It was so bad that Apple broke one of their most sacred rules and offered cash refunds to the disenchanted.

Even yours truly, shortly after buying my own license, jumped onto the bandwagon.

However, I must now apologize to all my fellow professional editors, and say…

After using FCP X for several months, I’m ready to change my tune… mostly.

Though it's still not ready for prime time, Final Cut Pro X is pretty close.

Yes, it took some getting used to, but that’s only because I was conditioned to edit in the traditional “professional” way.

I’ve found enough powerful editing tools in this interface that I can achieve everything I want with even more precision than any other tool i’ve ever used.

I can definitely understand why other long-time editors would reject this software package.  It defies the time honored methods that have sustained our livelihoods for so long.  Change like this has always been met with resistance.  If your old enough you surely remember the same kind of push-back when Grass Valley Switchers became swapped out for Avid boxes.  It sure seemed like a huge step backward.

While AVR 77 AVID video looked like crap, it marked a milestone of change in our industry.

Those that did not understand the shift from linear to computer-based editing where missing the whole point back then.

I certainly didn’t embrace AVID 16 years ago when my employer switched over, but I respected the fact that things were going to be different.  I respected that I was either going to go along with the change, or I was going to be left behind.

Of course, I was young and bouncy 16 years ago.  The idea of paradigm shifts in time-honored work pipelines didn’t mean as much to me.  I was just thrilled back then to be editing.

This is the main feature of Final Cut Pro X for me.

I have done several projects on it, and I ‘m having fun again.  Storytelling is again, as it should be, my main involvement.

Don’t mistake the mechanics of injesting footage, transcoding formats, and logging clips for the joy of telling a story.

Apple has litterally brought the joy of story telling back to me.

There are problems with Final Cut Pro X, I mean let’s be real.

• It has miserable compositing tools. (I know Motion 5 is $30, but it doesn’t count)
• Timeline navigation is wonky – undoing often results in teleportation to nether regions of your show.
• Subclip? There’s no such thing.
• Still subject to random crashes.

Still, despite all the unbelievable oversights on Apple’s part- I love using Final Cut Pro X.  I’ve found work-arounds for all the above problems.  The crashes aren’t nearly as frequent as say Media Composer 3.  Also, unlike AVID’s earlier offerings, crashes never seem to result in any loss of editing work. (Thanks to the latest update, anyway.)

I’m sorry.  During the last revolution (linear to non-linear) I just wasn’t this happy, guys.

The Summer between my Sophomore and Junior year of college, I worked for Disney World.

In addition to the daily humiliation of being dressed in polyester lederhosen, I was exposed to the most terrifying force in Orlando, Florida.

I, of course, am referring to the attraction they call “It’s a Small World.”  My candy stand was nearby to the exit of that ride, and I had to listen to the song all day.

Combined with the incredible heat and humidity, my wee-little brain turned all mushy and susceptible  to evil.  Luckily, I never caved in to the horrible voices that echoed in my head.

What’s this have to do with Creative Home Movies?

I’ll tell you.

After nearly 20 years since first being exposed to Disney’s “It’s a Small World”- I bravely picked up my camcorder, and set out to face my demons.

With the help and support of my family, I took a boat ride into the belly of the beast, and I emerged a new man!

You Too, Can Defeat Your Personal Demons.

Grab a camcorder.  You may be surprised to see that, through the viewfinder, your child-hood demons don’t seem so intimidating anymore.

-Or maybe they’re completely more ghastly than you ever recalled.

• If that’s the case then try throwing  a camcorder at your old tormentor.

That should buy you enough time to make an escape- if you’re lucky.

Ready?

Get up.

No.  Not right now.  I mean when you’re shooting.

Don’t sit in one spot while your kid opens every birthday gift.  Get up and change your perspective with the camera.

In fact, every time you press the stop button- get up and…

• Change the distance between the camera and the subject
• Change the angle your viewing the subject from (move left or right at least 5 feet)

There.  That wasn’t so hard.

The part is now you’ll have a video that’s already watchable- no editing necessary.

(Unless you rolled camera on every blessed second that your three year old spent unwrapping her gifts.  You may still want to edit that down.)

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.

• Do you want crappy audio, kids?

Of course you don’t.  I’ll tell you right now how to dramatically improve your audio- without having to spend a dime!

Pay attention.

We’ll Begin With Audio Acquisition Tips- Record Better Audio To Begin With.

