I questioned whether it would make sense for me to blog about the release of Final Cut Pro X (aka FCPX). Seems like every major filmmaker/blogger is already doing it. But, I’d like to tackle the situation from a viewpoint that I don’t see anyone else doing. The fundamental problem with creatives in general….
IMPULSIVE
Ever since the Final Cut meet-up at NAB in Las Vegas this past April, it was abundantly clear FCPX was going to be a completely NEW product. For all intents and purposes, this is a 1.0 product, NOT a ver. 10.0. Everyone could see from the demos that it looked and felt like the current version of iMovie. (Well, if it looks like a duck…) The warning signs were everywhere about this. Just last week FCP guru Larry Jordan mentioned in a Final Cut User group meet-up that this version was not yet ready for Pro use. Yet, despite all the warnings, despite the common sense that a 1.0 software product will have bugs, thousands of filmmakers and videographers forked over $300 to get this thing. And guess what, lots and lots of them are screaming for their money back.
FCPX does not have a lot of the key features professionals need e.g. key third-party plugin support; EDL support; pass-through to broadcast monitor; OMF support; in ability to export to tape; and the biggie – IT WON’T IMPORT OLD FCP FILES. (I still can’t believe that one!) Unfortunately, a lot of videographers and filmmakers are finding this out the hard way. This represents one of the biggest problems I see in professional creative circles. This impulsive need to buy every freaking new shiny toy or software program as soon as it hits the shelf. Regardless of how much it costs, if it adds to your debt, or, as in this case, it’s a 1.0 product with enough warnings about it ahead of time. I do not feel sorry at all for everyone complaining about the $300 they’re out now.
I don’t know if there is a cure for this “condition.” It’s the same thing that makes filmmakers run out and spend $5,000 on a new camera then feel “duped” when six months later an equally capable camera comes out for half the price. Creatives just love technology so much, and what they can do with it, that they throw caution to the wind. I actually read on a Facebook group thread where a very experienced wedding filmmaker was considering “throwing caution to the wind’ (his term) and using FCPX on a same day edit this weekend. (A same day edit is where you shoot and edit a wedding the same day and show a short highlights clip at the reception. It’s an amazing experience, but has more than enough built-in problems you don’t need to add to it by editing with a 1.0 version of an editing program that is missing a lot of key features). I’m guessing by now he has changed his mind, but the fact he’d even consider it was crazy.
I’m sure part of the problem is a sense that you’ll feel left behind if you don’t get the latest and greatest as soon as it comes out. You start reading all the tweets and Facebook posts about how cool their new cameras are, or how smooth their new sliders are, etc., and you feel compelled to jump on the bandwagon. It’s like that little devil from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons that would sit on Bugs’ shoulders and tell him to do something he knows he shouldn’t do. Well, if I may, let me play the opposing angel…
ADVICE
For what it’s worth, here are three suggestions for what I believe is a more sane and sound business approach to upgrading software or equipment
- Wait
- Wait some more
- Wait a little longer
That’ it. Just wait. Wait to see what the professional reviewers have to say. Wait for the early adopters who will throw caution to the wind regardless of what I, or anyone else says. Wait for the inevitable upgrade, whether it’s a software upgrade, or an upgrade in equipment. If you need a concrete amount of time, I would suggest at LEAST six months, but you could easily go longer. (I waited 18 months before buying my own HD DSLR). In the meantime, continue using what you’ve always used. Also, when it comes to gear, RENT, RENT, RENT. I can’t say it enough. Don’t fork over thousands of dollars for the latest DSLR or 4/3″ camcorder with interchangeable lenses as soon as they hit the market. And for heavens sake, do not go out and buy the RED Epic.
I’m sure this will fall on many deaf ears. And I promise not to say “I told you so.” But for the sake of your business, and your sanity, show some wisdom, maturity and patience.
Hitler reacts to FCPX (you knew it was coming).
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Well said Ron. The “lust” for all things new & shiny is definitely a problem. The hype produced ahead of product launches accomplishes exactly what the developers/manufacturers want … instant sales. But that also carries some “instant disappointment.” I for one will hold off until many of the issues have been addressed and/or resolved.
Your advice is great … but probably too late.
