Software Selection Advice

[Ron Lindeboom]

[eric] “Well true…but like I said its “…pretty much over” – as in not yet but very close.”

People have been saying this since Media 100, Radius VideoVision Studio, Immix VideoCube and other early systems were all the rage.

When DV came out, people said that companies like AJA (who made video cards) were on the way out. They aren’t. They are doing better today than they did years ago — even with other newer competitors like Blackmagic, Convergent and others in the marketspace.

There is and will likely always be a place for heavy hardware and enhanced performance that goes beyond the norm.

Don’t write off hardware too soon. ;o)

Ron Lindeboom

[Mark Suszko]

“Sorry, Mark. It’s not always about the “man” doing the work.”

Says someone with a genderless handle, so how can I tell? 🙂 If you’re proud to be a woman editor, let the world know you by your name, I say.

I was using the word “man” in the more generic sense, but really, I think most of us reading knew that. Just this week I wrote to someone a long dissertation on the early history of women editors in film, I appreciate them just fine, so please, I’ve had a tough week, and am not appreciating the humor, can we agree not go there again today with a sidebar on femenism applied to common usage and grammar, as it is an inapropriate interruption and detour of this discussion.

[Mark Suszko]

With respect, I have to disagree in that the relative power of the very high-end suite still counts for little if the raw material you give the “person” to edit is itself garbage. The original question was not about a Henry vs. a Flame, after all. In the mid-range, the suites are roughly comparable for quality and speed and features, though each one boasts it’s own specialities. You can make just as good a product with any of them or none of them, but it’s not the tool, it’s the talent and training that makes it happen.

[Clare Neff]

I understand, and feel bad if you had a rough week – I certainly didn’t mean a huge criticism, just a nudge. .. from someone who has spent 30 years in the business quietly trying to do the best job I can, even though most of the time I feel that we have to prove to most clients – at least once – that girls can do as good a job as boys. ;-}

Thanks for listening.

Clara Neff
shooter/editor.

[Ron Lindeboom]

Mark,

I said NOTHING resembling an endorsement that heavy iron will save bad footage and crappy production values.

All I said was that people were writing off the high-end hardware-assisted systems back in the very beginnings of NLE. Later, they began prophesying the demise of cards like AJA, etc., when DV came along in the end of the 90s.

My point was simply this and nothing more: People have been saying for so long that hardware’s days are numbered that I just smile when I hear it again.

“Garbage In, Garbage Out” has always been the order of the day, no matter how expensive your system is — or isn’t.

Best regards,

Ron Lindeboom

[Nick Griffin]

Getting back to the original question:

“Where can one I get advice on what software to buy so I can be competitive and not buy a bunch of incompatible applications?

Here on the COW is one of the best places to start, as evidenced by the lively discussion above. Almost as good, and sometimes more comforting, is to have someone else who does this work a phone call away. Get what he (or she!! – Clara) has, knowing that at least you’ll have someone to talk you through the beginning stages.

As to a “…bunch of incompatible applications…”, can’t most things today inter-operate on some level? Granted it’s nice to have the integration inside the suites, but I’m still using FCStudio’s Compressor application even though I’m cutting in the latest M100. And even though it’s nice to have other tools like FCStudio’s Motion and Live Type on hand, I’m not giving up After Effects.

The biggest issue that Frank has to face is the learning curve. IMHO, the cost of the software is inconsequential when compared to the time one will spend learning how to truly get everything you need from it.

And yes, as stated above, good shooting technique is far more likely to provide a superior end result than is just about any tool you could use to post produce the project.

[Clare Neff]

The most amazing thing is that talented people – at any price level – can find the right level of software and hardware for them, that will help them get started and find their creative niche.

[Frank J. lozano]

Yes I can see your point, but it also seems if you’re working alone, you have to be a jack of all trades; technology can impede even the most talented. Although we can do amazing digital work on the desktop, the learning curve is steep and diverse.

Frank

[Misha Aranyshev]

[Ron Lindeboom] “When DV came out, people said that companies like AJA (who made video cards) were on the way out. They aren’t.”

AJA was making framestores not video IO cards back then. They introduced first Kona when FCP went Mac OS X and never fully implemented whatever processing hardware it their card had onboard. Pinnacle is out. Matrox is hanging on but compare the software choice for DigiSuite and for Axio.

On the other hand hadrware-assisted processing is still around. It is just moving to GPU.