Craig Shamwell
Forum Replies Created
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Absolutely understand those situations. And for a time very common ones, but in today’s world of iPhones shooting HD VIDEO and Cameras becoming a lot more robust and less expensive, these situations are unique to individuals like you and in less than 5 years most of them won’t exist. I am sure there are professional editors out there who would not know how to tackle some of your situations.
For me Oliver I guess its just that my gut strongly feels that what Apple has done with FCPX will be historically and accurately described as REVOLUTIONARY when all is said and done! (I don’t work for Apple or have any stock.) It will make it much easier for the standout talent to shine and not be overshadowed by those who “know” how the program works. Its like Apple is saying, we know how it works, lets see what you can do with it! I will probably never digest another tape the rest of my editing lifetime and I am happy for it! But unlike so many who said you couldn’t in X anyway, I know that was simply not true! Just being able to drop any kind of media in the timeline and not worry about having to “do” anything makes for much more positive editing mindset for me. And while I, like you, will look at the new editors coming up an say..”you have no idea what it was like 30 years ago”, I embrace all the changes that are here and coming to the world of Media Creation!! Again Oliver, I do apologize if you feel I misrepresented your statements. I am very passionate and love the dialogue as it gives me a chance to share my views and possibly help others dare to “see” things a bit differently.
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“The downside to teaching X for these students is that as yet, they don’t get software skills that translate well to employment situations. But that’s not the focus of the course.”
You know Oliver I did read “ALL” that you wrote…again, and Andy’s too! And while you seem awfully offended by what I said, you were not with Andy. And after looking at it again…he pretty much is saying the same thing I am saying. Your Statement above is a prime example! A truly talented individual need only watch….and learn. The need for years and years of technical knowledge to shoot, edit and distribute very good and engaging productions are gone!! In my most respectful of opinions for you to be spending any more than 10 percent of your students time on traditional film-making is cheating them. Understanding having enough “tail” on both ends of a clip for good transitions can be taught on NLE’s as effective as traditional. (not that that’s all you teach). I know when I cut film, just a few times, I thought to myself, ‘not many folks know how to do this!’ (I have used Roxio,Vegas Pro,Avid,Premiere,Video Toaster,FCP5/6/7, since. But those limitations are gone, and just the other day I was curiously looking up Video Jobs and there are lots of outfits and organizations looking for X experienced editors. More and More every day, along with Motion Artist. Sure, Oliver you said a couple of good things about X, but almost in every breath you “take it back” with a remark like the one above. Dude look, I have nothing but respect for your wealth of knowledge and the time you have put in,( I ahve know doubt you “know” a lot more than I do Technically) but believe me….the time has changed in that to be a very good editor, will depend on mostly one thing…talent! And that again is where we differ! I hated X like everyone when it came out! But I read first then fell right on the Wagon with everyone else. But once I started with it and updates like using the Tilde Key to move and disconnect connected clips, the Magnetic Time Line, literally has me thinking differently as to how I will build my project. And no other editor has made me think about editing in a more intuitive way. And I think this again may be where some of the “Pro’s” are irritated. They believe Apple is forcing there way on them with such a timeline and “no Tracks”. Which if anyone knows, is not true. You create Tracks as you build. So you know that I am not some crack Oliver…Have you ever edited on a Video Toaster? Its what “TriCaster” used to be and has, basically a trackless timeline too! You can freely place any media anywhere. I clearly remember saying to myself, ‘Why doesn’t Premiere do this?'(its what I was using at the time) Many Professionals have never used Toaster now TriCaster Products, but they do everything from live production to streaming to recording to editing and effects. You see my point is, the open or trackless timeline is nothing new! And show me anyone complaining using a TriCaster Product and I’ll give you a Dollar!? Not claiming to be an expert in the inner workings of any of said Software, I do have enough knowledge to see that Apple has taken the best of some and improved on much to create a much more engaging experience for Creative Video Creation. I believe like the TriCaster, Apple will make FCPX a complete Capture-Production-Deliverly Software Package. Instead of Software, Sony is doing just that with its new All-In-One “Touch” Production System. I would like to know just what kind of Projects you believe are not possible, or should I say “suited” for editing in FCPX?