That’s what I’m hearing too. A lot of heavy duty professionals are complaining that the pro functionality is simply missing. I went out and bought it as I am still an amateur movie editor and never used the FCP7 pro plug-ins and tools. Heck, I used FCE7 for the first time a few weeks ago. One project later, I imagine I’ve only scratched 20% of its capabilities. After seeing your brilliance with our 48 Hour Film project – I know this is true.
Being an ignorant new comer to pro films, I might as well hit the ground running with the latest then try to catch up on what may be eventually obsolete. Heck, my projects are small change to what the pros do anyway so it was a steal for me. Here’s a product that is incredibly better than iMovie and less confusing than Final Cut 7, I think it’s smurftastic.
Here’s a quote from Steve Martin from a blog I read today. “From my perspective, FCP X is not so much revolutionary, but rather,evolutionary – because at the end of the day, your reasons for using Final Cut Pro have not changed – you’re still using it to make movies. A re-invented wheel is still a wheel.” – Steve Martin
http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/news/430-the-first-day-of-fcpx-the-news-of-the-reviews-of-final-cut-pro-x
I hear you my friend, but here’s the problem, some of the features it doesn’t have are ones even you as a newbie should use. For example, the ability to change scratch disks. This si where render files, etc, are created. Right now, I can change it on the fly as needed. If I want to keep one complete project on a separate hard drive, I can do that. With FCPX, you can’t. That means, projects can no longer be separated autonomously (i.e. client A’s project of hard drive 1, client b’s project on hard drive 2, etc.) Also, apparently, you can’t change around some of the windows within the program. This is something I like to do so it can work the best way I like to. Everything is hard coded. This is what you do in an amateur program. Professional programs are supposed to give you the flexibility to work however you want to work. Some of the missing plugin support is also an issue.
Hopefully Apple will address these because I like FCP. But, if I have to learn a whole new program anyway, I just may switch to Premiere. But I’ll wait to see what happens.
I read you boss. You can continue to teach me FCP7 and I’ll do personal projects (the little stuff) in FCPX.
I like what Carl said, You are a pro if you make money doing it. Yes, I will be a guinea pig and be that other guy using FCPX that can knock out smaller projects with low risk and no need for super-duper special effects.
I don’t think that’s true. You can keep a scratch disk on every drive you have. The only constraint is you have to use the “Final Cut Pro Events” and “Final Cut Pro Projects” folders. Similar folders, different names.
(I know what you mean though, Color drives me nuts trying to keep Color projects with the FCP project files, not with all the other Color projects. I hope Apple will make Color more flexible.)
I think you misunderstand most peoples complaints with FCPX. You assume that it is a complaint that why can’t I edit today with this product. What people are upset about is that this the product that apple is pushing going forward and that means the discontinuation of everything that has come before it. Now I find for most creative people they are happy to stay using the same techniques as it is the way I have done this in the past and the process I know. However since most editors work on other peoples projects they are not always in control of the tools that they use. So they need to be able to learn the new and old editing software so that they can be employable. The fear being if a client wants to use FCPX then you better know how to use it. Editors are finding it unworkable for them and the why shouldn’t every person who wants to use the software or needs to use the software make their complaints be known.
Thanks for the comment Sam. I totally understand people’s complaints. As I point out in my follow up post, I’m frustrated too. I’m addressing the issue of people who forked over $300 on day one then complain because they’re out $300. If they had just waited one DAY and read pro reviews and feedback, they could have saved $300 and heartache. That’s my point.
All 1.0 releases should be considered as an extended beta. FCPX is no exception. Yes, there are missing pieces. However, this release is the foundation for building for the future for the FCP product line. I’m not going to give Apple a free pass, though. They sure could allieviate a lot of the negativity by being a bit more open as to where this is heading.
I do take exception to the reaction, no, make that – howling: “FCPX is not for Pros.” That is just way too over the top.
If I were to use FCPX today, and I made money doing so, am I not a pro? Those howling the most are the relics of so-called post houses – which number merely in the thousands – whereas the new generation of content producers like myself no doubt number in the hundreds of thousands. That audience is the target of FCPX. I imagine Apple will take FCPX to the point the post houses are mollified in future releases.
