OT – FCP Certification

[Tom Wolsky]

Too expensive depends on what you get and how much you pay. Course is too short and fast only if you take a short course. Some places try to cram it into three days and then it’s really tough, especially for a novice. It needs a week.

Absofrigginglutly talent is worth a zillion times more than the certification, and a good reel (and who you know of course) is way more important than a piece of paper.

All the best,

Tom

Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP6,” “Basic Training for FCS2” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop”

[David Roth weiss]

I can assure you Victor, if you have a great reel, a resume of good credits as long as your arm, are easy to get with, and you are more concerned about what goes up on the wall (or monitor) than your ego, no one will ever ask for your FCP Certification.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Dean Sensui]

I have to agree with the talent part.

I saw a program recently that was mastered to tape by a certified FCP editor and it looked horrible. I’m not certified (although some say I’m certifiable) and I can do a much better job than that. The guy is a talented editor but he’s not a top-notch engineer.

The certification will confirm that you went through training and that you’ve attained a certain level of competency. But what will get you the job is your ability to put that knowledge into practice. So learn what you need to get the job done. But devote your attention to the art and craft of editing.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Walter Biscardi]

Certification is useful if you plan to teach.

A good reel and really good editing skills are useful for jobs. I never hire editors based on certification, only on their reels and references.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Biscardi Creative Media

Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital.

Read my Blog!

[Bill Dewald]

Certification is good if you’re on a more of a technical path – as a engineer, system builder, on-line editor.

If you’re an editor, no one really cares if you can use the software – unless it starts to affect your work, of course.

[Stace Carter]

Hi Victor,

I think all these comments are valid. I will tell you though that about 13 months ago I took the class based on the Weynand book (at FMC Washington D.C.), and it got me incredibly excited and recharged about my career. I learned a great deal in the 3-day class and was so pumped up from the experience that I spent the majority of last year working toward my “Master Certified Pro” status, and just a few weeks ago passed my T3 to become an Apple Certified trainer for FCP.

Two observations based on my experience:

1. There is always something to be learned. I don’t think the certification classes are going to teach you a whole heck of a lot about editing (although the Weynand text is very process-oriented), but they will expose you to some good technique and material. Ultimately, this is not an editing class, it’s an FCP class. You will learn to navigate the system proficiently and, as I tell my students, being able to work quickly will give you the extra time to try more options, which is an incredibly important part of the editing process. If you take this seriously, I’d be surprised if you didn’t at least become a more efficient editor, which can in many circumstances contribute to becoming a better editor.

2. A large part of my enthusiasm for this process comes from my love of the classroom environment. I occasionally see jobs posted where an Apple cert. is preferred, and this may be a good way to weed out folks, but I would approach this as a learning experience more than career development. Often, of course, those things are not entirely unrelated.

All best,
Stace

Apple Certified Trainer, Final Cut Pro Level I
Final Cut Studio Master Pro

[Jeremy Doyle]

I did not take the class, but I did take the level 1 certification test passing with a 95 percent. Everyone else in the testing room had taken the class and were mostly college students. I was the first person to finish the test. My advantage was having worked years with FCP in the real world.

If you’re on FCP everyday, you’d probably pass level 1 without needing a class.

I have found that I learn way more by reading the various posts right here on the cow. Much more useful information anyway.

I only took the test because at the time my employer paid for it and they viewed having certified editors the same way they look at awards such as Tellys, good for showing off to clients.

[Michael Sacci]

I think it is best to break this question down into a couple of categories.

1) Is the certificate worth anything/much? I would say that it is not worth much (may have a little clout with some clients, not potential employers, so it is worth something.)

2) Is the information that you get in the class worth anything? If you are new to the program it is worth a ton, it will get you up an running within a week. You walk away from the class at least with knowing what FCP should be able to do. If you forget the exact button to press, you should be able to find it faster.

2b) Can the information be gained without going to the class? Yes, the class is the book. So if you go through the book you have 90% of the class. What is gained by the class is a community atmosphere as well as extra insight of the instructor. The motivation factor is real good point on it maybe worth the price only you can answer that.

I think the Apple Pro Certification books are some of the best training available for people that like to read and do. They are well written and fun to follow. you get good footage to follow along with. Some people don’t like to learn this way and need or like a classroom, for these the cert classes are well worth it (but you pay a lot for that). The other hybrid is training DVDs that are much cheaper than travel and taking the classes but you are seeing and hearing the training.

So never let anyone talk you out of getting training, do whichever works best for you. But focus on getting the training verses the piece of paper. And as noted you can take Level one cert without going to a class.

my 2 cents

[Victor Perez]

Thank you for your thoughts. An incredible community the Cow is.
Most respected.

Victor

[Ben Scott]

think its worth saying that passing the exam without going on a class isnt an easy task unless you have been working with all the features of final cut pro for at least a few years

you will need to read the literature thoroughly and practice, this is what they test you on, and its very particular in how they test you

I am an apple pro trainer in both final cut pro and motion

I would throughly advise people for certain classes like the motion class to attend as some of the topics like 3d compositing can be really tricky to figure out from a book

– – – – – – – – –
Check my podcast at https://cowcast.creativecow.net/final_cut_pro/index.html
or my site at
https://www.benscottarts.co.uk/ – – – – – – – – –