After FX vs FCP vs BLAH + job advice?
by Jeremy Fabiano (rashan)
on
May 20, 2008 at 6:09:37 pm
Ok.. I've been lurking in the job posting section for a while now...
I keep seeing things like "FCP required, but working knowledge of AE would be nice" .... aren't they both compositing programs?
Couldn't I do everything in AE that I could in any of the other competition in compositing software.
I played with Discreet Combustion before I toyed with AE.. the only thing I noticed Combustion had OVER AE was it's particle system was MUCH easier to implement and use...
I dunno - maybe it doesn't matter? Trying to get a job, and I only have AE under my belt. My roomie is learning Maya and we have aspirations of making our primary income based on graphic design.
Re: After FX vs FCP vs BLAH + job advice? by Dave LaRonde on May 20, 2008 at 7:35:15 pm
[Jeremy Fabiano]"I keep seeing things like "FCP required, but working knowledge of AE would be nice" .... aren't they both compositing programs? "
As a guy who uses both AE and FCP, I can tell you that FCP is an editing application laboring under the delusion that it's also a compositing application.
Nobody with any experience in both would ever mistake FCP for anything but an editor.
Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA
Re: After FX vs FCP vs BLAH + job advice? by Will Salley on May 20, 2008 at 9:36:19 pm
[Jeremy Fabiano]"Trying to get a job, and I only have AE under my belt. My roomie is learning Maya and we have aspirations of making our primary income based on graphic design. "
I would suggest that you both get experience in FCP and/or Avid, as well as any application you might need to help you produce a creative and useful product. Unlike most post-houses of the past, having a cursory knowledge of many apps is a good thing, in addition to specializing in just one or two. Photoshop is a must.
The best advice I can give anyone after my 20+ years of production is to make sure you have a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of ALL parts of the business. That means knowledge of the technical, artistic, and financial areas. It doesn't hurt to know some marketing and personnel skills as well.
For example, you should know the difference between PAL and NTSC, you should know the difference between frame data rates and frame pixel dimensions. You should have an understanding of frame composition, color space and how it translates to different display and playback systems. And you should have an idea of what is billable time and what constitutes an ROI expense. Even if you plan on working for a large facility you will still be at an advantage because you know you have a balanced perspective on the business.
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