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This is why I want you to always have a camera charged and ready.

You may miss video gold like this accidental flying dog kick to my nether region.

Apple unveiled the much anticipated Final Cut Pro X last night in Las Vegas.

I’m going to reserve my personal opinion until the end of this article.

FCP X screen shot

First, here’s the cool stuff that will make this product a must-have for Mac owners that want to have editing tools like the pros.

1. Kickstart your project with advanced technology Unique to Final Cut Pro X
   • Begin editing while the software imports and transcodes your source footage.
   • Use advanced image analysis to help sort your footage into categories for you- a huge time saver.
   • Have the option to automatically remove camera shake and/or audio hiss from your source footage
2. True resolution independence.
   • Mix and match several different types of video and still imagery together without worrying about their technical compatability.  (A lot of words- This means that your stuff will just play when you hit the “play” button)
3. Intuitive Interface
   • Final Cut pro has always been favored by professional editors who appreciate a nice elegant interface.  This new version takes all that to a new level with more advanced gestural tools that will let you work the way you want to.
   • Automatically keeps footage in sync with “Clip Connection.”
   • keep track of different versions easily with new Auditioning tools
   • Easily view the media outside of your edit points without leaving timeline with new “Inline Precision Editor”
   • Use “Compound Clips” to combine groups of smaller clips into subsequences- Very useful to simplify complicated sequences.
4. Full Hardware Integration
   • Under the hood of your mac- know that all your cylinders will be firing to keep the editing software running smooth.
   • Use all available memory and processors that are on your system.
   • Render in the background while you continue to work.
   • Will run on your computer with practically no configuration problems or issues.  (I’m speculating, but this software was written from the ground up to run on your mac- no matter what the configuration.)
5. Price
   • Selling on the App Store in june for $299- it will be hard to pass up.
   • You’ll be in good company.  Even though FCP products have long been maligned in my industry as being less-than-professional- Apple has 60% of the professional market share.  It’s here to stay- and at this new price- you’ll find that there will be no shortage of people that can help you learn how to use this software shortly after its release.

So… What does an editor of 20 years think about the new Final Cut Pro?

I’m excited that I will be able to buy this software for my own use at home.  For a price of $299, I think every pro editor with a Mac at home will be very tempted to make this purchase.

However, I’m pretty underwhelmed with the information Apple has leaked out about it so far.

I realize there’s a lot of time before the actual release date- and there’s much that was not talked about.  But I really had hoped that Apple would have listened more to their loyal user base, and had addressed the day-to-day problems we have all been voicing.

If there’s a “Pro” in the title of any editing software – it really should be capable of making frame accurate edits onto any professional editing deck.  The current version of FCP cannot do this reliably, and I really want to know that Apple has fixed that kind of basic problem.

As Apple has left it in Las Vegas, we really don’t know all that much about the nuts and bolts of how the new version was built.

I will reserve my opinion for after I’ve played around with the software for a good while.

If you’re a prosumer or hobbyist- I think you can’t lose.  Final Cut Pro X will be a huge step up from whatever editing package you currently have.

If you’re a professional editor- please reserve judgment until we can get our grubby little tv hands on it.

– Peace

Scott Markowitz

If you’ve got a camcorder, or have posted to YouTube- you may have HMD.

I’m not going to judge you poorly if you make bad videos.  I’m just going to judge your videos.

The truth is many people suffer from what I call “HMD.”

• HMD = Home Movie Denial; It’s a medical condition that causes people to post really stinky movies on YouTube, or to force loved ones to watch awful streaming videos at family gatherings.

It’s not the end of the world.  I’ll help (you discover if your videos stink.)

Top 7 Signs that your videos stink, and nobody wants to watch them.

1. You managed to make a video that’s not about anything.
   • Fix it by steering your audience to a point.  (It would help if you knew what your point was going to be before you started making your crappy video.)
2. You’re being sneaky- and try to sell your audience something without offering anything of value.
   • People don’t like to get a sales pitch when they’re not expecting one.
     • This problem can be overcome, however, if you can offer your viewers something that’s worthy of their time.  If your video is very funny or teaches something of legitimate value- then I’ll give you a pass on the sales pitch.
3. You’ve failed to edit out mistakes.
   • Let’s say that you’ve recorded a poignant soliloquy about [fill in your hot button topic here], and the phone rang in the middle of the recording.  Please edit out the phone ringing in your finished video.  For flying monkeys’ sake- edit out the phone conversation
4. You’re Annoying.
   • Please- if you KNOW that others find you annoying, then maybe it’s not a good idea to make yourself the focal point in a series of videos about making home movies.  (Just sayin’)
   • Just because your mother has to love you- doesn’t mean the rest of us have to
5. You are completely unaware about the basic rules of visual composition.
   • The Rule of Thirds is a rule because it SHOULD be obeyed.  Otherwise, we’d call it the “suggestion of thirds.”
   • While I’m on the topic- watch your headroom, please.
   • If I see a tiny head at the bottom of picture, I get uncomfortable.
   • Your eyes should always be above the center of the screen- and your head should be near top of frame.
6. You can’t afford to pay your electricity bill?
   • Must be.  Why the @%#$ else would you be shooting in the ^&#$ dark?!!
   • Cameras need a good source of light to reproduce an acceptable image.
   • If you can’t afford the electricity- wait until daylight hours, and shoot then.  Please.
7. You have an itchy zoom button finger.
   • Yes.   The camera has a zoom button.
   • No.  Don’t throttle it back and forth like you’re a crazed weasel.  shh. shh. Just don’t.

Strap in CHuMs, because you’re about to learn one of my most valuable editing hints.

But before I lay down this media wisdom…

You know what’s weird?

Ehem– No.  It’s weird when you’re watching a video, and the scenes cut so fast that your eyes begin to bleed in their sockets, and you can’t tell what the sweet merciful crap you’re watching.

Rule #1, kids, is to Hold your shot.

Keep your shots on screen AT LEAST long enough for the average viewer to

• People in the biz would say a shot doesn’t have enough time to “read” if it’s not on screen long enough.
• The amount of time a shot needs to “read” is different for each shot.
  • It depends on how complex of an image it is.  Here’s things to look out for.
    • The more objects in a shot- the longer it needs to read
    • The crazier the camera movement is- the longer it needs to read
    • The less similar it is to shots around it- the longer it needs to read.
    • The more stunningly pretty a single composition is- the more you should let your viewers linger on it.

You know why this is tip #1?

If you don’t keep a shot on screen long enough, and pictures go by too fast- your intended audience will STOP WATCHING.

Also- you’ve made a stinky video.

Don’t make your videos stinky.

Hold your shots on long enough, and make your videos awesome!

Stick Man signed up for sky diving lessons.  Unfortunately, there’s no IQ test required to strap on a chute.

If you have little kids, then they probably think you have eyes in the back of your head.

There’s no limit to your mind reading ability.

• Your small children even think you can pull a rope through your body! (If you want to.)

There’s probably something you do that your kids think is amazing.  Record it in a home movie.

When they’re older, they’ll still think it’s awesome!

It’s the same old song and dance my friends… You visited a big tourist attraction, and you shot way too much footage.

Nobody will ever want to see you posing next to the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.

Not ever… No.  Nobody.

That is– unless you watch this and  make your boring vacation clips into something wildly cool.

The Moral of the Story?

Don’t Spoil Harry Potter for anybody, or my knight will kill you.

Holy crap! This post took me a long time to get ready for you– my valued students.  No need to fret, however.  After watching this, you’ll see…

• The 4 types of recording media
• The Pros and Cons of each
• How to make an informed camcorder purchase

Now go out there, and make your old teacher proud!