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Post work-rush thoughts about FCP-X
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[John Godwin] “That statement, in my humble opinion, sums up what’s wrong with this whole debate. I see the “pro” FCPX people largely saying “Hey, it does this well, I really like this function, actually it does do this thing” all the while acknowledging there are missing pieces and limitations. I don’t recall anyone seriously saying FCPX will be all things to all people. Maybe somewhat transformative…”
Thankfully, much of the overstated hyperbole and rhetoric about FCPX has indeed tempered somewhat over the last few months. However, hugely overblown and cliched terms like “transformative” and “groundbreaking” were being bandied about here quite flippantly for months after the initial June 21st release of FCPX.
It’s good to see that reality has finally set in, but it hasn’t always been this way.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comDon’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/1POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
Creative COW contributing editor and a forum host of the Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums.
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Often I have been sound posting and the director has used a transcript to search for words so we can “Frankenclip” (love that DL).
Even though I am also doing picture grade and online, we only have a Media Managed version, never all the rushes so we have an edit assistant in another city pull the audio we need and ftp it. Lots of my director colleagues do not have Macs so saying they should have FCPX on their laptop is a problem. They all have Word or Libre Office so they can always access and search a doc or spreadsheet.
Even in an FCPX world, every long form doco maker that I work for will want transcriptions. They are often a deliverable requirement.
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[David Roth Weiss] “Thankfully, much of the overstated hyperbole and rhetoric about FCPX has indeed tempered somewhat over the last few months. However, hugely overblown and cliched terms like “transformative” and “groundbreaking” were being bandied about here quite flippantly for months after the initial June 21st release of FCPX. “
To counter the equally overblown and cliched terms like “non-professional” ‘utter crap” and “a total disaster” that were being flung at it during round one – when none of us had the foggiest clue about the actual nature of the software.
Remember the long thread about how so many folks came away from all the applause and oohs and aahs at the SUPERMEET silently AGAST about it? Why? Turns out it was a lot more complex than anyone suspected at that point, and most of those who dissed it didn’t have much clue how it actually worked. They just reacted to what was missing and different and gave absolutely no weight to what might have been useful or even better about it.
That negative view was also “being bandied about quite flippantly” for months after the release.
If we’re to take to task the cheerleaders (holding up my hand) then shouldn’t we also take to task the blind naysayers?
Turns out this was a more complex plan than all of us suspected.
And so it goes.
“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
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[David Roth Weiss] “So, tagging in FCPX is nice, and it’s a very welcome addition, but it’s not nearly as revolutionary and game-changing as many are touting.
“I’m going to disagree here David.
Air conditioning in a fully equipped Rolls or Cadillac that only a select few can afford is a feature.
AC in a 15,000 Ford or Chevy that anybody can afford “is” revolutionary. It changes the game for all drivers. It redefines what “standard equipment” has to be for car sellers
The database in X brings the power of high level DB flexibility down to software that any editor can afford. That’s game changing in my estimation.
That the teenager can learn to better manage assets in the same general way that a Hollywood Motion Picture editor might is a BIG DEAL, IMO.
“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
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[Bill Davis] “The database in X brings the power of high level DB flexibility down to software that any editor can afford. That’s game changing in my estimation.”
This is one of those things you so often write that sounds logical on it’s face, but which seriously fails the sniff test.
The database functionality is nothing truly game-changing, it’s old hat for Avid users. And, you didn’t mention it above, but Adobe’s embedded metadata capabilities are darned powerful, and arguably not fully utilized yet, but they also temper anything that can be said about X changing the game in that reagrd. More about this to come in my forthcoming article…
So, what’s left? It seems that at the heart of the matter of what really changes the game for you is really just the price of FCPX. While $299 is attractive, that in and of itself is not the game-changer you’d like it to be.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comDon’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/1POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
Creative COW contributing editor and a forum host of the Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums.
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“That the teenager can learn to better manage assets in the same general way that a Hollywood Motion Picture editor might is a BIG DEAL, IMO.”
Those same teenagers couldn’t be bothered with clip naming in FCP7 other than ‘untitled_1’ ‘untitled_2’. Thank goodness FCP added the number after the untitled. I have absolutely no faith that these self same newbies will be doing Hollywood heavy type databasing, even if FCPX forces them to do some.
The reason many like me have been and remain dismissive of FCPX is because of what’s missing. It doesn’t fit into my workflow, so having a great database system doesn’t matter if it can’t be used downstream of broadcast finishing facilities.
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[David Roth Weiss] “While $299 is attractive, that in and of itself is not the game-changer you’d like it to be.”
Once again, if you are correct, then FCP-X will wither and die. The high level editors will be as dissatisfied as you are – and it won’t succeed.
If I’m right, and there are legions of new people who want to do their own video creation at all levels of expertise from personal art projects to high end corporate videos – and they find the toolset in X both useful and powerful enough to enable their success. X will simply strip away the folks who had to pony up #1k to use Legacy for tasks not at the “hollywood” level – and Adobe and Avid will have to survive on those for whom Creative Suite or Avid Prrices are not a barrier.
Those companies got a bump from the initial Legacy EOL flurry and their smart, opportunistic marketing. But that’s kinda over. Now the real game begins. The long game. The one where all three packages (and others) go head to head for success in sales and adoption.
No telling how many seats will migrate. If it’s hundreds or even thousands nothing much will change.
I’m convinced it won’t be “hundreds of thousands” out of the 2 million paid seats that Legacy earned.
And if X keeps developing, it will form a powerful alternative because of all three aspects. Price, general editing capabilities and support.
What will be really interesting is if the Apple engineers working with the new platform are truly looking down stream and imagining new features that the re-build makes possible.
Looking just at the Project Library – and at iCloud – what if they decide to marry those and do to broadcasting what they just did to book publishing. Something truly disruptive? It’s not outside the realm of possibility over, say, a decade of X development.
Yeah, that doesn’t address issues here and now for an editor going to work tomorrow. But Apple does have a rep for the long range, transformative play.
Food for thought.
“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
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[Michael Gissing] “Those same teenagers couldn’t be bothered with clip naming in FCP7 other than ‘untitled_1’ ‘untitled_2’. Thank goodness FCP added the number after the untitled. I have absolutely no faith that these self same newbies will be doing Hollywood heavy type databasing, even if FCPX forces them to do some.”
I absolutely agree with regard to 49 out of 50 teenagers who will likely use X to cut something in the next 5 years.
It’s that 50th guy or gal we all have to watch out for.
As it has ever been.
“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
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“It’s that 50th guy or gal we all have to watch out for.”
I hope that special one in 50 learns all the editing software out there because if they are good, they will be in demand and need to be flexible.
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Great in-demand Editors, at least here in LA in the feature film world, get to dictate whatever tool they want to cut with.
Lance Bachelder
Writer, Editor, Director
Irvine, California
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