I’ve developed complex software for almost 3 decades. I understand the decision to not read in FCP7 projects. The architecture is radically different – the foundation for the next decade of the product. Perhaps the ability to read the projects will come, but I wonder why bother? I still have FCP7. I will continue to use FCP7 for some time. FCPX will only be used for the time being for personal projects where I feel comfortable taking the risk – and I relish it. Sticking with so-called backward compatibility and legacy is problematic for software development. It hamstrings you into creating an inferior foundation for modern releases. In many cases, I found it better to jettison the legacy. Yeah, people howled when we did that – but it takes a lot of energy to howl. In time they came to recognize the value of having a contemporary database that made it easy to retrieve not just data, but information, and do so with a UI that made their jobs easier. Easier than howling. So I imagine that is the issue with FCPX vs FCP7. It was time to jettison the decade+ old file structure for something more robust.
People absolutely hate change. The fact that there is such outrage over this tells me Apple has done the right thing. The USS Starship Enterprise has left the docks in earth orbit and has departed on a shake-down cruise. It will achieve warp factor 9 soon. OK, really bad analogy. I get it!
What probably is at the root of “not ready for Pros” argument is fear.
Think about it. It used to be no matter how bad or good you were, there was little competition because of scarcity of hardware and software to do motion graphics and high-end video due to price. If you were able to scrounge up the bucks, well, you were ahead of most of the competition. Today, anyone, anywhere, can download Motion 5 for $49 bucks. Anyone willing to take a few hours to learn the basics can do stunning lower-thirds, titles, and animations in a fraction of time that it takes in AE (not knocking AE – I love it).
That fact is, the barrier to entry has been destroyed. If you vested years in training and gear, yeah, you’re scared. If you embrace change (hey, isn’t that one of the points in ReFocus?), FCPX is no threat, and is a welcome breath of fresh air. It’s going to be an exciting journey. Lot’s of fine work being produce by people who don’t even know they are supposed to care about setting a scratch disk. Silly amateurs.
You make excellent points Carl. And you get extra credit for 1) referencing my book and 2) using a Star Trek analogy. 🙂 You know me, I embrace change. And I think you’re right that a lot of issues may stem from fear. But I’m not so sure fear is the issue current pros are having. Yes, you can be a “pro” and still use FCPX. You can be a “pro” and use iMovie. But, a lot of pros are people in the business working on multimillion dollar projects (either client projects, studio films, or TV shows) and there are certain feature sets they DO need, and will need for a while. I used to work for a company that developed software for Hollywood, and I can personally attest to the fact that it takes Tinsel town years and years to change. (I can’t tell you how many DOS programs we continued to sell despite that fact that Windows 95 and greater had been out for years). What these guys are seeing is the fact that the NLE they’ve loved and adored for almost a decade is showing signs that it MAY no longer support their level of professional need. That means millions of dollars in training and investment in different solutions (i.e. Adobe and Avid). Apple is very influential, but not even Steve Jobs will make Hollywood move fast enough to keep up with the “future” that FCPX supposedly represents.
That’s why I go back to my advice. I’m going to wait and see what happens. 🙂
Thanks for your great commentary.
I hope people don’t take up your advice, b/c these early-adopter-beta-testers save us boat loads of money. We need them Ron, don’t pass on the wisdom, let them spend their money and share with us the version 1.0 problems one always encounters with new technology.
Hah. I hear ya Henry. Trust me, there will be plenty of early adopters who will take Apple’s bait right out the gate. 🙂
Great post, Ron. I’ve always been a late adopter and been a let’s-wait-and-see kinda guy (even when I was working at Apple!). Plus the idea of having to learn a whole new workflow (when I just got the hang of the last one) makes me hesitant. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Delete my comment once you see it – there’s a small typo here: ” upgrading sofrtware”
Wonderful! “a reinvented wheel is still a wheel.” How many carpenters line up at the store to buy a new hammer the moment it’s released? Your old hammer still pounds nails. Patience is a virtue.
Great post. I’ll be waiting to see what happens after there dust settles. Thanks,
I’ m sure Apple knew it was going to get a high volume of complaints. I’m left wondering if they have or are reaching a their threshold of pain yet.
The venom and name calling over on Larry Jordan’s blog is so intense with nasty names and saying things they can’t ever take back.. Larry’s just trying to be supportive, and he makes his living supporting Apple Pro Apps. Larry’s a good guy and he’s been a valuable resource to the FCP community for a long time. I’m surprised a number of comments made there have not been removed. Some of those folks in particular need a reality check.
Apple may have made some attempts to condition it’s audience and prepare them for the inevitable shock of 10.0, but this is looking bad. Perhaps Apple should have released this as a free/open beta and finished development before they released it? It’s clear from all the comments I’ve seen everywhere, AVID and Adobe are going to get some new customers. I haven’t seen this much ugly feedback since the introduction of New Coke!
