Final Cut in the Newsroom...
by Evan Fitzer
on
May 5, 2008 at 9:30:04 pm
Hello:
Our station here in Kamloops, BC is thinking of adding a couple of Final Cut suites into the newsroom. But, I'm afraid they're going to go "on the cheap" and buy FCP Express. I'm in the commercial production end of things and I see the total benefits of FCS 2, but, would FCP Express be good enough in the hack and slash environment of a newsroom, or is it just a little too "consumer" for an operation like that. I know very little about FCP Express except that it doesn't cost a whole lot. And that's what the bean counters are seeing. