould I now spend my entire life savings on a new Mac Pro and FInal Cut Studio 3. Is it worth it? “

Do you need it? Do you have work to pay it off? If not, then don’t. Buy when you need. If you have a job that you can use it on and that will pay for it, yes, get it. If not, if you are unemployed or not employed in which you can use it, then why waste your money? Your G5 and FCS2 is still a perfectly good system. And you might end up getting work where THEY own the machine (as is the case with me 90% of the time), so getting all that equipment and upgrade will be for naught.

[Greg Burke] “s it worth to upgrade for me in my situation?”

Nope…not at all.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Greg Burke]

Thank Shane I always like your advice. Im just worried. I don’t wanna be left in the dust and with all this software being”intel only” I’m worried that I’ll have to turn down future work. But all my work thus far has been chicken feed.

[Shane Ross]

[Greg Burke] ” I don’t wanna be left in the dust and with all this software being”intel only” “

You won’t be. When the need arises, THEN you buy. If you buy now…then don’t get work…then get work, but then the NEW machine is out…THEN you will be a tad in the dust.

Buy when you need. Not before. If future work comes your way that requires that hardware/software, then you buy. You can justify the purchase.

Chicken feed work? Lose those clients. Find a place you can go to learn the ropes…assist, intern. All that stuff. If you start out editing and aim at the low-ballers with their chicken-feed…then you will be stuck eating chicken feed.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Greg Burke]

God I’ve Tried but now that I’m out of school, I’m in 90,000 in debt and have payments rent,car, inc and a Free 40 hour a week internships with a possibility of be hired I just cant do. I did 4,5,6, full time internships in college and after I busted my butt for 4-5 months at each one I was given a t-shirt and a “good Luck, but we just don’t have room for you now…” I’m at wits end.

[Shane Ross]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, there are many seasoned professionals that can’t find work either…so it isn’t you, it is the economy.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Andrew Kimery]

Greg,

I agree w/Shane. Only buy what you need when you need it (especially w/how quickly computers drop in price and jump in power). And LA really sucks right now job wise. I know guys that have been editing in LA since the ’80s and they are having problems finding work and this causes a cascade effect. When the people at/near the top of the ladder have to step down a rung to get work that tends to push everyone else down a rung and the new guys on the bottom rung get completely pushed off. Even in good times it takes most people a few years in LA to get traction career wise… You just gotta try to keep your head above water and ride out the rough times.

I came out here the first time under the ominous skies of guild strike threat and right before 9/11 so I can understand being all revved up w/no place to go. Look at the bright side, this is thinning out the competition. 🙂

-A

3.2GHz 8-core, FCP 6.0.4, 10.5.5
Blackmagic Multibridge Eclipse (6.8.1)

[Dave Jenkins]

Greg, times are tough, hang in there. I looked at your website and you have done some nice stuff but it is buried behind the index page on your website. it is not about the software, it’s about what you do with it. Move your awards and clips to your home page and stop advertising for Apple. Start advertising for you.

Those are just my thoughts, take em or leave em.

Dajen Productions, Santa Barbara, CA
MacPro Two 2.8GHz Quad Core – AJA Kona LHe
FCP 6.0.4 OS X 10.5.5 QT 7.5.5

[Greg Burke]

Thanks for all the responses guys good to now im not alone.

[Michael Brown]

You’re everything but alone. Just for the insight, and coming from a European angle (I live in Hamburg, Germany), I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years, have been 1st ADing since 15 years, and editing and directing (usually performance relays and clips) since almost 10 years. Believe it or not, I’ still working with FCP 4.5 HD (only on SD!), albeit with a recent MacBook Pro and FW800 HDs, and have been quite productive, usually doing low to no budget programs, occasionally decently paid ones. I’m slowly but surely getting there, making a name for myself by investing my time on projects with a potential future and that I believe in, and paying the rent by ADing features and TV films once or twice a year. If you want to do this and be creative, hang in there and be patient! If you’re talented and you have faith, your time will come. For my part, I will only upgrade when the job pays for it and the rent as well, and up to now I have succeeded in providing what was requested with the tools I have and a lot of imagination. All the best.

Michael Brown

[Scott Sheriff]

I agree with the “don’t buy gear, unless you need it” opinion. Street racers used to say “Run what you brung”. Editing is not about the gear, or FX. It’s about where you make the cut. Good editors can bang out something interesting going ‘machine to machine’ on a couple of Quad’s if they have to.