One question – from what I have read elsewhere it would seem that you can set scratch disks for each of your projects. Phillip Hodgetts answered this question…
Q: “Where are my media and edits stored?”
A: “Wherever you like! You can choose to have Final Cut Pro X manage your media library for you, or you can set it on whatever drive you want. Media (Final Cut Events) and edits (Final Cut Projects) folders are always located in the user’s Movies folder or at the root level of the external drive, much the same way as Final Cut Pro 7 and earlier.
Media locations are stored with the Project (edit) file and in the Events. There is no longer one global “Scratch disk” setting! Thankfully.”
Is there a conflict of info here?
Hi Terry, I read that too. What’s not clear to me though is if “media” includes rendered files. If so, then based on this, that would be the same as “scratch” disk flexibility. Still annoying they changed the names and functionality of so many things.
Change is good. 🙂
Change CAN be good indeed. No one more than I embraces change. But there are ways in which you can implement change that will help your followers change with you. I don’t think this is the best way. Too much change too soon with no warning.
Great advice Ron, FCPX is buzzing the net for sure, your post has drawn a lot of attention from 1st time commenters.
I must admit I was swept up by the idea of background rendering since I am an HDSLR video guy, but I planned on waiting to get it and now it is clear I will wait longer.
And a big AMEN to your 3 points of advice… WAIT is a four letter word to many people, but the wise wait. Take care!
Waiting is great advice for smooth workflows. Everyone else will definitely make sure the kinks get worked out. Buy it next year.
Jumping in is great advice if you want excitement; if you want a head start on learning, which is fun and easy because you’re so highly motivated. (Still, you’re not doing same day edits though 😉 And as with the release of OSX, it’s easier to learn when you are an early adopter, as you learn incrementally as it develops. People who wait will have to learn more all at once, or simply accept knowing less, which is often more typical.
Many of the people complaining do not know themselves. They wanted a smooth workflow, so they jumped in with both feet. Lots of other people didn’t WANT to like it and knew they didn’t want to like it. They wanted to have a nice bash at Apple. That’s fun too. Controversy is exciting.
As long as no one is kidding themselves, it’s a good time for all 😉
Wow, Ron. I’m not even sure where to begin to tell you how wrong you are. Your assessment of this debacle, the the real problem is the end user and not the fact that Apple completely changed the program, is akin to saying that a rape victim deserved what she got because she dressed sexy.
Apple has been making great products for 30 years. They’ve had a few duds. But their track record since the iPod has been one of another successful product after another. So imagine my shock when they took an EXTREMELY successful product, and gave us a completely new one that doesn’t do many of the things that it is expected to do.
Your article misses the whole point of our anger. Apple has the right to redesign an editing program. Give it all kinds of bells and whistles. But when they call it an upgrade, and make a presentation hyping all the cool new features, as a user of that product I don’t expect them to take away many of the features that make it useable in the first place. Imagine you buy a new copy of Microsoft Office and when you get it home they have removed all the compatibility to print documents. Isn’t that a simple feature that you would expect from an office management software?
The bottom line is that this should never have been called Final Cut. You say “looks like a duck, etc…” Well, Apple said, “Hey, come buy our brand new duck. It’s the best duck we have ever made.” And you’re saying that it’s my fault I got screwed because I don’t take the time to read the Larry Jordan blog? Sorry if I have better things to do with my time.
It’s great that you didn’t jump on the bandwagon and didn’t spend $300 on software that you won’t be able to use the near future. But that’s no reason to write a smug blog post blaming the wrong people. I got raped. I am the victim. And why? Because I trusted a good friend to walk me home late at night.
Thanks for the rebuttal Ken. I truly appreciate it.
I think your anger is blinding you to the point of my article. Yes, you do have a right to be angry based on the changes Apple made. I’m not saying you shouldn’t. In fact, my blog post today (http://bladeronner.com/2011/06/23/apple-has-you-by-the-cajones/) supports that assessment. I’m frustrated too. The point of my article is that there was plenty of evidence ahead of time this was a whole new ball of wax. Why would you spend $300 on something before getting a real good understanding of what that something is?
