[Andy Field]

CBS BBC and others are installing X for one reason

It is inexpensive

No yearly licensing ..pay once and done

I work in one of the big networks and see the decisions from the inside. Many more inexperienced one man/woman bands doing simple cut cut field editing with simple two channel news sound mixes. You can most of that on an iPhone with iMovie

They can’t find experienced X editors because

A. They aren’t paying experienced editor rates
B. Experienced editors are doing long form narrative or doc work on larger more complex mixes requiring in app track managemement CC. Effects round tripping. Etc. …something the experience folk feel more comfortable doing in other NLE’s instead of learning a new paradigm

For large news operations…X is primarily a budget decision foisted on staff that must learn and use it …I know staffers who say they have no choice. Companies area saying. “Live with it”

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

In terms of fast and slow – I’m a premiere pro user – and as they say in New England – it’s Wicked Fast….. However I wanted to use FCP X for some graphics work and built in plugins not available in Premiere

(Stupid raisins easy to use animated charts)

I’m on the latest and greatest Macbook Pro Retina (bought two months ago) maxed out ram and graphics card

FCP X is the ONLY thing running – and it was slow and glitchy — response time to click on play make parameter changes — all slow with a delay

This would drive me nuts if I used it ever day

Those issues aren’t a “feature” of PP CC 2015

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

Adobe software folks – it’s now a year since the original post – and it’s still not fixed – tried to consolidate a problem with mixed audio bit rates – the dreaded unknown error is back

This pretty much makes the consolidate function unusable without a lot of extra work

Please fix this

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

Hi Paul — the conversion worked and kept the alpha channel (in Quicktime Player) It was intermittent – worked at first and then later didn’t recognize the Animation codec until i did that conversion) Tried trashing preferences.. I’m not near the computer now but can send you the computer and set up specs when I am.

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

I work for a national news network out of DC and virtually all in house edit suites are AVID….using it’s servers here, in NY and LA. That said, the engineering folks realize that editing is now portable and everywhere and they’re looking at other solutions including Premiere Pro and FCP X……some producers and reporters already using both in the field where interfacing with the server is less of an issue, as they’re sending completed, sometimes rough cuts over IP to air or finish

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

If the table support Adobe Clip…and there’s a way to get the footage on to the tablet — then yes…. – you rough cut on the tablet – and upload the xml to adobe cloud…..relink in premiere

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

[James Ewart] “When a painter of carpenter comes to my house I do not expect to be charged for the use of the brushes or hammers.

Yet a profitable, busy savvy painter and carpenter IS charging you for the use of his brushes or hammers….it’s part of the cost of them doing business. You can pretend they don’t, but if they don’t, they’re losing money.

I no longer charge for my computer and software when editing. It saves a boring conversation.”

But costs you money in capital expenses you aren’t amortizing…..I bought an 800 dollar piece of software for animation — charged the client 1200 for the job…..made 400 dollars for my labor and the rest covered my investment. After that, whatever I charge is pure profit on the first software price investment. That’s called capitalism. Unless you’re running a charity, it’s foolish not to factor in the price of your equipment and software.

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

Here’s another way of looking at this.

You aren’t selling editing time or gear.

You’re selling professional story telling.

I’ve been a network correspondent, an editor, producer, voice over guy, writer….

I’ve got my own gear and edit write and produce various projects, from documentaries to corporate video.

Selling myself as an “editor” often has the client look at you as just one cog in the machine…when in fact you are the entire story telling machine who can make or break the message they want to deliver. When you sell yourself as a total solution, you’re value soars in the potential client’s eyes. Just an “editor” has them running to Craigslist for the lowest price.

I manage and control costs this way.

I lay out how long pre to post production will take, with locations, prep time, pre-interviewes etc. Then build in log and edit time for rough cut — graphics etc.

Each has a price tag depending on how much I want/need to make on that project – my costs for crews etc and reasonable mark up for profit and taxes.

Then I tell the client – YOU CAN CONTROL THE COSTS.

if they follow the guidelines – get sign off on each step – script approval – rough cut approval – polished cut approval. The estimate won’t change.

When they step outside that realm — then they understand the meaning of hourly rates — we tell them – after the second round of edit changes – the meter starts running again at x per hour. It’s then up to them to determine the final cost.

This is a far more profitable way to produce for hire work….and lets the client know up front you’re trying to save them money with a methodical step by step production approval scheme.

We get them to sign the agreement for all of the above. When the client says – but our accounting department has changes after the 12th edit – you point them back to the original agreement and say – no problem – here’s what they will cost extra.

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

Hi Sorry I think they found it…but if you’re in DC the company is TeamVideo

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

[Andy Field]

Thanks for the suggestions…and nice to know about Interface…..most freelancers I know haven’t touched or gotten into FCP X – they are all FCP legacy editors – AVID or now Premiere…… Frankly I don’t care how something gets edited if the person doing it is a skilled story teller. I switched from FCP 7 to Premiere because it was a painless transition – you can set it to work almost 99 percent the way 7 worked..without the endless rendering and transcoding.

My initial resistance to FCP x was audio – my radio background involved complex mixes ..easily accomplished in FCP 7….originally more difficult with X’s put the audio anywhere the program feels won’t collide with another track (solving a problem that virtually didn’t exist for most editors) and still the added work of assigning roles etc and then sending to another program seems like extra work when you can visually see what your doing and what’s nats narration music etc on a track based timeline. But more power to the folks who enjoy the new system.

Happy editing.

Andy Field
FieldVision Productions
N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852