-
splashtop and iPad with fcpx
-
It’s a shame that what could have been a short, albeit pithy, dialogue has turned into such a large waste of back and forth. Everyone has a point here, and it all boils down to whether you’re in the thick of the broadcast industry, or in the trenches in the film industry. Different tools will be adopted, cast aside, improved, assets sold off, and so on. It’s all about money and numbers, not art or coolness (that’s for the marketing department), from the standpoint of the manufacturers and distributors.
Back in the late 80’s I was writer/AP, then producer and co-host, of a television show called PCTV Live! (a live weekly show on Thursdays). We got the best and brightest of the software/hardware industry people and products, and I had my hands on tons of the cutting edge products. If I had a list of the ones which would have moved things forward, it would not have been anywhere near the list of those which succeeded. At the time, the Mac platform had about 13 or 14 percent of the PC market – we followed the numbers weekly, and that was the high-point of Mac dominance. There was the Amiga, the NeXt, OS2, CorelDraw, the Xerox paperless workflow, and dozens, if not hundreds of other cool technologies, which dominated, then poof! What I’m getting at is that the iPad, while a cool tool (maybe) on first blush, is only as good as it’s apps. Add to that the fact that every new model orphans the last, and you get a sense that the iPad is like the stapler – sell it for relatively cheap, and reap the profits on the consumables (the apps). Do they get the job done? Who cares? How many apps did we sell?
I’m not throwing stones at it – I’m just being a realist. My day to day graphics work is on the Adobe CS Master Collection, and 3DS Max. I have an Android tablet, a Blackberry, and I’m constantly staying up on the OS and encoding issues, because my clients demand their productions play back on their iPad, iTouch, Blackberry, and whatever disposable comes along next week. Today’s cutting edge is next month’s museum piece, in case you haven’t noticed it. I have to stay up on what’s new and cool – I don’t have to use it as a production tool. My laptop (ThinkPad W510 with the CS5 Master Collection) is as small as I need to get, thank you (at this point in time). To me, anything below (form factor) a laptop is part of the distribution chain.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
I could see perhaps some VPN scenario to edit off of a workstation (by proxy) as a sort of “do-able” kind of iPad solution, but frankly it’s not these devices that are the holdup. It’s the level of connectivity that will make it feasible and as of now, I don’t see any “fiber to your door” happening, nor do I anytime soon. Despite device capability, this is essential.
At the end of it, I would say this…
“just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.
Can I see the potential? Sure. But it’s going to be a long while before it’s practical and I’d have to wonder exactly what advantage you would gain from all the extra set-up, expense and hardware?
As to what you can and can’t do with the iPad…
My wife has one. While it’s cool, and has some function, I don’t see a bunch of people who WORK abandoning their laptops for this device. It’s not that you couldn’t do the work on a “pad” device, it’s just that it’s faster, more practical and easier to do on the form factor of a laptop. What I’m talking about is the majority of actual work that is done. Word documents, spreadsheets, ect. Sure, it’s great to have it as a reader, but creating these documents on a “pad” gadget is harder. Yes, you can add a bluetooth keyboard, but by the time you do that, you’re just as better off having at least a netbook.
The “pad” devices have their place, but they are far from “revolutionary”. Take it from someone who has used Palm’s for YEARS. Now onto iPhones, which perhaps are the best device, but are great.
Do you really do THAT much work that would require such a high degree of mobility? I can see the advantage in some limited circumstances, but as SOP I see the form factor as workflow inhibited. Seems most other working professionals that I’ve read on this forum seem to agree. The majority seem to express this in an impersonal manner. As has been pointed out in a previous post… this is a debate forum.
That being said, what “youngster” practices are you advocating? A blind rush to new technology for the simple sake of change? I think most would prefer to see those with the time/money explore the bleeding edge before adaptation. That’s nothing new. Just because folks don’t have an interest in it at the moment doesn’t mean they never will. People change, even “old farts”.
Marvin Holdman
Production Manager
Tourist Network
8317 Front Beach Rd, Suite 23
Panama City Beach, Fl
phone 850-234-2773 ext. 128
cell 850-585-9667
skype username – vidmarv -
“Now onto iPhones, which perhaps are the best device, but are great. ”
Sorry… should read, “Now onto iPhones, which perhaps AREN’T the best device, but are great. ”
Saving my rubles for proof-reader for my forum post.
