It’s time to get over this and move along

[Craig Seeman]

Maybe you haven’t been reading the forum.

A number of people are using FCPX in a professional environment and there’s a larger group of people who are discussing what Apple might do to improve it within its current paradigm. There’s also others who are finding it’s good for certain kinds of professional projects even if it doesn’t suit them for many other workflows.

[Bill Davis]

Well, perhaps some of us simply believe that the story of X is significantly broader than you might be seeing right now and don’t want to limit ourselves to making career “make or break” decisions based on your personal arbitrary timetable.

While I understood X’s “relational” over Legacy “flat file” idea, I’d never even considered how that might relate to something like searchable player sports bios until the Fox sports editors
post in the thread below.

Now I’m thinking of all sorts of similar “data base” driven video opportunities that might benefit from similar capabilities. The “suite” of searchable orientation videos in the pre-op surgical office. The video course content for the cooking school. And a thousand other places where an integrated modular production, revision and, yes SEARCH environment makes a lot of sense over just a product built to do strictly “single project and move along” editing as we have in most of today’s packages.

In fact, in this new context, the entire Event Browser structure is looking more and more interesting to me now.

So sorry, but your idea that I must decide RIGHT NOW whether to make a potential career affecting decision to accept or ignore the first significantly different approach to video editing I’ve seen in well more than a decade of making my living around content creation seems really, truly stupid.

And, heck,the risk is that I might have to pay an extra $500 if I decide at some point in the future that I need to change editing software?

While I’m as cost concious as the next self-employed guy, I have run quite a few overnight shoots where our craft services budget was significantly more than that! So I think I’ll take a deep breath and think about this some more if you don’t mind.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Kevin Patrick]

At first I thought about pointing out that the title of this forum is Apple FCPX or Not: The Debate.

But then I realized that you are actually debating the point of debating FCPX in this FCPX debate forum.

So, I guess all I can say is …

Nice post!

[Darren Kelly]

I’ll apologize to you all then, of course you are each free to make your mind’s up.

I stated an opinion on the debate. In my opinion, there is little to no future with FCPX.

Enjoy

DBK

[Michael Sanders]

Funny that.

I’ve spent last tue, wed and thur cutting a 3 min promo spot for an agri company (which I shot on Tuesday during the day).

I could have done it in 7 but reckon it took me 1/2 as long to get it done in X and that includes adding grades (something which I probably wouldn’t have bothered doing in 7) and EQ’ing the audio (which I would have probably done in FCP 7 by round tripping to STP but could do with the click of a few buttons in X).

Being able to jump to search/list the timeline to find interviews is so useful it hurts when you go back to 7.
Being able to keyword GV’s so you can search them…
Plus to be honest the edit in general is faster.

Yes there are issues depending on what kind of material you are working on and how it fits with your workflow. But if you really think FCP X is a dead end then I suggest you really haven’t properly used it in anger yet.

Michael Sanders
London Based DP/Editor

[Clint Wardlow]

Actually the whole FCPX thing has really made me rethink the way I use NLEs.
I am one of those that jumped ship to Adobe, and as much as I am loving the Adobe Production Suite, I find myself jumping back and forth between FCS and Adobe. And I am loving this new way of working. Frankly, as much as I dislike the magnetic timeline, I can see a future in which I also incorporate FCPX into my new NLE jumping editing practices.
That is why I like this forum so much. Reading Jeremy and others keeps me up to date with what is happening with FCPX. It is this debate forum that will aid me in my decision of just when to purchase FCPX, next update or later.
Far from being dead, my thinking has changed to the idea that FCPX can be another, albeit different, tool in my arsenal. Now if I can only pony up the cash for AVID also I would be a truly happy camper.

[David Roth weiss]

[Darren Kelly] “In my opinion, there is little to no future with FCPX.”

Then don’t encourage everyone to give up, you’ve got to keep on pushing, because that maybe the only chance there will a future with FCPX.

As they say, you can only win if you play the game.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.com

Don’t miss my new Creative Cow Podcast: Bringing “The Whale” to the Big Screen:
https://library.creativecow.net/weiss_roth_david/Podcast-Series-2-MikeParfitandSuzanneChisholm/1

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

Creative COW contributing editor and a forum host of the Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums.

[Hamdani Milas]

In my view this must be one of the most compelling editing forums on the Cow or indeed anywhere. I visit daily to read the pros and cons on FCPX and, more recently, the interesting first-hand accounts of the real-world paid work that’s being done with it. The discussions here on editing technique, indeed the very philosophy and culture of NLE cutting are wide-ranging and thought-provoking. Even the most vocal and passionate anti-FCPX nay-sayers have provided much entertainment.

I’m still a committed pro FCP7 user as its total flexibility fits my style and I’ve invested 3 years getting somewhere near competent. I am still holding off FCPX (I’m too busy learning After Effects CS5 at present) but will likely start to explore it if and when Apple adds the widely discussed pro features that are still missing – a viewer/source window would be one of my top requirements along with the ability to unlock panels and rearrange then to suit one’s working methods. It would also appear some flexibility/user choice with the magnetic timeline and tracks issues would be welcomed.

What does puzzle me though is Apple’s policy to publicly distance themselves from the debate. If they still want to change the world they should engage with the users of their products. But for all we know perhaps the FCPX team at Apple are also keen followers of this forum…

So, meanwhile, thanks to those dedicated FCPX explorers/testers and everyone please, keep up the debate.

Perhaps it’s more like time to move along from the shock of the new and see what the new can do.

Cheers

Hamdani Milas

Independent producer, director, cinematographer, writer, editor
Milas Film Productions, Hong Kong
http://www.milasfilm.com

[Craig Seeman]

[Hamdani Milas] “Apple adds the widely discussed pro features that are still missing – a viewer/source window would be one of my top requirements along with the ability to unlock panels and rearrange then to suit one’s working methods. It would also appear some flexibility/user choice with the magnetic timeline and tracks issues would be welcomed.”

Please use it before deciding what it needs. Preconceived notions is the wrong approach to investigating FCPX IMHO. Of course once you use it you may find you are right at least regarding your needs but please do use it and take the time to get used to it. One doesn’t learn a new language with a cursory glance.

[Craig Seeman]

[Darren Kelly] “In my opinion, there is little to no future with FCPX.”

But what value does that have or maybe you don’t care if it has any value. As I stated before, if you read the forum it’s clear there is a future and it’s also clear it’s not for everyone but to say that there is “no future” is of no worth because people know first hand otherwise. No future for you maybe, but your opinion does not hold for many others.