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“It’s not hundreds – it’s thousands, before you can even consider yourself any good” Herein lies the the Crux of why many “Professional” editors don’t like FCPX! Because its easy to learn! Because you can achieve “professional” results without the thousands of hours you speak of. That is the whole point Oliver that I and others are trying to make with what makes FCPX more than ready for Professional Editors! The Paradigm of what a Professional Editor has changed. Your description is no longer valid that so many hours is needed to produce great looking results! The two easiest tools to use in all of creativity are probably the pencil and paper. What goes on that canvas is at the hands of the artist. Its the same for Video Editing! FCPX is a much easier tool to use and yes it looks very different. But what makes an Editor an artist is his gift for timing, symmetry, continuity and storytelling. What makes an Editor a Professional is one who makes a living doing it. Period…and that does not mean “thousands” of hours. And no, once an individual learns the language of Editing, keyframing and such, they can become quite good in a very short period of time, especially using an editor that makes editing much more intuitive. Again, sorry if you feel I disrespected you, but your response is just what I meant. My belief is Apple is looking at Video as the future of communication. So why not make the tools for doing such…easier, more intuitive. While many have called FCPX, iMovie Pro…many a professional has used iMovie for capturing and rough cutting video. Its actually a very good program and many make a lot of money just using it! But you would probably not call them “Professional” And that my friend where we disagree. Some of the best editors did not go to school for it. And everything you know isn’t needed by many of the editors of today. That just makes you a more knowledgeable Editor, not anymore talented or Professional. There is a thousand times more footage being edited today than 15 years ago, and its not film and TV work either! Things have changed dramatically and so has the “Professional” Editor, both in body and in software.
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I have been particularly interested in Andy and Oliver’s discussion within this thread, as Oliver is quintessential as to the “misconception” that FCPX is some how only suitable for home movies and those who edit using FCPX are somehow not “Professional Editors”! Furthermore, Kevin P McAuliffe, the original Author of article this thread is based on, is just flat out wrong…ten ways till Sunday!!
He starts out with “if the question has to be asked, “is FCPX ready for professional editors”, then the answer has to be NO!” This is arrogance at its very finest! And I mean no disrespect to anyone. But this is just absurd. FCPX is trully revolutionary in so many ways, and still growing!
Right now for Editors like Oliver and Kevin, being a Professional Editor means spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours learning that expensive software. Along with knowing elements of editing that many editors will never use in any of their projects. I myself was very frustrated at the “Uniqueness” of FCPX along with how “Buggy” it was in its initial release. In that respect, it was “NOT” ready for professionals. But as many are beginning to post, along with many more editing job descriptions asking for FCPX experience, FCPX is now being recognized as the one editor that can do what it does better than any other……SAVE THE EDITOR A LOT OF TIME!!! The Multi-Cam editor is absolutely wonderful! What’s pissing people off like Kevin is, Apple have re-branded what is available to People with Creative Vision making video creation much more affordable and possible by providing a tool that is very inexpensive, very powerful, with ton of third party Plug-In support. Folks like Oliver feel that if an Editor is not using or doing what he is doing that somehow they are not Professional. The reality is, what makes an editor truly Professional is this: That when all is said and done, what they produce has seamless edits, footage is matched and graded and meets the clients criteria, no typos, and deadlines and budgets are met. This criteria is all encompassing no matter how big or small the project is. FCPX is a Professional Editor, there is no doubt about that as I use it to produce all kinds of work weekly. This past week and half I finished 3 :30 spots with alternative “auditions” included for the client to view which saved me a ton of time. Many have talked about the lack of Audio controls in FCPX…they are all there! I can edit Audio in the FCPX timeline very fast and sweeten it at the same time. You can export any part of the timeline to Motion as well as any Plug-In, Effect or Type, edit and save and its back in FCPX! Kevin’s original post that so may responded to has so many statements that are not true! Which is why so many were pissed, as they should be!!
Its time to put this issue to rest and start looking at what FCPX brings to the table of Professional as well as Amateur editors! -
I will tell you that I never use AE! FCPX’s third party FX Plug-Ins have become very robust and extremely time saving….seriously!!!! Everything from Color Grading to motion tracking HUB Effects to Dead Pixel removal!
When FCPX first came out, I made the silly mistake of reading and taking for granted what everyone was saying. Sure 10.0.1 was buggy as hell, but boy did I love being able to preview pretty much everything and not have to guess if that was the filter or effect I wanted in FCP7!!
I hated, you hear me….hated the magnetic timeline!! But I have to give Apple Credit because the updates just kept on coming, and things got better! Especially the simple task of moving and deleting connected clips without other clips disappearing and upsetting everything! I can move stuff all over the timeline without worrying about synching or timing. This is very helpful when you want to see how a different “structure” would work.
If i were you my friend, I would seriously re-think your move back to Windows. With so many Plug-Ins built just for FCPX, (thanks to Apple for making Motion open to developers) its an untouchable NLE. And to add to my very first statement….I never use Motion either!! With the right Plug-Ins for the job at hand, FCPX is truly a stand alone editor where just about anything can be done, without ever leaving it! Yes I know its not for everyone, but even if you use anything else, its worth having around and knowing how to use it. -
Man….I’m perplexed?? I don’t see the problems you all are having with FCPX’s key-framing!!If I want an object to move, be it a text element or an object, I find FCPX’s Key-Framing to be as simple as it gets.
