It would be very easy for me to just say things like “Give me tracks”, or “Fix Broadcast output”, but that would be a cop out, as well as stupid. The idea behind this is to give some specific gripes, and my ideas on how to fix it, but within the parameters of the ideals of FCPX. I will try to explain why my issues are troublesome to me when applicable, but I will assume some level of editing background. 

Without a doubt, if all Apple did was give me an on/off switch for Magnetic timeline, about 95% of my main issues would disappear. It is my understanding that an option to turn off Magnetic timeline would be a rather tall technical task, and also would most likely cause usability problems due to some decisions already made. So lets pretend we cannot ever get this, and come up with some ways to work within the confines of the Magnetic timeline, without actually turning it off.

You can find that post here:
http://www.philiphodgetts.com/2011/12/why-do-production-pressures-favor-final-cut-pro-x/

Heres my take, heading into the new year:

It was stated in the "That Post Show" podcast, and it is so true. "The relationship with an editor and his software has to be based on trust." You need to trust Apple and their ideals and philosophies moving forward. No matter what your feelings on FCPX, even Philip admits it is not there, "yet". That is insinuating that the software will eventually get there, meaning he trusts Apple. Thats a big level of trust. 

If you are just learning the craft, just getting out of college/filmschool, you have a decision to make. Are you going the "apple" way, or the "traditional" way. (By traditional, I am now referring to any NLE not written by Apple). It is in my opinion, if you lay your cards on the table and learn the new FCPX way of editing, you will be limited. In making that point, I am not even just referring to the fact that technically you cannot get your work in/out of FCPX to go to other software packages. While that is currently the truth, that can ultimately be fixed. XML, OMF, EDL, etc can easily be taken care of in a software update, and I fully expect Apple to add that to FCPX in the future. The bigger issue is the design philosophy of the program itself. Having FCPX on your resume is not getting you into any post house, network TV, or feature film set anytime soon. By choosing that route, you have already capped what you are capable of doing, and for what reason?

I keep hearing "FCPX" is fast. What exactly does that mean? Can you drop an H.26 in the timeline and edit it? Yes. Does that make it fast? I guess to some people. Can I search my iTunes library and bring in a song ? Yes. Does that make it fast ? I guess. I can also hit one button, go eat lunch, come back, and my video is on YouTube or Vimeo. That is fast also. So yes, in many ways, FCPX is fast. If you know how to edit, and you put some effort into actual learning, Avid, FCP 7.0, Premiere Pro, Media 100, Edius, and Lightworks are also fast. You can type paragraphs into Microsoft Word very fast, but how many novels did you write last year?

That brings us to the flip side to all that "Speed"…..Besides the technical workarounds you need to take, the editing workarounds needed are killer. I actually do not even consider FCPX a "Non-linear" editor. It is a HUGE step back in the actual editing process. Those of you familiar with editing will get where I am going……The Magnetic Timeline. Because of the way that the program works, you are now limited to editing decisions that are based on a relationship to the first frame of your project. The whole idea of being non linear is things can go where you want them go, and stay there. I can easily work on the end, go back to the beginning, then the middle, etc. That is virtually impossible with FCPX. 

Easy example……lets say you are working on a music video, and the footage has been shot for the "Chorus" parts of the song. There is no way to edit those sections efficiently, leaving black holes for the verses, and going back later. Due to the magnetic timeline, everything wants to insert and ripple. Your workaround is you need to establish a relationship with frame 1. That is stupid and antiquated, and why should I need to have to "think" about what I am doing. Its been said thousands of times, the editing program should be an extension of your mind.  

Something as simple as removing a couple minutes from the middle of an edit can't even be done neatly. If you want to remove minutes 4-5, you need to do the compound clip rain dance, make an edit, and prey to the Gods you can get your stuff to un-compound back into some sort of sanity. These are not bugs, these are MAJOR issues due to the way that the program works, that cannot be changed now, without some way to override Magnetic timeline.

No one in their right mind would ask a "professional" photographer to do a job with a point and shoot camera. Why ? Its not because they cannot take great pictures with it, they most certainly can. Its because they cannot have the control they need to deal with any situations they run into, or creative ideals they may have. FCPX is, right now, like the point and shoot camera. I do not want a $299 piece of plastic deciding what Aperture to shoot my picture at, any more than I want a $299 piece of software deciding where in time my footage goes. I do not need that help, and neither should you. You become a better photographer by learning the craft. You become a better editor by learning the craft. Is it easy ? God no. No matter, it should feel easy, because if you truly love doing it, learning the harder parts of an NLE should be fun. 

