Re: So you like FCP then?

Quite a few of the things I like about FCP7 are also things that I like about Avid (I own and use both).

I can cut quickly, without having to use any of my brain space thinking about the equipment.

I feel confident that I can do whatever I'm asked to do, whether it's some tricksy editing flash that a director has seen somewhere and wants me to replicate, down to giving a researcher an edl of just the music tracks for them to sort out the clearances.

As a freelancer I frequently cut on my own gear but I don't own pro decks or high grade monitoring, so I can take my project on a hard drive to a local facility for ingesting from and playing out to tape, colour grading (whether I do it myself or use an experienced colorist), transfer the audio into Pro Tools with the tracks already layed out sensibly for the dubbing mixer, that kind of thing.

I also get quite a lot of work using other people's gear (mainly at production companies or facilities) because what I've got is the same as what they have, i.e., FCP7 or Avid, so they trust me with it.

I'm quite happy to admit that my choice of what kit to use is much more driven by what pays and what makes my life easier, rather than what I like. I've learned quite a few systems in my time and I expect to have to learn a few more before I'm finished, but that's fine because I don't really care that much about the kit (I care about using pictures and sound to tell stories). The kit is a tool to do a job for me so I don't invest emotional capital in it, I take it seriously because it enables me to do what I want to do.