LACPUG – Randy Ubillos

[Bill Davis]

Now you can see why it was such a fun event to attend.

Knowing the past, typically helps understand the present – and maybe even a bit about the future.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[Herb Sevush]

[Bill Davis] “Knowing the past, typically helps understand the present – and maybe even a bit about the future.”

Yes, realizing that one of the key designers of NLEs had zero knowledge of film editing techniques and needs, and almost as little understanding of previous video editing workflows, does explain an awful lot.

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf

[Oliver Peters]

[Herb Sevush] “does explain an awful lot.”

It would be easy to chime in with agreement; however, I think that criticism is a bit unfair. After all, most previous NLEs and linear systems were developed by very sharp engineers from non-film backgrounds. Adrian Ettlinger, Larry Seehorn, Bill Werner and Eric Peters, for example. Of course, the last two (Avid) did bring in experienced editors very early on in the process.

And remember that Randy also developed Aperture from scratch, yet was only an amateur photographer.

Oliver

Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com

[Bob Zelin]

Dave Bargen, key designer for CMX, ISC and GVG linear edit systems was a radar engineer in Colorado. He made this stuff up. Film editors did not like it. And so, a young generation of video editors in the late 70’s and 80’s took over.

Bob Zelin

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

[Bill Davis]

[Herb Sevush] “Yes, realizing that one of the key designers of NLEs had zero knowledge of film editing techniques and needs, and almost as little understanding of previous video editing workflows, does explain an awful lot.”

Yup..

I feel a new t-shirt coming…

It’s all been downhill since we retired the Carbon Arc!

Oh well.

All I know is that I spent last week re-purposing client video design templates for IGTV. (Instagram TV)

Wide, Tall, or Square. I’m prepping to deliver anything.
It’s a go where the eyeballs are going world.

Some battles are worth hanging around to fight, but sometimes the war simply moves on without you.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[Herb Sevush]

[Bill Davis] “It’s all been downhill since we retired the Carbon Arc! “

Nothing I said indicated a desire to return to the past.

I believe every industry has built up wisdom over the (often) hundreds of years of it’s existence and the neglect to use and incorporate that knowledge by software designers stepping into uncharted waters is a shameful waste. This goes on in every field – my wife is a nurse and the software they use to chart their patient’s care is criminal in the way it forces nurses to work – bad for the nurses, bad for the insurance companies, worse for the patients.

I don’t think it too much to ask that an NLE designer actually know something about the “E” part of that word, something beyond what you could learn in the AV squad at High School. As Oliver pointed out, Randy was hardly unique in his ignorance, I was pointing him out because he was the subject of the interview.

[Bill Davis] “All I know is that I spent last week re-purposing client video design templates for IGTV.”

I realize that you live in the best of all possible worlds, but did it ever occur to you that it could be better still?

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf

[Bob Zelin]

Herb writes –
realize that you live in the best of all possible worlds, but did it ever occur to you that it could be better still

and the fan boys reply – “yes, only if Apple releases it !”.
I remember when Jim Janard was active on the https://www.red.com user forum. And all the RED fan boys would only comment “way to go Jim – can’t wait” – no opinion, no question, just could not wait to hand over their money. I think Mr. Janard got discouraged when pro users got active on the forums and started making negative comments. And when I hear that “this” forum is hostile to FCP X (how dare you, you professionals !) – I think of what else is there – https://www.fcp.co ? I saw a great article from Michael Kammes on building a Hackintosh on that site, with assorted comments, but my favorite comment was “you know, this is an Apple FCP X site, and we should only be discussing Apple products” (or something like that). You think my way – or it’s the highway ! Gee, isn’t that identical to the way religion works ?

ooh – I found the exact comment from the “non hostile” FCP X forum (a reply to the “rude” person that dared to question anything ) –

“While I can appreciate your comments, I don’t know if you are aware but this is a site dedicated to FCPX and Apple Pro Video apps, and therefore Mac users. There are great apps in our industry for all operation systems as they all help us make our best work. I’m glad you are doing well with your setup.”

Bob Zelin

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

[Bill Davis]

[Herb Sevush] “Nothing I said indicated a desire to return to the past. “

Uh, your post self-described as being about “film editing techniques”.

Films are lovely. Films are wonderful. But Films also are the past.. Film is precisely what was traditionally designed to roll in front of the spark in the gap between carbon rods.

I know what you meant. And I know you likely haven’t touched actual “film” in years, but it still clearly informs how you think. You think in “movies” or in “TV” And that’s fine.

It’s also probably why you pushed back about Mr. Ubillos’s suitability as an industry innovator. Turns out he wasn’t attempting to invent the future folks like YOU wanted, as much as he was interested in inventing one that would work better for editors who needed to do things OTHER than one huge major centralized effort over many, many months.

But just like his very first effort – that simple DV tool to help with Supermac card sales that became Premiere – it turns out what he was interested in doing, a LOT of people (millions and millions, actually) were extremely interested in buying into.

Including legions of folk doing exactly those “films” and TV shows that occupy your time.

So like it or not – his thinking was the major “pivot point” that, over time, largely moved the industry from Steenbecks to Laptops – and ushered individually produced video toward becoming the Lingua Franca of the modern world.

If someone more like you had had sway in all those meetings over the years where Mr. Ubillos did – it would likely be a very different industry today.

We’ll never know.

We both do know, however, that every “film” or TV show produced – there are probably a thousand money making paid productions that are “not film.”

That you still think nearly exclusively about our industry in film centric modes terms is just fine.

But others don’t.

This forum should be for them – just as much as it’s for you – if it’s to remain relevant going forward.

My 2 cents.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[Oliver Peters]

[Bill Davis] “Films are lovely. Films are wonderful. But Films also are the past.. “

Well…

It’s films that gave us 24fps, rightly or wrongly. And try as the industry might, the majority of people still seem to prefer that visual experience. Understanding film technology helps engineers to add that (and other technologies) to the video feature set.

It’s also film that brought us log-encoding methods, which are so important to the future of HDR.

So let’s be careful about what we consider “the past”.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com

[Herb Sevush]

[Bill Davis] “Films are lovely. Films are wonderful. But Films also are the past.. Film is precisely what was traditionally designed to roll in front of the spark in the gap between carbon rods.

I know what you meant. And I know you likely haven’t touched actual “film” in years, but it still clearly informs how you think. You think in “movies” or in “TV” And that’s fine. “

There is a difference between studying the past and wanting to go back there. I read a lot about ancient history because I find many relevant things to learn about the rise and fall of civilizations, but I have no desire to live in any time but now.

I read and study about the beginnings of “moving pictures” because there is much to learn that is applicable to the work I do; but I have no desire to work on a Kem again, no desire to work in an on-line CMX room again, no desire to cut with edit* again.

New techniques, in all fields, are based on the tradition’s of the past. To be ignorant of them is nothing to be proud of.

I would recommend Isaac Asimov’s “Twilight” to understand the repercussions of forgetting history, but books are old, Asimov is dead and forgotten, and what could he have to say to you anyway? Instead I’ll hit you with something even older:

“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.”
Aristotle

[Bill Davis] “So like it or not – his thinking was the major “pivot point” that, over time, largely moved the industry from Steenbecks to Laptops – and ushered individually produced video toward becoming the Lingua Franca of the modern world.”

True, and I wish his thinking was more informed; he’s a very smart guy, he would have used that knowledge to everyone’s advantage.

[Bill Davis] “This forum should be for them – just as much as it’s for you – if it’s to remain relevant going forward. “

This forum is for everybody but trolls.

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf