Well, the last two weeks certainly have been tumultuous. But this weekend is a good time to take stock and figure out where we go from here.
Over the years I’ve learned that Apple does not follow the market, it tries to lead the market. And, with megahits like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, it is impossible to ignore their success.
However, it isn’t always successful, which is why we find ourselves in the position we are in now. And, keep in mind that it is US, not Apple, that are in a difficult position. Apple’s DNA (and vast bank account) insulates them from clamor and controversy in the marketplace.
Yesterday, as I was thinking about this blog, I sent an email to my contacts at Apple asking if they would either announce a timetable of when we could see the next “major release” of Final Cut Pro X, or whether Apple was considering re-releasing Final Cut Studio (3) to the market.
Apple did not respond to my email; which I’ve also learned is an answer in itself.
So, the decision is not up to Apple, they have already told us what they are going to do. The decision is up to us – how will we respond?
THE MARKET
Apple has opened up a huge new market to video editing – I call it the “middle market” – people that need more than iMovie, but don’t need the vast capabilities of Final Cut Studio (3).
This is a good thing, I think, because ultimately it will give many of us work as these users push up against the barriers of FCP X and need to accomplish tasks that can’t currently be met with FCP X.
I remember the desktop publishing wars of the 1980’s. Graphics designers did not go away when our computers starting displaying fonts and images. What happened was that the graphics design tools got better and designers with creativity and skill got more work.
The situation is the same today. Creativity and story-telling are still in demand, but the audience and tools continue to evolve.
OUR CHOICE
As I see it, we all have three choices:
1. Convert to Final Cut Pro X
2. Do nothing, at least for a while
3. Switch to a different editing program
CONVERTING
For single editor shops that work exclusively with tapeless formats and principally output to files, Final Cut Pro X is very attractive.
I am getting many emails each day from people that are working with it and are pleased with their results.
For non-mission-critical projects, the current version of FCP X may meet your needs.
ABSTAINING
As I’ve written for years, however, even if Apple released an all-singing, all-dancing, rock-star of a program, I would still counsel waiting until a dot One release.
This is especially true for large shops, edit houses with massive amounts of existing material that they need to repurpose, or editors working on deadlines that cannot be missed.
Apple’s emphasis on secrecy during development in order to maximize surprise at launch means that the initial release of a product is almost never stable enough for serious use.
As examples, FCP 4.0 didn’t stabilize until version 4.0.2, FCP 5 took until version 5.0.4 and, some would argue, 5.1.4 to become solid. FCP 6 took until version 6.0.2 (with four more versions after that), and FCP 7 is currently sitting at version 7.0.3. (And the sordid history of QuickTime releases and bug fixes is best left for a mature audience…)
As I’ve written many times in the past, waiting before upgrading is never a mistake. I tend to wait a few months before upgrading my production gear. However, at the same time, I will upgrade my testing gear to the latest version – and start to learn it – as soon as it is released.
There is no harm in waiting until FCP X starts to stabilize.
SWITCHING
The wild card in this whole equation is the cancellation of Final Cut Studio (3). Our decisions would be a lot easier if Apple had not forced our hand.
First, I am deeply saddened that Apple’s vaunted engineering prowess is unable to code a conversion utility from FCP 7 to FCP X. However, they say they can’t, so I believe them. (And, even if they can, they won’t; which works out to the same thing.)
This means that if you have a large number of FCP 7 projects that you have even a remote possibility of needing in the future, you would be foolish NOT to purchase a product that can read them.
Whether you go with Avid Media Composer and Automatic Duck, or Adobe Production Premium, you, your company, your media and your projects have a far greater priority than the political and emotional issues of supporting, or not supporting, the latest release of Final Cut Pro.
Protect yourself first.
Pick the software you are most comfortable working with. Hire an assistant editor to have them do tests to see how well your projects transfer from FCP 7 into it.
Both Avid and Adobe are running “Switcher” campaigns — which doesn’t surprise me. If I were doing their marketing I would do exactly the same thing. Take advantage of this special pricing – protect your assets.
Apple says FCP 7 will run on Lion. However, it would be foolish to expect it to run on every operating system in the future. At some point, you will need to convert your assets. The best time to do so is now while all your projects, media, and the software you are using is current.
Whether you want to convert your whole operation to a new platform depends upon many different factors; cost not the least of them.
But the first rule of business is to stay in business. Protect yourself. Make sure you can get access to your assets in the future.
LARRY’S RECOMMENDATION
For new Final Cut users, purchase FCP X and enjoy it. It has many good things to recommend it.
For existing Final Cut 7 users, it is too early to know what FCP X is really going to be. But it is also way too risky to bet the ranch on it.
Download FCP X and learn it, but be very cautious putting it into serious production.
I recommend you create a system for converting your FCP 7 assets to either Avid or Adobe.
Then, wait and see what Apple does with the next release of FCP X. For me, the next release, not the current one, will set the direction for the future.
But protect yourself now.
CONCLUSION
This event gives all of us a chance to stop and reflect on who we are and what we do.
The core of what I do, personally, is to train, teach, and inform. I do this across a wide variety of products and using a wide variety of media. My core value does not change with this update.
What changes are the subjects that I teach. And, as we all know, technology is a constantly evolving mix of old and new products.
Think about what YOU do – are you a Final Cut editor, OR are you an editor that uses Final Cut? Are you defined by the technology you use or the stories that you tell?
As you are deciding whether to convert, abstain, or switch, spend a few minutes thinking about who you are, what you do, and how you want to earn a living.
In the past, religious wars were fought over Apple vs. Avid. The new war is FCP 7 vs. FCP X. Like all wars, these battles create a flurry of impressive fireworks, but leave a bloody trail of destruction in their wake. And very rarely do they settle anything. Old tensions still simmer.
So, let’s slow down and take stock. Apple has given us an opportunity to make a choice. They aren’t going to change their direction, so we need to decide if we are comfortable where they are taking us.
And that choice is different for each one of us.
Let me know what you think.
Larry
61 Responses to Moving Forward
Newer Comments →-
Juan David says:
July 2, 2011 at 1:27 pm
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Kris Trexler says:
July 2, 2011 at 2:15 pm
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August Anderson says:
July 2, 2011 at 3:34 pm
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Nivardo Cavalcante says:
July 2, 2011 at 4:09 pm
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Floris says:
July 2, 2011 at 4:24 pm
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Nivardo Cavalcante says:
July 2, 2011 at 4:35 pm
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Russ says:
July 2, 2011 at 5:35 pm
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Phil Balsdon says:
July 2, 2011 at 6:42 pm
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Larry says:
July 2, 2011 at 6:47 pm
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Kris Trexler says:
July 2, 2011 at 6:59 pm
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Kris Trexler says:
July 2, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Newer Comments →I think, frankly, that Apple has screwed to the bottom.
if your bet, it seems perfect, but I think they will lose many customers, many ..
what they say they can not make a converter to fcpx fcp7 projects seems too big a lie because there is a market we know and costs $ 500, so that others with the story …
I think that I should have done a fcp8 and not this bad joke is fcpx …
Montner for those weddings, holidays, etc. can fcpx be perfect, but for someone who works in TV or cinema advertising is a real mess.
I’m trying out Adobe Premiere and Avid MC5, if the apple does not budge and continues with this joke, I left the Apple platform, as they have abandoned me to my ..
From Seville, Spain
Larry,
Thanks for posting your insights. I’m an Avid editor, and have been since the early 90’s. I’ve used MC to edit hundreds of hours of primetime network TV shows and won 2 Emmy awards for my work.
I use FCP 7 for editing my home videos, if for no other reason than to know how to use the software. I’ve been mostly pleased with it. Enough so, that I took a break from my editing career last year to teach FCP 7 and the Art of Editing at a film school overseas.
I’m perplexed at Apple’s new FC release (I’m loathe to call it “pro” because it’s anything but). Apple has not made a mistake. They have made a statement that they’re going after the middle “prosumer” market. Our pro market is just too niche and not particularly profitable for a company that’s defining many mass consumer market segments. I get it. But I feel for those editors who have embraced legacy FCP and spent their fortunes building businesses and careers around the software. They’re in trouble, and I feel their pain. The FC X release doesn’t affect me personally, but it does affect our profession in a negative way.
You assume that legacy FCP editors should be default migrate to the new version of Apple’s totally new software which should never have used the name of its predecessor. It’s a fallacy that migration is a must. I highly recommend that editors take a close look at the competition, especially with the attractive current “switcher” prices. I’m surprised that many editors who haven’t used Avid are afraid of it. They assume it’s overly complicated or somehow “elitist” and only for Hollywood feature films and TV. Not so! MC is a wonderful, stable editing application, and Avid has maintained compatibility throughout successive releases. For script-based projects, I’d be lost without Avid’s script-based editing feature and so would most editors in Hollywood who edit scripted TV shows and some feature films. That’s an essential tool that FCP doesn’t offer.
Now about education. Should schools who have heavily invested in FCP continue to teach FCP 7, a dead end product students will not use in their careers because it will be obsolete? They certainly should not teach FCX in spite of it’s cheap price. It’s not ready and may never be ready for professional use. Should they switch to Premiere or Media Composer? NYU Tisch has said no to FCX. If you were an educational institution and need to teach your students the software they’re likely to use in their careers, what would you do?
Thanks again Larry. I plan to buy your FCX tutorials so I can get a handle on it. I need to edit my summer vacation video, and FCX “might” be acceptable for that.
Regards,
Kris Trexler
Los Angeles
This article had more characters than the FCPX press release.
Maybe we just move on and let Apple fix their mistakes instead of talking about it over and over and over… I’m shocked/impressed/saddened the discussion has gone on this long.
Apple removed important features for people in professional workflows. They released the product too early. They will realize they made a mistake and update it, or someone will provide 3rd party plugins to fill the gaps.
There’s not too much more to say on the matter.
Let’s talk about the craft of editing. Anyone like the Craft of Editing?
“Yesterday, as I was thinking about this blog, I sent an email to my contacts at Apple asking if they would either announce a timetable of when we could see the next “major release” of Final Cut Pro X, or whether Apple was considering re-releasing Final Cut Studio (3) to the market.
Apple did not respond to my email; which I’ve also learned is an answer in itself.”
Larry,
That does not mean they give no importance and no one, are self-centered and arrogant. They are today what they fought in 1984 against IBM.
From now on, no longer nominate or recommend any Apple product, not friends, not partners.
Can I survive without it.
August, I’m surprised that you have so much confidence in a company that disappoint so many in such a dishonest and unloyal way. I’m a loyal Apple customer and I feel betrayed. They might fix it, they might not… but they will never fix my thrust in them as a company that takes customers and companies seriously. As a business, you want to know where a product is heading… we were all blind sheep who followed the mighty leader who told us in a typical one sentenced e-mail that the new FCP is going to be ‘awesome’. It was awesome, in the most negative type of way.
I don’t say it is a bad product… but it should’ve been iMovie Pro or Final Cut Express. It wasn’t, which makes one point clear: Apple doesn’t understand or doesn’t want to understand the core FCP customer. I don’t blame them for going after the prosumer or consumer. But just tell us. They are still not being honest and clear about where they’re going with Final Cut Pro. So for me, end of story. I’m done with them.
And if you just analyze the data:
– No more color
– No more shake
– No more soundtrack
– No more Final Cut Server
I would be very, very afraid if I were a Logic Pro user.
