[John Davidson]

Here’s an example – we had 3 channels of separate sound embedded in a single clip. We wanted to trim (but keep) just one channel and not the others – so we had to break the clip apart to do that. Then in the chaos of editing one clip lost sync with lip flap.

We’re breaking apart less and less as we get the hang of it more, but that’s a specific example of why we did that.

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

Unless you need to break audio apart from the video, and then there’s zero indication if sync has slips.

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

Fo sho. We’re next to Outback. I’ll show you our FCPX stuff :).

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

I wasn’t able to read your emails Craig, but the wording was vague enough on the LAFCPUG site to make a few other websites curious about it as well.

Just to clarify what I meant by “they don’t edit how we edit”, I was talking about promo people in particular. We don’t do a ton of multi camera and with promos you’re constantly switching out sound bytes, adding transitions, revising, slipping vo around – it’s a 30 second catastrophe. Because nothing is locked in, the primary track has to be left alone. This eliminates some of the excellent trimming that can be done in primary. If we drop a transition on a clip, it makes a compound clip – then when we decide to extend the shot being transitioned we have to remove the transition, break apart the compound, extent, reapply transition, etc. We’re constantly adjusting our workflow to make these issues less annoying (like adding tranny’s at the end of the edit, etc).

I think for documentary, series, movie, and most other non-specific length editing FCPX is pretty awesome. With our specific work it just requires a few semi-clever workarounds. Let’s not fool ourselves that there weren’t hacks and workarounds with FCP7 though. When I cut home videos and stuff like that, the primary is fantastical. For us, for now, it’s at best only useful for slates in a long string out.

I think more than anything else, people who look at X now are mostly sad that in many ways we’ve gone backwards in time to around FCP4.5, when OMF’s didn’t work and FCP was good, but not great. XtoPro doesn’t work for us because it embeds the entire audio of a clip, not just the section you want with handles. Imagine a :20 spot going to mix with 7 hours of unneeded audio embedded in it. Yikes!

End of the day, we are using FCPX for broadcast spots on about 3 networks – right now. Going back to 7 for anything is no fun at all.

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

So just to recap the night, Apple sent a representative into the Lion’s den to show off some of the updates since launch and demoing FCPX in action. It felt that the room was largely filled with a few folks who use FCPX, and more folks who haven’t kept up with what’s new(ish).

The LAFCPUG site seemed to imply that new things were coming or would be demo’ed. That’s why I went.

I’m glad to see Apple making an effort to dispel some of the rumors regarding FCPX. I do wish they’d spend more time having Q&A’s with those of us who use it, or attempt to use it. The way they edit with FCPX is very very different than how we’ve found best to use it. I wish I could show them. I think it would help.

Until then – no primary storyline for us commercial guys!

[John Davidson]

I’m a bit curious what their official solution is to sharing projects and events over a network would be to maintain metadata across both systems, etc.

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

That’s what I’m hoping. I’ve been obsessively hitting app store software update all week for an 10.0.6 update, but maybe it will come out tomorrow or next Tuesday. More likely, it’ll come out with Mountain Lion next month.

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

Maybe we should stick to questions that won’t have me kneecapped in the parking lot later :).

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

Maybe they’re referring to Full Screen apps. When you go FS, one monitor becomes kind of dormant. Solution, don’t use full screen. Adobe apps don’t even go FS, so it’s really not a big deal.

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.

[John Davidson]

CNN Newssource? It’s been about 12 years since I was there, but I think you can request specific elements and they’ll dig it up from the library.

https://newsource.cnn.com/

John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.