FCPX has some very cool features. I love the Append edit to the end of the timeline. The built in stabilizer is good. I like some of the ability to normalize the audio. I do not like the scrubber, but I do understand that some may like that. Apple knew enough to give the ability to turn it off. There are things here to like. Unfortunately none are even remotely close to enough for me to give up the 100's of things it cannot do. 

When "non Professional" tools are chosen for "Professional" projects, it is in service to the end result. For the last three years, people flocked to the Canon 5DmkII for very professional jobs, essentially ignoring the major downfalls that came with that decision, but for a good reason. The camera produced beautiful pictures that were technically impossible to produce almost any other way. Now that more professional alternatives are available, the trend is to find every which way to NOT use a DSLR. A piece of editing software does not give you that luxury. I should be able to watch a piece of media, and have no idea what it was edited on. Its not about that….its about cuts and dissolves, and pacing decisions made by the producer/director/editor. Nothing else. You should never have to "Think" about what you are doing. You need to be able to just do it.

I wanted Apple to get this right, I still want them to make this right. At this point, I have still not seen a good argument why we should have the trust that the FCPX way is the future. Its not about the "No XML"…."No Broadcast Out"……"No paste Attributes"…….those are features. Those can be added. Its about philosophy.

I'm not willing to go back to a linear world. If I put a piece of video at 2 minutes, 10 seconds, 5 frames, it damn well better be there when I come back.

Thank you for the lifeline Apple, but I am a good enough editor, I can think for myself.

For awhile, things were looking to be on the downturn for Avid. When they first announced they would not be attending NAB 2008, people prematurely had them left for dead. Then Media Composer 3.5 was released, and things started to look a bit brighter. Now with version 5.0, Avid is once again king of the hill, but many would suggest they never left that perch in the first place.

While playing with Autodesk Flame 2010, this is the final project I did from the Smoke 102 class at fxphd.com

The day started innocently enough, doing some editing and After Effects work. Next thing I know, I am on Amazon, buying books published in 1983 about Return of the Jedi. Best part about this book, I used to own it back in the day, as a 12 year old Star Wars fanatic. I knew at the time this book really interested me, but didn't quite know why. I thought I liked the idea of behind-the-scenes stuff, although I most likely just wanted to look at the pictures.

Through the years, through numerous moves, the book became misplaced. For all I know, its sitting in a box in my attic. Not matter what, I own it again. Isn't the internet great. You can find it here on Amazon brand new, for a cool $70. I went the other route, and bought a used one for $2.

Amazon Link (lightsaber not included):
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Star-Wars-Return-Jedi/dp/034531235X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266584726&sr=8-6

Its got photos, scans of call sheets, shooting schedules, and all the things you would love to have for todays movies in the watered down extras disk on DVD's. They talk about how Lucas found his director, and why. Walter Murch makes an appearance. Hopefully work is slow today, I am going to start reading it.....again.

Snowstorm 2009 from Art Guglielmo on Vimeo.

From MSNBC.com : "A slow-moving storm that blanketed swaths of the mid-Atlantic with nearly 2 feet of snow headed northward Sunday, continuing its assault on the East Coast after causing at least five deaths, crippling travel and leaving empty stores normally crammed with holiday shoppers."

Some photos I clicked from inside the warm house : Snowstorm 2009

QUICK TIP : Swap Clips on Timeline in FCP or Avid from Art Guglielmo on Vimeo.

Small tutorial on swapping 2 clips in the timeline using Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer

Shot with a Brevis 35mm adapter on an HV-20. Ran through Stu Maschwitz' HANDCRANK After Effects project for the old time film effect. I shot it at 60i, imported it into Final Cut, did some minor editing, and exported to After Effects. To get this Project, please have a look at Stu's wonderful book, "The DV Rebels Guide"

You can find that here: amazon.com/DV-Rebels-Guide-All-Digital-Approach/dp/0321413644

For more information on Stu Maschwitz, you can find his blog here: http://prolost.blogspot.com/  or his IMDB listing here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0556179/