And I must say, it’s poor taste to compare reasonable, sensible, intelligent professionals who, by their own choice spend $300 on a 1.0 product then get upset when it’s not what they hoped, to a woman who is raped. It’s not even the same ballpark. It’s not even the same sport! Apple did not force you to buy this product. You were not drugged. There were enough warnings from history and from other professionals that you should’ve waited on this. You didn’t have to read Larry Jordan’s blog. IMHO, common sense should tell you not to invest $300 in something so completely brand new. You couldn’t wait two days to read a few professional reviews? CreativeCow or any of the dozens of other industry blogs. I mean come on. In just one day of reading tweets, the day it was released, I could see it was a problem. If you don’t have time to do proper due diligence before investing a hefty amount, that is your fault. Take responsibility for your own actions, but don’t compare this to rape. It’s insulting to people who really were.
Rape, muder, mugging, whatever the crime is it doesn’t matter. We went in trusting Apple to give us a quality product and they failed to deliver as promised. But you are blaming the user (the victim of the crime) because Wr didn’t do our research. okay, that’s like blaming a guy for getting mugged because he didn’t have time to research the neighborhood he was walking through. There, does that make more sense than the rape analogy?
For some reason you are missing the point that this is not a brand new product and that somehow I should have treated it as such. They made the announcement at a FCP User Group meeting. They called it FCP. They demoed a bunch of cool features and told us how it would improve our workflow. Why or earth should I have any reason to believe that they were going to strip away a bunch of even cooler features than the ones they were adding?
The car analogy that you mentioned in your other post is the perfect example. If you bought a car and it had a joystick instead of a steering wheel you’d be like, “Hmmm, this is different. It might take me some time to adjust but I’ll give it a try.” But if you got in a car and it didn’t have an engine you’d be saying, “Well what the hell am I supposed to do with a car with no engine?”
Because at that moment doesn’t it stop being a car and starting being a kiddie toy that you push around with your feet?
They really just should not have hyped it as a Final Cut Product because it’s just not. They should have kept selling FCP7 and introduced this as iMovie Pro, or AppleCinema Pro, or Apple MovieMaker Pro.
And THAT is what everyone is upset about.
BTW – love the blog (except this last post) ha ha ha
Hey Ken. Thanks for reading and commenting. I love the friendly repartee. 🙂
I totally see what you’re saying. But I don’t think Apple hyped this as an “upgrade.” They made a huge point to say it was rewritten from the ground up. Using the car analogy, if you go out and buy that new car the minute it’s unveiled off the lot, w/o reading Edmunds.com or Auto Trader, or any number of reviews that say the gas pedal is on the left now, then get mad when you find out on your own it’s on the left, how can you blame anybody but yourself? Just sayin.
FWIW, I empathize. FCP users have been loyal from day 1 and have helped make FCP, what started out as the underdog, a leading industry tool. Now, it seems like they are ditching us in favor for what I can only assume they assume is a bigger market. They may be right and they may make millions more on it selling to less “professional” users. That’s a pain. It’s sad. But, I just don’t see how you can blame them for money YOU spent. We may just have to agree to disagree my friend. 🙂
Despite this blog post, I hope you keep reading. 😉
I feel like I need to buy tickets for this! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! 🙂 kidding… love the open dialogue.
Sorry, man. No fights today. I love Ron. We both speak our mind so it may appear that we butt heads, but I always have respect for Ron’s opinions, even when it differs from mine. I think UFC is on Spike TV tonight. LOL
You have kind of helped me prove my point. Yes, we have been very loyal and I think as a customers that loyalty should be rewarded. I stuck with Apple all thru the previous OS and they cam e thru with flying colors with OS X. So I had no reason to assume they would screw us.
And the same goes for a car. I drive a Toyota Sienna. I love it and it is very reliable. When I switched from a Dodge Caravan I did some research. But my next new car will be a Toyota Sienna, and I wont even do any research because of the good experience I have had in the past. Again, why would I think they would take a winning formula and throw it all away? What company besides Coke, and now Apple, has ever done that?
Hey, man. I hope you are asked to speak at InFocus this year. they had some chick from The Knot last year talk about social media and it was like she was just reading from a pamphlet. LOL
Really. You’d buy something as expensive as a car w/o ANY kind of research. That’s putting way too much trust in a company. I don’t care how good a company has been throughout the years, everyone can screw up. Not every product is perfect. Apple has had it’s fair share of duds too. Bottomline, I think we both agree that we users have a right to be upset. I just don’t think one should follow them so blindly.
