Ronny Courtens
Forum Replies Created
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Allow me to put some things in the right perspective.
I can understand Mads’ enthusiastic reaction to this update. It solves an issue for them that has been around since day 1 and that typically affected very complex timelines with tons of stacked connected clips. Obviously, the longer the timeline the more the problem was apparent. We have reported this issue, even sending complete projects with media over to Apple. I can only guess why it has taken until now to see a solution. Probably because the root of the issue required some changes in the fundamentals of FCP X which were completed with 10.3, but also because the problem was only really apparent with very specific types of productions and not with long-form projects in general.
Metronome has gone from 3 FCP X seats in 2012 to 50+ seats now (at the expense of Avid), and the “drag-lag” issue as we started calling it has not stopped them from delivering over 300 hours of content each year. This means they have always been ABLE to do their work, but not in the best circumstances.
A few months ago another major production company started complaining about the issue. They sent us their projects and we noticed their timelines (long-form docs with loads of stacked titles, graphics and connected multichannel audio) were very similar to the ones we saw from Metronome. So I started calling everyone in Europe who works on long-form with FCP X to ask if they had similar issues. Only a few of the 50 companies I called confirmed that they did experience the drag-lag issue in the same way as the guys from Metronome. I guess that’s why Mads says that “many would argue that the problem does not exist”. So I asked everyone who had problems to send their projects to Apple, and apparently this has resulted in getting the issue on the priority list. I got confirmation from all of them now that the new update has indeed solved the problem for them. All is well that ends well, up to the next update.
– Ronny
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“I reckon Apple isn’t too keen on communicating with its professional users anymore.”
I have had quite a long chat with them at IBC, and so have other people I know. So maybe it’s just you, Mike ? (-:
– Ronny
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We probably will wait with publishing Benjamin Mercer’s presentation, which was absolutely stunning, I agree. Ben will be doing an updated presentation about this huge feature film during our next FCP X Tour on November 4th in Barcelona, and we will publish that one right after the event.
– Ronny
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Yes, the producer made the decision but not because he only knows FCP X. The main reasons for choosing FCP X were speed, flexibility and cost-efficiency, which he explains in the video. Most of the editors who work on this production already knew FCP X and yes, they are very happy with how things have turned out so far.
The reason why they have finally turned to optimizing their footage was the wrong choice of recording codec. There are known issues with the 50Mbps Mpeg codec of the C300. These issues also occur in other NLEs. After noticing the problems they tested the same footage natively in Avid, with the same results. For their next programs they are going to use a different codec and/or camera, and they are going to edit everything natively in FCP X.
Yes, this is an island in a bigger operation, but it’s a start and they have made a huge impression so far. The same thing happened at another major Danish production company that used to be 100% Avid: it started with a few programs in FCP X, and after awhile their management noticed the benefits of this workflow. Now the entire operation is switching to FCP X.
– Ronny
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Hey Michael,
Good to hear you are taking your first steps with FCP X very seriously. And yes, it is being used by many content creators all over the planet. If you just look at the line-up we got together for our little event at IBC, you will see that it is very popular among a lot of television and film producers in Europe: https://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/1847-fcpx-tour-ibc-announced-10-11-september
As to your questions:
FCP X has true 3D text (not just some 2D extrusion like in many other apps). This means that the text accepts materials, lighting and shadows. And that’s what you see when you rotate the text, even if you use a flat title. Of course you can use non-reflecting materials, or manipulate your lighting, so your white stays white however you rotate the text. You can find a lot of tips about working with 3D text materials and reflections here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIbQ3LYibTw
– If you want to replace the first clip on your timeline without affecting a music clip that its attached to it, use the Replace function.
– If you want to delete the first clip on your timeline without affecting a music clip that its attached to it, press Delete + Tilde (grave) key.
– You also can change the connection point for your music if you don’t want it to be connected to your first clip on the timeline: place your playhead (or skimmer) under any clip on the timeline, press ALT+CMD and click on the music clip. It will now be attached to the clip where your playhead is.
So no hacks required.
BTW: if you want to learn more about FCP X, this will keep you busy for awhile: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTJa1o34Oay-LrhjK0DHfiLEPi0MD9NdL
– Ronny
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You are absolutely right, Robin. That time indication is misleading and it shouldn’t be there. I will ask Soho Editors to change this.
– Ronny
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Hey Robin. Nope, you can register for an entire day unless you only want to attend specific presentations. No different from last year. Looking forward to seeing you there!
– Ronny
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I’m afraid you will need to register and be there.
– Ronny
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All I know is that some people who register for the special IBC event will certainly be “very happy”.
The most important thing about this event is that we will be able to demo some of the latest technologies and workflows, and that we will be able to record some pretty amazing presentations:
https://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/1847-fcpx-tour-ibc-announced-10-11-september
– Ronny
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The Finder path indicates that you are looking in the correct event, unless you have multiple versions of this project. But this got me thinking:
I closed final cut and restarted it a few minutes later…
That’s something one usually does after a crash or a problem. If you have restarted because of a problem: delete your FCP X preferences and see if this brings back you project.
If this doesn’t help, just open your latest Library Backup and you should be good.
– Ronny