Chris Harlan
Forum Replies Created
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[Michael Phillips] “Some of my thoughts on the first example got typo’d out, now that re-read it. I meant to say getting a job in an all “Avid shop” a certificate can at least help filter out those with some level of “familiarity” versus those who don’t. Not that someone who isn’t certified isn’t qualified – it’s one of those things that gives a head start to the conversation.
You can certainly go though a book like Media Composer 6:
https://www.amazon.com/Media-Composer-Editing-Essentials-Learning/dp/1133727...Which is based on entry level certification on your own. The benefit of any class situation is the ability to ask the questions usually not covered in a book which is usually “how” but also when and why?
“Ah. Got it. I’m also wondering if I don’t want to do it as some sort of personal rite of passage, something that makes me feel a little bit more on board in my own head. I’m starting to think of it like it might be kind of a fun vacation workout intensive, and a fine way to say goodbye to FCP. A bit pricey, but what the hey. Of course, that might argue for doing the Premiere course, instead, as I’ve vowed that I’m going to get fast fingers on both of them.
As to books, I’ve already got the text you linked to on my iPad. It’s very thorough, though frankly, I have thumbed it more than read it. Personally, I really liked Avid Agility. I found it a little more relatable. Among the several tutorials I’ve waded through–all good–I especially liked Steve Kanter’s Avid Six Core Training.
I’m delivering the finals in a series of episodic promos tomorrow, that I’ve been using MC to work on, and then I have a little time, so maybe its good to tie together all of the far-flung training and practical work into some sort of codifying event. Maybe turning it into a moment is worth the price of admission, itself–I tell myself as I reach haltingly for the credit card.
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[Charlie Austin] “… when it doesn’t work. As i write this, YouSendIt, which tons of people rely on, is down. Lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Including mine, as I can’t get to the VO I just read to cut into the spot that needs to go out now. Apparently WireDrive was down off and on yesterday as well. Yeah, I want my ability to work and meet deadlines tied to the vagaries of the internet. Not.
“Been there. Feel your pain. I know that doesn’t help. But, yeah.
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[Aindreas Gallagher] ” tool switching in the timeline can be a bit funky, and if I was going to be picky, the overall detail and design of the timeline, clip objects, and tool cursors lacks a lot of fit and finish.
“Agreed.
[Aindreas Gallagher] “Also feathered bezier masking tools please.
“I’d sure like this, as well.
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[Craig Seeman] “I’ve heard Adobe was dropping the .5 upgrade numbering system.
“That’s what I’ve heard too. And, hasn’t it only been once that they’ve had a paid upgrade at a . release? So its not like they have a pattern of doing that. FCP did it for 4.5 as well.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “[Chris Harlan] “If I just wanted to give somebody a small portion of a project in a separate folder or sneaker-net drive, can I give them just the clips I choose with handles?”
FCPX still uses full clips only (it does not trim down existing clips), BUT you can send only “used clips” which helps to cut down on a massive Event with multitudes of clips.
“Sadly, for what I do, that’s still a big problem in the sharing department. A single file is usually about 60 gigs and a sizzle project can have a couple of TBs worth of those files. Much easier to hand someone 35 seconds of a sizzle to polish when its boiled down to clips with handles. I still require some form of media management/consolidation as a basic function of what I do for both sharing and archiving.
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[Michael Phillips] “If you’re looking to get a job in an Avid job – either permanent or via freelance, the certification gives some idea of the base level of training achieved.”
I certainly get the concept, but I’ve always been a bit leery of the actual value of software certification programs. They often seem to be as much about arcane nomenclature as actual useful field knowledge, designed to prop up or otherwise propagate a brand. You say Canvas, I say Record Monitor; let’s call the whole thing off, as it were.
[Michael Phillips] “If you’re your own one-man shop with your own clientele, it’s really up to you whether you need certification or not, or just learn more on Media Composer functionality via the myriad of tutorial videos available. “
Unfortunately or fortunately, my world’s a little more complicated than either/or. I do both, and, over the last few years find myself running crews, as well–lead Preditor and post supervisor in one. Those were all lengthy Final Cut Pro adventures, and I don’t think I ever once actually thought of certification when looking for help.
Once upon a time, you couldn’t get any kind of Avid training (besides field experience) without it being official. Those days, thankfully, are gone. Over the last year, I’ve worked through some terrific books and many terrific tutorials, and I’m having a hard time imagining that the “official” classes will add anything to what I’ve already learned. In fact, my fear is that I will spend a chunk of money on an intensive that chases baby steps I’ve already taken.
I know that the Avid mindset can be a bit different than the FCP world I’ve been in for so long, which is why I’m asking 1) what certification really means to people, and 2) if anyone has taken these specific set of courses and what they think about them?
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Chris Harlan
April 2, 2013 at 3:18 am in reply to: Yes, this is off topic. But it’s funny, especially for audio folks. 🙂[Charlie Austin] “This technology removes hours of guesswork, giving users the single sound that best represents the complex, almost infinite possibilities of 50-year old classic analog recording equipment.
“Here’s some tag lines:
When you can have the absolute best, why would you want all the rest?
Choice–what a waste of time.
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[Oliver Peters] “I’m fortunate in that I have not needed to work with tape much over the past few years. There are still enough shops in town that have decks, so that on the few occasions where tape ingest or output is required, I can simply buy time, walk in with a drive and get the job done. Far cheaper for me (or the company I’m freelancing for) to do that than invest in the purchase and maintenance of tape decks. Plus the facilities who still have them, make some additional revenue off of that investment. So it’s really a win-win.
“Yeah, that’s where I’ve been for the last five or six years, and tape is now such a rarity for me, that its been more than a year since I’ve touched one.
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Chris Harlan
April 2, 2013 at 2:35 am in reply to: Yes, this is off topic. But it’s funny, especially for audio folks. 🙂hammertime! LOL. SUCH A DEAL.
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Chris Harlan
April 2, 2013 at 2:33 am in reply to: Yes, this is off topic. But it’s funny, especially for audio folks. 🙂Dual bypass! What a great product! If you know anyone at the company, I’ve got a quote for hem that you can pass along:
Nothing, absolutely nothing, makes my sound sound more like my sound than the Transparenator. Nothing.