[J Hussar]

Congrats on your first post.

You made think about my position. You honestly did. Most battles here don’t inspire me much, but your comments did.

You made me re-consider what editing is….

Well, first the basics – past goes to future, not the other way around. Time is linear – that’s fact. Also editing video is not the same as making interactive media, we aren’t editing a website, we are making a crafted, timed video/film, we aren’t asking the viewer to re-time the clips for us, or make our edit decisions, we time it for them. We control timing, it’s what we’re paid for. Our ability to know how to present information in a linear fashion is what we do.

For me, most of my editing is done in my head. Many times I need to get away from the machine and think about contrasts, symbols, juxtapositions, etc. I will try things and I adjust lengths of shots and transitions to give the impact I am looking for. I must find and organize the media I need for what I am doing. So here are my issues.

I need access to my media, wherever it comes from. So as many sources as possible – for the time being that includes tapes. I need access to all media to be easier for me. That helps me creatively. FCPX limits my sources. I don’t like limits.

Second, I like to work sequences separate from the main body of the work, effectively I like multiple sequences all in one project, some are just thoughts, sometime I like to make a bizarre experiment sequence and then pull pieces from that into main sequence. One sequence at a time isn’t enough for me. It limits my ability to experiment and not get stuck with an experiment gone wrong. I don’t want to think about saving a million separate projects. I want to keep my variations at my fingertips in one project.

Not having that limits me.

Ultimately I am not interested in a ‘cool interface’ – I don’t buy anything for a pretty interface, I buy software as a tool that works well – I am only interested in creative output. I need a controllable interface – I don’t need an interface to entertain me. I hope it is aesthetically pleasing, one reason I like Apple, but that’s it.

This is not the first time someone has attempted to make quantum leaps – in the nineties there was an interface designer named Kai Krause who made ‘artistic’ interfaces. The problem was, you had very limited control of them, it was horrible. People who liked playing around, rolling the dice on their output enjoyed them, people who knew what they were after did not. This ‘quantum leap’ in interface design died off fairly quickly because the interface was for Kai, not for us. I feel FCPX is for Randy Ubillos, not for us.

If FCPX would stop worrying about trying to be style over substance I would embrace it. Limiting my ability to be the creative controller is my main issue. I don’t consider making me fit the ‘program’ a good answer. I control the program, not the other way around.

I hope they fix FCPX and expand it’s abilities. I would like FCPX to be an app without limits – but I feel in it’s present form it will only let me do what it wants me to do. Not very creative at all.

Finally – I want some concrete evidence that Apple will take the training wheels off it – I’d like an official statement. That’s all I am saying.

And again, thank you for inspiring me!

[J Hussar]

Steve hates bad press – he really does.

The worse thing that our complaining does is make Apple aware that they have to make really good software – and not to take pros for granted. Even those who are prosumers and like FCPX will get the benefit of those who complained.

It’s an old and true saying… “the squeaky wheel get the grease…”

[J Hussar]

That’s what I’m talking about – just a bit more control. My issue is that the one size fits all approach isn’t the best fit.

[J Hussar]

No prob – I’ve just noticed a certain amount of hit and run accounts. There was girl who came on day one of the fiasco, attacked some very valid points that were being made and then whoosh – gone. Most of us have our livelihoods on the line – hence the intensity on some of the threads.

Especially those of us with many older jobs (hundreds +) and tape libraries, who are literally in stunned disbelief at being left high and dry after being the biggest boosters of FCP. I hope you have some appreciation of that.

[J Hussar]

I think the term is, “spot on!”

[J Hussar]

Chris Stevens
Member Since:
June 29th 2011

Not to belabor this, but it seems a tad fishy that people who joined in the last few days go into a rah, rah sales pitch for the FCPX new engine – it doesn’t inspire much confidence in me. You may be real, but where have you been for all these years? You just found the cow? I certainly haven’t seen any new joiners who are critical of FCPX.

[J Hussar]

Apple doesn’t like a PR mess, and making professional media people mad is a huge error (i.e. Conan O’Brien video).

No they are in full alert mode – they thought they’d slip it by and they failed. They’ll try and make peace, just for the sake of PR.

Not complaining would have been the big mistake. The legal idea is here:

Silence is acquiescence (aka. silent acquiescence and acquiescence by silence) is a related doctrine that can mean, and have the legal effect, that when confronted with a wrong or an act that can be considered a tortious act, where one’s silence may mean that one accepts or permits such acts without protest or claim thereby loses rights to a claim of any loss or damage.

[J Hussar]

[Mike Stroven] “In true Apple form, a bunch of clueless product marketing people try and dumb things down to the point that any 2nd grader can use them. They don’t understand the professional market, and they never have. They don’t understand the enterprise market either, surprise… They are like Volkswagon without the R&D of Porche and Audi.”

Sony does this. Sony has a professional division that make $ 50,000 HD tape decks and HD cameras, plus other hard core pro equipment. It is a division within the company.

The R&D from the high end trickles down and is used in prosumer and consumer products – it is great business strategy, and one Apple should employ.

Apple should work with the Pros, make some cutting edge stuff and use the R&D to make the consumer end cutting edge.

I worry that Steve J. is sick and some of the worst elements (i.e. Randy) of the company are taking it over for some short term profit.

[J Hussar]

I saw what Walter did showing the features of Premiere, I didn’t realize it was as good as it was. I will hang for a bit and hope Apple sees the error of Randy’s ways, but if Apple maintains their arrogance, that might be where I’ll go as well.

[J Hussar]

I would love that – I’m not against a new paradigm, I like all sorts of paradigms – but forcing one way as the only way is what gets me cranky!