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So if Avid goes under, then what?
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FWIW – FCP.co has some useful links to Lightworks tutorials.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
“a lot of research in usability to overhaul the GUI” is not the same thing as a complete interface or feature copy so there’s NO learning curve at all. I’m speaking from the standpoint of a user who is trying to get up to speed on the new Smoke editing interface. It’s good and I’m sure I can learn it. But if I didn’t have to spend a month or two getting fast on a new interface, it would be nice. I’m sure I’m not alone.
I’m not saying this is likely, only that it’s a potential benefit if Autodesk did purchase Avid, that they could use what they want from the Avid interface (for instance the keyboard based trimming) without fear of a lawsuit.
Joe Murray
Edit at Joe’s
Charlotte, NC -
[Bernhard Grininger] “Autodesk doesn’t need to aquire Avid to bring MC-like editing functionality into Smoke!
Autodesk has claimed to have done a lot of research in usability to overhaul the GUI.”First off, the missing ingredient is the “offline editing” capability. The actual mechanics of editing in the timeline within Smoke are fine. The intent of Smoke is as an “online” or finishing editorial tool.
So let’s say you add in the other. Do you really think anyone in their right mind is going to pay $3500 + annual subscription for that in today’s economy? Remember, the finishing guys are happy, so you only stand to gain more users who fit into the group that needs the creative, rough-cutting toolset, as in Media Composer. Avid isn’t breaking sales records at $2500 (or $1500 crossgrade). If you want a high-end compositor that’s also a full-blown editor, you can get Avid DS for $5K today. Also no great sales to speak of. It’s a lovely idea, but the reality is that NO ONE will buy it for offline editing. At this point, we don’t yet know how many will actually buy Smoke 2013 at $3500, since it’s only available as a not-full-featured public beta/trail.
If your argument is to make it, but sell it for $300, then forget it. No one can make any money at it and so won’t put the development effort in, unless it’s just a passion. Apple can do it with X because of the halo effect. If FCP “legacy” were still a Macromedia (or equivalent) product, you’d never have the sales volume that you have as an Apple product.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
I have not read this entire thread. So I apologize for my usual stupidity.
If Blackmagic bought AVID (or bought Media Composer/Symphony) – which will probably never happen – Grant would either make it free, or $1000 (like Resolve) – but of course, it would not run on AJA or Matrox cards ! Any public company is doomed in our market, because a public company has to make MORE profit the following year, to satify the share holders (so their shares increase in value) – and we are in a small finite market, with finite users. This is why FCP X is so important to Apple – they need 15 – 30 million people editing, or it doesn’t make sense. If AVID can figure out a way to buy out the share holders, and become a private company again, then they can be in business “forever” because they make a great product, and can continue to sell to the “small” market of broadcasters and private production companies.
And what if Media Compooser was free (in a scaled down version like Resolve) – as soon at April 2013 ? How would this change our industry ? (boy, you guys have no faith in Premiere CS6 !)
Bob Zelin
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Worth noting: Grant has said that the SDK is there for any developer who wants to write drivers for Resolve. He always hated closed companies as a customer, and won’t be that now.
That said, it’s easy to see why assume folks might not be in a hurry to add value to another guy’s company. It’s less easy to understand why they still think they’re competitors in any meaningful way. Maybe if THEY want to make cameras, switchers, grading software and control surfaces…but otherwise, why pass up the chance to sell hardware?
anyway, if BMD had the only I/O that works with Symphony after Grant buys Avid, it won’t be Grant’s doing.
I link to that interview above. Please check it out.
re: GVG, it says they’re outsourcing to another American company. Will that company be the one to outsource to China or wherever, or well the manufacturing still be done here? it’s not clear, and the cynical part of me (ie, 40% and trending upward) thinks I know why…..
Tim Wilson
Vice President, Editor-in-Chief
Creative COW Magazine
Twitter: timdoubleyouThe typos here are most likely because I’m, a) typing this on my phone; and b) an idiot.
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No one other than Grant can say what makes sense for him to buy, but I can tell this, Blackmagic is not a software company, it’s a hardware one, and they will support software as long as it makes hardware sales. Most NLEs at this time support BM, so I wouldn’t see the point in buying one, unless you want to cripple AJA or Matrox output options, but Avid is not that popular among indies just as FCP or Premiere is.
The move to buy DaVinci was genius, because now they’re forcing pretty much everybody to switch from Aja to BM, but DaVinci was so under he probably had a great bargain out of it. Avid may be too expensive to turn around, and for what really? To sell more Intensity Pros? I think his next move should be monitors and / or projectors. Also, if we are all going to go tapeless, we need in the hardware / codec infrastructure, I think they’re pointing in the right direction with SSD recorders, but it would be nice to see broadcasters support that as well, if they make the equivalent to a SR deck on a tapeless format they’ll rule the world. -
I too belong to an industry “cheapened” by simpler, cheaper tools and software, and yes, quality has suffered: I’m a voice actor, and every fool with PC and a hole in his butt now thinks he’s a voice actor. But as with voice-over, the video market and the industry itself have changed and expanded so radically there’s a place for such talent (or lack thereof) and the real pros, those doing it for long form, for television, for documentaries and features, aren’t losing out to them too much. I don’t like people using SMS shorthand (LOL, OMG, IMHO) in emails or other communications, but it ain’t going back to how it used to be, so my strategy is to learn the new tools, stay current, keep my work out there to the best of my ability and compete.
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I have to disagree with your assessment of “real pros.” A professional for me is someone who gets paid for what they do. While I do broadcast, docs and such I know many insanely talented editors who do nothing but corporate and industrial work and make a damn good living doing it. I agree you do have to learn the current tools and compete. There is not another way that I know of. But just because tools are cheap doesn’t get everybody work. Those without talent and dedication will work little, if at all – no matter how cheap the tools get.
Tim
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Michael,
I was perusing the web and seeing what Avid was up to and read your post. It hits home so hard. We are a full production facility for the Army. We have an Avid Media Composer and Symphony, 5 Premiere Pro, 2 FCP 7s. I never cared to learn Avid because the majority of my work is quick turn around and we shoot on numerous formats. From what I saw, they all required transcoding which drove me insane. That is what pushed me to Premiere Pro (not to mention my deep involvement with Photoshop and After Effects). Anyhow, I still respect it’s array of features and once it is done transcoding, everything it is a streamlined process.That’s not really what I meant to chat about though, whoops.
I was having dinner with some friends and a new acquaintance asked me what I did for a living and I told him video production. Now I have been doing this for a long time and I was told, “Oh yeah, I do video production too.” When I asked what he did his profession was in the handcrafting leather goods and he just liked to dabble in video, but thought he was pretty good. It’s right there you make your point. It doesn’t matter if they edit in iMovie, Avid, Premiere or so forth, the bigger problem is people in our trade are no longer appreciated. When I freelance outside of my full-time gig I am constantly told, “why are you so expensive? All you need to do is point and shoot and edit it together really quick? I can do that on my phone…” Beyond everyone thinking they can do video production and are “good” at it… people no longer appreciate “good”. I don’t know if it’s the reality TV craze, FX craze, or just plain YoutTube crap that is destroying this field. I’m now getting to a point where I no longer know what a solution is or how to separate my stuff or make people believe that my product is better. Have you come to any conclusions since writing this?
Very Respectfully,
ThomasCheers,
Thomas
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