And thanks for the kind words about InFocus. Haven’t been asked back to speak. We’ll see. 🙂
Well, I signed up for InFocus 2012 based on my experience in 2011 even though they didn’t announce dates, locations, speakers or topics. So I guess I’ll ask for my deposit back since I no longer have any faith in mankind. LOL
I have actually never been a fanboy of Apple, even though I do use and like their products. I am very critical of them and I haven’t ever gone out and bought one of their products on the first day.
Just like in all debates, there are three sides to every story; yours, mine and the truth. And I think part of “the truth” is that the App Store now makes it extremely easy to buy an app before it’s been fully tested and reviewed. If this app was sold in a box in the Apple store I would have had to wait at least a week because my closest Apple Retail store is 40 minutes away.
That’s actually a very, very great point Ken (about the app store). Hmmm. I smell a blog topic… 😉
Ron, I’m just appalled at the people who are saying that because of FCPX they are moving to Avid or CS5. Why would you move to a new NLE when Final Cut 7 still exists and is a rock solid editor?
No one is forcing you to upgrade yet. Stick with FCP7 until FCPX is ready for you.
It seems crazy that people would blow $300 on FCPX and then throw more money away moving to adobe or avid just because FCPX isn’t what they wanted.
A better example of “cutting off your nose to spite your face” I have never seen.
The answer to your question Shane is that if one doesn’t have confidence Apple will maintain the support to the high level pro market the way CS5 and Avid are, then if you’re going to have to learn a new program anyway, this is as good as time as any to get started. The idea of sticking with a product with is officially dead is not good long term business sense. FCP 7 and it’s predecessors are dead. Apple traded one set of features pros have been longing for by getting rid a whole bunch of others they need. Plus made it impossible for users of FCPX to work with editors of FCP 7 and before. Not a good scenario.
“Officially dead” may be the correct term but it seems a little harsh to me. Yes in the long term we may have to go back to Avid but I can’t see any of the fifteen facilities houses I use regularly throwing everything away just because of FCPX. I think we will be using FCP7 for another two years – minimum. Long term business sense is to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. I remember spending a good year or two still working on Avid in OS9, as there were initially stability problems with OSX and then Windows, before switching. Also there are plenty of people making third party software for FCP7 (such as LUT plug ins for the Alexa camera). Maybe they will help solve FCPX problems or keep the flame flying for FCP7 for the foreseeable future?
As long as I don’t have to use Lightworks or Media 100 I will stick with FCP7.
I agree with you Ben. I think FCP7 will last probably another couple of years. But as HD technology advances, so will editor’s needs. There are already a lot of features editors wanted that FCPX offers (e.g. native editing) but by throwing out the other key stuff, it’s kind of like three steps forward and 2-3 steps back.
I agree totally. I do wonder what will happen if they phase out FCP7 altogether or don’t amend FCPX somehow to suit pro needs. For instance I wonder if you are a film school, or higher education college, what do you do if you find out that professional film editors are deserting FCP for Avid or some such. Do you equip your college with FCPX and train people on a system that is of no use later on? One of the things I loved about FCP when it started was that kids without loads of money (or rich parents) could grab a system relatively cheaply and start making stuff. I guess you could say that about the whole digital revolution in general but FCP was at the vanguard of that. I sincerely (and maybe sentimentally) hope that it doesn’t lose it’s presence in the professional arena. Like I say for now I have to stick with FCP7 and, With regards to “native editing”, keep a lot of hungry data wranglers happy! B
I think, and I’ve heard other industry pros say this too, that thanks to the App Store model for the release of FCPX the updates will come thicker and faster than ever before. Multicam for instance is top priority for the next update and the updates will be measured in months not years.
I haven’t got FCPX yet, (I’m waiting on multicam) but I will switch over once multicam arrives. Until then FCP 7 will suit me fine and I’ll be happy to have the advantages of X once the updates start happening.
