The war on Final Cut Pro!
by Joel Mielle
on
Aug 12, 2009 at 7:26:00 am
I've been a long time user of Sony Vegas since version 4. I now have version Pro 9 and think it's a fantastic piece of software. I've produced and cut many broadcast commercials and corporate videos, short films etc. But now I feel that I'm losing the battle and I'm ready to wave the white flag and surrender to the enemy! Yes the enemy, Apple! Every client, producer, agency, designer hands me FCP disks! I start to either lose work or make my life twice as hard trying to reedit already edited footage. Is anyone else out there experiencing the same issues? I'd love to hear from someone professional who has used both pieces of software to tell me how good is FCP? Does it work on 64 bit? Does it render or play in real time as quick as Vegas on a similar PC? Any help who be greatly appreciated. Fight or surrender?
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by David Roth Weiss on Aug 12, 2009 at 8:16:25 am
Joel,
Forget about all the technical stuff. All of the NLEs are great nowadays, because the computers are so powerful. But that's not what this business really about. It's a game of numbers -- how many clients can you get, keep, service, and collect from over the next twenty or thirty years. And, if using FCP helps you to achieve better numbers because more clients want and expect it, you'd best get on the stick ASAP, learn it pronto, and get over all the sentimentality that keeps you using Vegas.
As a test, just go onto any job listing site in your town or anywhere else, and see how many ads you can find seeking editors with Vegas to cut projects. Now go and count how many ads you find requesting FCP. Enough said?
Good luck, hopefully we'll see you on the bright side...
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW's Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by Jason Porthouse on Aug 12, 2009 at 10:34:14 am
use both. Seriously!!
You have Vegas? You like? Keep it, for the amount you'll get for it it's worth saving.
Run FCP alongside it. That way, you learn both, you broaden your saleability for the client and everyone's happy. Use the best tool for the job. Some things you'll love in FCP, some you'll hate. Don't see it as the enemy, just another tool in your arsenal.
HTH
Jason
_________________________________
Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes.
Then when you do criticise him, you'll be a mile away. And have his shoes.
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by Devin Crane on Aug 12, 2009 at 1:48:46 pm
Here's a question I've always wondered, why doesn't Sony take Vegas seriously? You can't find it anywhere on their broadcast site where you would think they would try and market it to Professionals in the business. Instead it's on their consumer site, I don't know maybe it's bad marketing. I've heard good things about it, mainly from audio guys who are having to cut video.
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by Mark Suszko on Aug 12, 2009 at 2:37:25 pm
SONY is a company at war with itself: a two-headed monster of content creation and content presentation. Every time the engineering side comes up with cool new tech, the entertainment/marketing side gets spooked it will cut into their profits.
Vegas is not even a SONY product; it was an already-mature product SONY bought from another company and developed further, much like Apple bought Key Grip from Macromedia. Both companies use these NLE platforms as a wedge into the pro market to generate marketing buzz. Buzz that is actually aimed at their exponentially larger consumer markets, at buying hardware.
I really don't believe Apple OR SONY give a hoot about our tiny market, compared to the VAST market of consumer products they sell. Same with Autodesk, who sells literally millions of copies of AUTOCAD, and is barely aware of the Discreet division it bought up, mostly just to keep it out of the hands of competitors.
Notice how AVID is missing from this conversation? Because AVID really just sells editing, not gaming, not home productivity apps, not music playing, etc. And while that may be noble in one way, AVID has been contracting and shrinking all along, specifically IMO because is is not under the wing of a much larger consumer company like Apple or SONY.
That's my impression, anyway. We, our industry and user base, are ants, scuttling under the feet of giants, enjoying their shade one moment, believeing we are in agreemment that they should provide that free shade... and crushed underfoot the next, as they walk on towards their own goals, the whole time, unaware and uncaring.
As to a technical answer to your question, AFAIK, an intel-based modern mac can run Vegas and Final cut in one and the same machine. So why not run both, or either, as needed?
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by Joel Mielle on Aug 12, 2009 at 10:22:58 pm
Thank you all for your comments. I believe it's quite unanimous, FCP is obviously the only answer. Someone commented that Avid hasn't come into the equation, to date, only one person has sent me an Avid disc in the last 10 years. The others have always been predominately FCP and occasionally premiere and Vegas. So yes, in my books Sony has lost this war of mine, and I have no alternative then switching to where it makes good business sense.
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by Bob Zelin on Aug 12, 2009 at 9:56:37 pm
Joel's original post is very "innocent". But I have the answer. I was the original AVID guy back in the stone age, so I was well rooted into AVID. But FCP came along. If I wanted to continue to MAKE MONEY, I had to learn FCP. End of story. Who cares which is better.
I was in the linear editing business before AVID started. Everyone thought that AVID was a joke - "professionals use linear equipment, AVID is junk". Well, we see what happened to those professionals. By the way, I thought that AVID was junk too, but I wanted to MAKE A LIVING, so I learned AVID. And now FCP. And when the next big thing happens (that obsoletes FCP, and Vegas, and Premier), I will learn that. There will always be the next big thing, and if you want to MAKE A LIVING, you will have to learn it.
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by walter biscardi on Aug 12, 2009 at 10:19:46 pm
[Bob Zelin]"I was in the linear editing business before AVID started. Everyone thought that AVID was a joke - "professionals use linear equipment, AVID is junk"."
I can attest to that one. Back in 1993 I believe I was taught Avid at CNN and most of the editors couldn't understand what the big deal was. The first time I moved two shots around on the timeline, I knew exactly what the big deal was. I cut the first story on Avid that actually made air on CNN after we re-conformed it in the Linear suite.
But back then the "real professional editors" ran CMX, Grass Valley Switchers, Abekas DVE's and Chyron Infinits. I used to run a suite with the Accom Axial 2020, Philips Diamond Digital 20, Abekas A-53 and a bunch of DigiBeta decks and D2. I just helped put two rooms just like that to pasture at a local broadcaster as part of a re-design of 8 brand new HD edit suites, but I have to say it was fun to walk into that room full of blinking lights, buttons and knobs. THAT was an edit suite! I'm actually trying to get one of the Diamond Digital 20's so I can make a coffee table out of it!
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Owner, Biscardi Creative Media featuring HD Post Biscardi Creative Media
Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital.
Re: The war on Final Cut Pro! by walter biscardi on Aug 13, 2009 at 12:22:42 pm
[Andy Mees]"Man, that would make for a freakishly geeky coffee table :-)"
Seriously!!! The switcher itself no longer functions, but the buttons still light up. It's awesome!!! Still trying to work out the details but if I get it and it becomes a table, you better believe I'll supply pictures!
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Owner, Biscardi Creative Media featuring HD Post Biscardi Creative Media
Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital.
