Great Article. FCP X Broadcast Network Editorial Workflow

[Andrew Kimery]

I was just going to post that. I know it’s not about new media, Internet videos or the death of the establishment dinosaur that is Television, but hopefully people will find it interesting none the less. 😉

Interesting how much of the article was devoted the rebuilding of their infrastructure (under the guidance of the world famous Bob Zelin). I think the dropping costs for local shared storage (as well as the budding cloud storage solutions for those with fast enough Internet connections) are going to be huge time savers for companies that could benefit from it but never had the revenue to implement it effectively. When a guy from TED talked about their move from FCP 7 to FCP X there was also a lot about how they rebuilt their hardware workflow and were saving hours a day because of it.

[Neil Goodman]

looks kind of like a sweat shop in there.

[Ronny Courtens]

Neil, you couldn’t be more wrong. In the +39 years I have been working in the industry I have rarely seen a company where editors get so much respect and the atmosphere is so relaxed as at Metronome. The open space is for journalists, story editors and post producers who work together, pre-cutting and reviewing the stories. Having direct contact with each other makes their work easier, and they prefer it this way. For more detailed editing and for finishing the editors can use one of the many dedicated editing suites. Not to mention that at Metronome the editors are among the best paid people in the production chain (-:

So, with all due respect, your comparison with a “sweat shop” doesn’t make any sense.

– Ronny

[Eric Santiago]

I for one love the open concept and you see this in VFX (yea I know thats a sweat shop).
Ive had the same experience where we went from cubicles to an open office env.
Love it and if you really need isolation, a single studio room maybe two is all you need.

[Bob Zelin]

what is not made clear in this article, is that NONE of this would have happened without the assistance of Ronny Courtens, who is a workflow expert in FCP-X. I am still amazed that all of these people are working without issue. This is all due to Ronny’s guidance and complete knowledge of FCP-X, and it’s limitations.

Bob Zelin

Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
bobzelin@icloud.com

[Neil Goodman]

[Ronny Courtens] “So, with all due respect, your comparison with a “sweat shop” doesn’t make any sense.”

Just a joking observation from the pics. Editors in headphones, no rooms, etc. = looks like a sweat shop. No offense meant.

[Ronny Courtens]

None taken, Neil. To be honest: when I first saw that photo I had exactly the same reaction (-:

But I can assure you this company is “an editor’s dream”.

– Ronny

[Andrew Kimery]

[Eric Santiago] “I for one love the open concept and you see this in VFX (yea I know thats a sweat shop).
Ive had the same experience where we went from cubicles to an open office env.
Love it and if you really need isolation, a single studio room maybe two is all you need.”

Open, bullpen style setups are great for some things, but editing is not one of them, IMO. Metronome has both a bullpen and many editing suites so everyone gets the work area that suits them best.

My major complaint against bullpens is that they require headphones (which damage your hearing long term) and the louder the bullpen the louder you have to make the headphones which speeds up the hearing damage (not to mention the acoustical differences between mixing audio win headphones vs audio monitors). Bullpens also do not allow users to control the lighting and when you spend all day staring at a computer monitor part of good eye health is being able to control the lighting. Finally, bullpens also make it very difficult to collaborate on an edit because all parties either need to be wearing headphones or your have to blast the speakers which obviously is full of problems in an open, communal work space.

I’ve spent a number of years sharing the same space with other editors and obviously do not think very highly of it. 😉

[Neil Goodman]

[Andrew Kimery] “Open, bullpen style setups are great for some things, but editing is not one of them, IMO. Metronome has both a bullpen and many editing suites so everyone gets the work area that suits them best.

My major complaint against bullpens is that they require headphones (which damage your hearing long term) and the louder the bullpen the louder you have to make the headphones which speeds up the hearing damage (not to mention the acoustical differences between mixing audio win headphones vs audio monitors). Bullpens also do not allow users to control the lighting and when you spend all day staring at a computer monitor part of good eye health is being able to control the lighting. Finally, bullpens also make it very difficult to collaborate on an edit because all parties either need to be wearing headphones or your have to blast the speakers which obviously is full of problems in an open, communal work space.

I’ve spent a number of years sharing the same space with other editors and obviously do not think very highly of it. 😉
“

This…Creative editorial has no place in a bull pen, open office type layout. My diva ass needs room!

[Tony West]

[Neil Goodman] “My diva ass needs room!”

One of the funniest lines I have seen on here in a long time : )