I decided to switch to Adobe Production Premium. I was already using parts of it (Encore, Media Encoder and Photoshop), and am very happy with it. Not as good as Final Cut Pro yet, but with the influx of Final Cut Pro customers and Adobe’s focus to become the #1 in the video editing market (which they never succeeded in), I see it it working this time.
Most importantly, Avid and Adobe are talking to and with us and Apple is not. So Steve Jobs can go talk with himself and his billions in his bank account. Every general has his Waterloo… Steve will also!
Apple has become a blind / dumb and as such have to be very careful when crossing the street.
Great comments from Kris, thanks.
Any “Pro” editor (for me this is Broadcast) would have “seen this coming” a long time ago..Would you trust the architect of iMovie with your future?
As Kris says for the USA, most Broadcast Pro-s I know here in the UK use AVID anyway as they have had the workflows etc nailed a long time ago. Also as Kris says AVID is great to use and Kris encapsulates it all very well.
Also Apple (via their Final Cut 10/iMovie architect) have signalled their ambitions by “cutting the line” between Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut 10 (notice the missing Pro).
But Larry knows of my biggest beef, missing Chapter Markers and my reasoning goes far deeper than “just missing Chapter Markers” which I have fully explained to Larry via email.
BUT on a brighter note and from some feedback we are getting on our forum and some people I know who have downloaded it ..
THEY JUST LOVE IT.
So here we have a new and evolving situation of a portion of the industry who are perplexed/angry and a whole gamut of other emotions. Then a whole new breed of film maker/story teller (dare I say up and coming) who have “discovered” a wonderful new tool which will be a great “enabler” for them on a personal and creative level.
I view this as a mixed bag but one you can actually draw quite a few positives from if you step back, take a deep breath and ponder the issues.
For the Pro-s there are alternatives and very good ones too, too much emotional energy is being wasted by people who should just move on and keep on progressing forwards for their own sakes.
And another thing. I’m based in Australia and have up until now accepted that buying Apple software or hardware locally from an Apple Store or dealer in Australia is going to be more expensive than in the US due to delivery costs.
FCP X however is only available as a download, there are no delivery costs. Plus the Australian dollar is now valued higher than the US dollar, so why must I pay Aus$349 for FCP X when in the US it is US$299 (I should be paying about Aus$282).
If I order an item from the USA on eBay I pay the same amount as the US customer plus delivery costs. (The same as when I order one of your download tutorials Larry, you don’t charge me more because I’m not American).
Isn’t this some form of racism on Apple’s part?
Racism? No. I am convinced of that.
Geographic weirdness? Certainly.
Larry
One thing I should make clear to many editors who are afraid of Avid. Somehow, due to Avid’s dominance of feature film and TV editing in Hollywood, many editors have the impression that Avid is incredibly complex and somehow “elitist.” That could not be further from the truth! Anyone who’s slick on FCP 7 and earlier can learn Avid in a short time. I know this because I taught 2nd year students at a film school on FCP 7. As an elective in the 3rd year, we taught then Media Composer. Many were interested in trying MC because of my personal success with it in my career. At first they were intimidated. But it wasn’t long until they learned to love it!
Avid has (or had) and educational price of $400 with several years of free updates! You can’t get those free updates with the full version, so the educational version (exactly the same software) is quite desirable.
I encourage potential new Avid users to check out this site…”Avid for Final Cut Pro Users.” http://learn.avid.com/content/FCP/index.html
I’ve started to edit my vacation video with FCX (notice I omit the “P” which has no place in the name of this software). I think I’m going to have a fun vacation video. And it will be easy to upload it to YouTube. This perfect use for FCX. Would it have a place in the edit suite of my network TV series? Not a chance. Would I teach FCX to students who want to peruse careers as filmmakers? Not a chance…at least not at this time.
Regards,
Kris Trexler
PS…sorry for a few typos in the above. I’m not all that slick on typing with my iPhone.
Regards,
Kris Trexler