Wow FCPX really seems to have put the cat amongst the pigeons. I have to say though I don’t have much sympathy with people who bought it and are now not happy. At the risk of opening up the “what is a professional” debate, editing is how I make my living across a range of genres including commercials, drama and documentary. Not one of my colleagues has even considered buying it yet until we know what the limitations or advantages are. If it is true that it does not export EDLs (which is the first thing I heard) then how could any of us work with it when we have to export for Neg grades, FX work etc? How would you work on a feature shot at 24fps when you need to use cinema tools to import. If we are working on a long running series or updating commercial then it’s inability to import FCP7 projects makes it a non starter – For now! What I don’t get is that I was told all of these things months ago by various post production facilities so I am guessing (if it is all true) that this was information that was all out there online? Ok maybe I am trading on insider knowledge, but I doubt it, and maybe when you run ten edit suites then you have a tendency to check out the specs before you spend $3000 on new software. As with all systems they take time to develop and, with more feedback from editors, FCPX may become what we would all want. Hell does anybody remember trying to import Quicktimes into Avid ten years ago? Just wait until you know whether it will suit your needs before spunking $300.
Happy cutting!!
While I applaud Apple for venturing to ‘boldly go where no man has gone before’ in the world of editing, I’m sure there has been a lot of toasting and hand shaking over at Adobe these past few days. I would also guess that there is a lot more truth to what Carl Olson says, than most ‘pros’ would be willing to admit.
Agreed. I think it’s silly for some to have this self-imposed deadline of “I need to stop everything I’m doing and switch to a new NLE right this second”. Keep being creative, keep making films and switch when the time is right…
I’m slow to change, but I also think of an old adage when it comes to venturing out on things unknown: The pawns go first.
Classic. 🙂
Have you ever had this much response on a blog post Ron? WOW! Quite the buzz.
The whole Jesh de Rox fiasco easily tops this one: http://bladeronner.com/2011/03/24/jesh-de-roxs-beloved-webinar-ignites-a-twitter-tempest/
simple analogy : its like photoshop removing all versions from the shelves and giving you iphoto and telling you without laughing “this is the future, deal with it…”
hi, i bought or the place i work bought FCPX for me. We have 29 workstations, and are a school for Comm. All the video students use FCP7 here and most of the film students also, we have JVC, SONY and Panasonic cams as well as Atons for the kids that still want to shoot film, yet their dailies are on tape as support and parts for mechanical editors is nil. i am basically the guy in charge of said workstations. The worst part of this situ is the fact that one cannot buy FCPS2, so i am going to figure a 1 to 3 year transition to whatever, yet incoming Comm students can only get FCPX. That stated, on further investigation i found and interesting tidbit about AVFoundation, and its hooks into iOS, which you all can Google, as this is not something i know much about.
It seems to me that Apple is not so much interested in making lots of money compared to making, “cool things”. This may sound crazy yet look at Pixar, there seems to be a disconnect with the reality of standardized practices in the film industry and what they do. OK YOUTUBE in terms of content is a splatter machine, as Google is not really that great at handling content corporations. So, i look at Jobs, and his business model for Pixar, and the caution to the wind attitude that permeates the place, see the documentary, which seems to be similar to the present attitude at Apple, and i find a basic premise, which is almost childlike, that we made this cool thing, and we know we are right, and people will say isn’t that stupid, yet it has been very successful for both companies, as well as the people working there. i met a man that works as a c++ programmer for the animators at Pixar, while he and his daughter were looking at our school as a possibility, i had been saying that if a student complained about not having the newest and best equipment i would tell them how Pixar spends 2 years on the storyline, no anims, no models, just basically a storyline and he said yea i know i work there. i asked if he brought his daughter there much he said no as he did not want her to think this is reality. When Apple introduced the first Macintosh, Jobs stood before Congress and offered free computers to all schools in the USA, of course they refused. He was not doing this to be nice, he was doing it to set up all those students to get used to the Macintosh and never use another type of computer. There in lies the rub, if there really is a person that knows how the world will be in the future, how can anyone believe them, and that there ideas are correct. Jobs was dumped from Apple and came back with the Next operating system, which became OSX, based on one of the oldest OS’s on the planet. There are many other examples of this CEO’s thought process, yet i will stop here. i agree with Ron, as when one assumes one makes an ass of you and me, therefore no rush on deployment, so clone
The problem is really with the withdrawal of FCP7, Color, FCSrvr without warning. This presents a problem for businesses who might have been happy to run the two versions alongside eachother until FCPX had matured. This way a lot of creatives are left in the lurch.
I’d be more willing to cut it some slack if we hadn’t already been “waiting” since Final Cut Studio 2. FCS 3/FCP 7 was a half assed update to begin with. Having that much time and removing so much core functionality? hogwash.