Posts Tagged FCP
Horses for Courses – Avid vs. FCP
I am an Avid editor really. I know Avid, I use it every day and I am totally at home with it. But I’m not afraid of FCP, I can operate it, feel pretty comfortable with it, but it’s not my ’safe place’ and I’m not as quick or effective.
But one big issue for me, not being as familiar with FCP as I am with Avid Media Composer, is where are the strengths and weaknesses of each system. What jobs suit which system best. So I’m appealing for feedback from those better acquainted with the two systems.
Avid editors who’ve switched to FCP, or vice versa, or even better people who are using both systems actively.
Supposing you have both Avid Media Composer and Apple Final Cut Pro at your disposal, cost is not a factor, what jobs end up in what system? And why?
My overall impressions are that FCP is strongest overall in situations where you’re doing it all in one, capture, edit, finish and output. While Avid is much stronger for offline/online workflows. Also, I consider Avid a much stronger contender for multi-editor networked work, with Unity. While FCP requires a very careful approach in the same situation to avoid media management problems.
Where are the real traps? Anything that you think should be totally avoided in one system or another?
Have you shifted a regular job from one system to another? Why? What have been the pros and cons of that shift?
I’m keen to hear comments about this, but I’m not really interested in any comments that can’t at the least acknowledge that both systems have genuine strengths and benefits. Fan-boys need not apply. Would be good to know the type of work you’re doing, and what version or generation of each system you’re most familar with (ie. are you making your judgements based on Xpress DV from 2004?)
RED Expectations
Posted by Dylan in High Definition, RED on July 30th, 2008
The following is the text of a post I made on a forum as a general response after someone was asking about how best to set up budget/low-end 2K monitoring and finishing for the FCP system..
I reckon Jim Jannard and RED have a lot to answer for when it comes to messing up expectations.
I love the RED One camera, I have now worked on set and in post on a number of RED shoots (all destined for no greater than 1080 in the end). It’s a camera for $18,000 (we’ll ignore lenses and accessories) that can shoot 4K!
Every indie filmmaker in the country is now convinced they can cut their opus in 4K in FCP and have it projected at the local Multiplex for less than it costs to sponsor a kid in Africa.
They are very mistaken. Yes, they can shoot RED, in 2K, 3K or even 4K. Yes they can cut it in FCP (or Avid, or Premiere, or whatever if they are game to play around). But the 2K or 4K finish, there’s the rub. FCP can, in theory, work with 2K resolutions. But it’s far from simple at that point, it’s not like video. You can’t just spit it out. There are huge issues to consider about LUTs, delivery, compression, audio mastering.
My advice to anyone thinking they ought to get into 2K on the cheap is, don’t. Wait. Stop. Think about it. FCP and Color and all the rest are good tools, but this isn’t really their strongest area, and chances are it’s not yours either. There are product and people who really know what they are doing and do it well. Those people and products are what you need. Shoot 4K, edit the proxies in FCP or Avid or whatever, but when it comes to the finishing, if you want any bigger than 1080 then it’s time to find a friendly expert. Hire/beg some time on a Scratch or Pablo or Smoke with someone who really knows their stuff. The future nightmares will be reduced and the quality of the end product will be increased.
2K will come to your desktop in time, but wait a while.
What’s Wrong With Final Cut Pro?
Recently I’ve been coming to terms with Final Cut Pro. Up until recently I’ve pretty much had no need or desire to learn FCP, at least not since learning Avid. But that has changed, the fact is now that for basic HD broadcast finishing FCP outclasses Avid hugely (especially in a cost/benefit factor). But FCP isn’t all it could be, and it frustrates me.