Once I size the image to its final size, I position it, move the timeline to the point where it will rest, set an end keyframe (KF) in the viewer while in “transform” mode. Just one click adds a KF to all perimeters. If you don’t change any of them, it doesn’t matter….less clicks! After setting the KF, I then move the timeline to where it will start, position the object and re-size it to it’s starting position. set an anchor KF, use the arrow key and nudge the timeline one frame and set a starting KF. (That description took only 138 words)
And at times, I start at the beginning. But this is where some get lost, because once you set the “first” KF, anything you do to the object in terms of transforming, cropping or opacity, FCPX will automatically set a new KF. That’s why its better to KF in reverse!!As far as linear and smooth, do any of you know to click on any of the anchor points that are visible when you activate a clip and click on the “transform” tool? There are very useful tools for creating very cool movement!!
Look, while you may rant about Key-framing, I rant about those who crush FCPX without taking the time to LEARN what it can really do! So lets take it a little bit further. Lets say that same object you will want to FADE OUT after holding for 5 seconds? Making sure there is enough “clip”, place the time line at the place where you want the fad out to start. Again, click on the KF in the viewer(new anchor KF), nudge one frame forward, add another (starting)KF, move the timeline to the point where it will be at zero visibility, go to the opacity slider located in the ‘Compositing” window and slide it to zero! That’s it! You don’t even have to add another KF! Its done automatically!
So while I do appreciate a well deserved Rant from time to time, I just don’t see it applicable here. In all fairness, it just sounds like you have not grasped the concept of Key-framing my friend. And by the looks of it here, you are not alone!
But let me not end on a “cut”…Seriously, pay for a month of FCPX Tutorials. It will only be like 30 bucks. Put aside 1 hour every day to learn something new. FCPX is full of hidden stuff that does what a lot say they can’t do! I make money using FCPX too, and i would not be using it if Key-framing was as difficult as you make it out to be. -
Show me a PC Workstation that will “tide” you over with a screen like the 27iMac and I’ll show you a real expensive workstation.
Look, the truth is with OWC adding a 32GB upgrade kit for memory in all 2011+ 27inch iMacs, it would “with ease” be able to handle all of your needs. I do have an external BD Drive, but other than that, along with external drives of course, my iMac is a joy to edit in FCPX with.
I am a photog too and I work with primarily RAW images and there is almost no lag time opening up multiple RAW files.
While I understand those who tout PC workstations, they rarely factor in the iMac’s gorgeous Display!!
For just under 3Grand, you can’t beat it!!
And no I do not work for MAC or anyone else…I am an editor on a budget and this has worked out better than I thought!! -
Well, I am still in transition…
I verified and repaired any disc permissions. And while it seemed a bit more stable, after every launch FCPX has to re-render everything to be played back at HQ. The same is true when I add a project to the timeline from the project window. It seem as though there is some kind of connection/communication problem from projects created in the previous version. One of my projects (a 30sec spot), its main VO was distorted, like a alien filter had been applied. The left and right channels bounced as well. Its still happening.
I talked with a nice Kid named Aaron at Apple and he said he had not heard of any problems and that everything was fine on his machine. He said he was an editor himself, and seemed sincerely concerned.
I guess we can only hope that there is enough buzz for Apple to check it out and find out if its inside the program or if there is a download problem, or its an issue with the recent OS upgrade.
The bottom line is this. With the addition of Multicam Editing, along with other new enhancements, FCPX will be the single best on-the-fly-editor money can buy for web editors especially….. If it can run SMOOTHLY! I have several projects coming up this week and I will see how it goes, but right now my shyt is not running smoothly. -
Just talked to Apple (phone was low on juice, go figure!) Nice guy who is an editor gave me a few things to do, so after re-installing it I will get back to you and let you know if it worked.
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To those who have replied: Yes I did update my OS as well as the “fix” Apple quietly and swiftly released a few days later. And yes it is re-rendering “everything” it seems after every launch. And I did notice that when I re-set the playback to HQ, everything gets worse and files seem to be missing. And “yes” at this point I would not recommend updating until Apple fixes this problem as I see now I am not the only one. While I have had my criticisms of FCPX, and still think there should be options to have more control of the timeline, I have to say it grows on you everyday you use it…and just hope they (Apple) get it right…soon. Multi-cam editing will be much appreciated and looks to be a great new approach to it. But as of this moment, my editor is down. I can’t use it. So I will be patient and contact the App Store and see if I can get version 2 back on my machine until they get the bugs out of version 3.