🙂
Marvin Holdman
Production Manager
Tourist Network
8317 Front Beach Rd, Suite 23
Panama City Beach, Fl
phone 850-234-2773 ext. 128
cell 850-585-9667
skype username – vidmarv -
After spending too much non-productive time reading the thread above, for me it simply comes down to this; Old Fart or Yousgster-it doesn’t matter. What matters is making a living off of our business. I would say that I fall into the old fart category, chronologically but not technically. I’ve been making a living off of this industry for going on 40 years now and can still keep up with the “Kids” easily. What matters most to me is this: can the tools I have available right now enable me to make a decent living? That’s it. Simple. Can I still make a living off of Studio 3 and FCP 7 along with many other applications? Absolutely. Can I make a living using FCPX? Definitely not. It doesn’t (yet) have the functionality I require for the projects I do. Will it in the future? Possibly. Hopefully. It’s just that Apple has left a bad taste in my mouth over how they are handling the whole FCPX thing. But that’s a discussion for a different day. In the meantime I’ll be sticking with one of the reliable old “A’s” – Apple, Avid and Adobe until things shake out a bit. This will help strengthen all three in the long run, I feel. I have no problem learning and trying new methods to achieve what I need. It’s just that I also have to be able to pay the bills at the same time. I always keep a keen eye on the industry and adapt my workflow as the technology evolves, but the fact of the matter is, I won’t be a trend setter anytime soon. But I also don’t need to worry about being called a dinosaur either. Like most of us in the business we keep our eyes open to what works and what doesn’t and modify out workflow on a regular basis to keep up with trends. I tend to be cautious in jumping on anything new and shiny until I can see just how it fits into what I require for my production work. If it works and I need it, I will adapt. If not, I will pass it by. It’s not so much a matter of blaze ahead or be left behind. It’s a matter of what works for you in a given situation. Right now, FCPX doesn’t work for me. Simple. Oh, and I do have an iPad that I use as a remote control surface for some hardware boxes I use. It’s great for that and I use it all the time. But editing on an iPad? Nope, not yet. That’s not saying “never” however, just not today, thank you.
TomE=MC2+/-2db
-
Has the Cow system taken to deleting paragraph breaks? This thread is hard work.
B
-
FWIW
I just don’t really see the appeal in being able to work on an ipad in a coffee shop, or on a train, or anywhere in the “real world”. Coffee shops are loud, the ipad screen is glary, my fat fingers will obscure far too much of my work space, I can’t imagine a comfortable position in which to work on an iPad for more than 20 mins at a time, and many other complaints besides.
As someone said earlier “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.
Also, most frighteningly, once clients get wind of the fact that you can work wherever you are, they will be demanding constant changes at all times of day and night regardless of whether you are in bed, on a train, or cooking dinner.
Don’t try to tell me this won’t happen because as much as you might tell them to keep changes to within certain timeframes, if they know you can do the job whenever and wherever, you’ll start to find that they aren’t watching the screeners you gave them on time, and they won’t be compiling all their comments into one email. Instead they’ll be watching your screeners whenever they damn please and giving you comments in “oh just one more thing” bits and pieces like bloody Columbo.
I’m a relative newbie in this game (5years broadcast experience) and I’m finding that on more and more jobs I’m being asked to work on an iMac, with headphones in an office with other editors, or even a busy production office and it’s a nightmare. Ok, you will argue that these are the wrong jobs to be taking but how much worse would it be to be handed an ipad and told to piss off and find your own workspace?
Just sayin..
-
Also the original poster sounds like a complete troll.
-
[Christopher Travis] “Also, most frighteningly, once clients get wind of the fact that you can work wherever you are, they will be demanding constant changes at all times of day and night regardless of whether you are in bed, on a train, or cooking dinner. “
I don’t know about you, but agencies demand what they demand, they could give a crap about my sleep schedule. I can either stay at the office late, which I do frequently, or go home, and work remotely without having to transfer/shlep all my media. At least, I will have the opportunity to cook dinner and not be at the office. I can’t tell you how much LogMeIn has allowed me to go home when I would have had to stay at the office otherwise. I am happier for it.
[Christopher Travis] “Ok, you will argue that these are the wrong jobs to be taking but how much worse would it be to be handed an ipad and told to piss off and find your own workspace?”
At least you would have the option.
-
Sorry, “just one more thing”
The more I think about it, it feels like the people who really, actually benefit most from this sort of tech advancement (miniaturisation, affordability, portability etc..) are the people who hold the purse strings on productions and not the people actually working on them.
I obviously understand the advantage of being able to work in the field in a pinch but what starts out as a neat little get out or occasional life-saver for us freelancers, will very quickly become the standard as prod companies see how they can save money, office space, and have their freelancers on a total leash if they just pass out a few ipads and logins for their cloud storage.
Anyone who edits on a day-to-day basis and is excited about this prospect is mental IMO.
-
Leaving aside the idiocy of trying to edit on an Ipad, I don’t see why you fear editing away from the office so much. Over the years I’ve edited at home for most of the time, it’s terrific. You can’t beat the commute.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up