1. Put a homemade windscreen on your camera’s microphone.  This will prevent those annoying wind “pops” from ever being recorded.
   • cut a patch from an old cotton sock that’s the size of your camera’s microphone.
   • Do likewise with an old pair of pantyhose.
   • Layer the sock and then the pantyhose on top of your microphone and adhere to camera with gaffers tape. (You can use duct tape as well-but it may leaf adhesive on your camera body.)
2. Pay attention to the sound levels of your camera while recording.
   • If your camera has audio meters- turn them on.  Adjust the mic level input accordingly.
   • Many cameras don’t have this feature.  That’s ok.  Get a pair of headphones, and plug them into the camera.
     • Put the headphones on and start shooting the way you normally do- except this time you’ll hear what is getting recorded adequately- and what’s not.
       • Adjust your shooting style accordingly.
         • If you self narrate a lot- then you’ll know if you have to speak softer or louder.
         • If your shooting subject can’t be heard, ask them to speak up.
3. Avoid noisy shooting locations
   • Seems obvious, but sometimes you don’t realize just how noisy a place is because your brain will try to filter noise out automagically for you.
   • If you have to shoot your BFF at the food court next to the wishing fountain- make sure they either shout to camera- or they have a hand-held microphone.

Well Done.  Next, We Have Tricks For Better Audio in Edits.

4. Do An Audio Pass- for cryin’ out loud.

• • Once your done editing the picture- Your still not done-done.
    • Go back and use the audio gain tools to level out all the audio.
      • Adjust everything so each audio clip is the same perceived audio level when playing it back.  (Turn off the music tracks until all the spoken words are level.  Then, go back and adjust the music so it sounds good with the spoken word.)

5.  Double The Audio Track

• • If you’re using editing software, like Final Cut Express or Sony Vegas, then it will allow you to double up the audio segments.
    • Very useful for when you have cranked up the audio gain already to the maximum, but it’s not enough.

Do these 5 things for your next video, and people may actually watch it.

Now, get out there, and make an awesome home movie!

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!

Here’s how to compose better shots immediately!

Next time you want to shoot something, pay attention to what’s in the background of your viewfinder.

Here’s a composition ruined by stuff in the background, and how to fix it.

It's a crab. Wait... It's a guy with a huge gut!

This shot could be about a horseshoe crab.  Or it may be about the dude in the background sporting a very well developed beer-belly.  If you can’t easily tell, then the composition is just not working too well.

How to Correct Bad Compositions. (Simplified)

If there’s something that looks weird in your background, then  change your shooting perspective.

• Move the camera a few feet over, and check again.
• Ask the subject to move over a few steps.
• Give the father next to you a lollipop to switch seats at the school dance recital  that nobody’s going to watch anyway…  So I’m not sure why you even bothered to bring your video camera.  Hey, look.  Every other parent has brought their cameras too.  WHO is going to have to watch this video?  The Mom’s parents.  That’s who.  Will they WANT to watch?  I doubt it.  They’ll watch it all right- just to be polite.  Then, they’ll look at me with those… those eyes…

(Woa.  I digress.)

This shot is definitely about the horseshoe crab

The above problem was fixed by taking a few steps to my right.

Now, I can happily shoot away without having to subject my audience to unwanted guttage.

If my wife is still reading…  Go out there, and frame up some awesome looking shots!

This has nothing to do with the article!

All at once, your senses come alive.  Your ears ache from the unmistakeable rumble of an automobile engine.  Your nostrils fill with the unmistakeable scent of gasoline.  Your eyes haven’t had time to adjust to the daylight, but you recognize that a black Cadillac is bearing down on your position.

Your head is ringing like a fire bell, and you’ve just woken up on the freeway.   How?  Why?

The mystery will wait to be answered.  Now, you need to survive.

Was that a good way to begin a story?

(let’s just say it’s good.)

Now, read the following:

I went out friday night with my friends.  They gave me a glass filled with what I thought was iced tea.  We talked, and we told some jokes.  Then I started to feel a little strange.  I think things got a little crazy, and you’re not going to believe what happened next…

Uhh.  That last one stunk?

Exactly.  The first story beginning hooked you in because you found yourself in the middle of action right away.

(I like action.  People like action.  You like action.  If you don’t like action, then pretend you like action.)

• So the action amps the reader up, and provides a reason to keep reading.  How did this guy end up on the freeway?  What’s he going to do next?

The second story beginning stunk because you’re told, right off the bat most of the details.

• The reader can easily fill in the details on their own, and they have no reason to continue.

When you’re making your own movie, don’t make it stinky.

Drop your viewers into some action right away.

Also remember that movies are a visual medium.  The more action you can show, the more compelling your movie will be.

(Hey that’s a song by Rush- Show Me, Don’t Tell Me… and my nerd factor just ratcheted up another notch.)

If you can hook your audience into your story right off the bat, then that does NOT STINK at all.

Class dismissed.  (Go make an awesome home movie.)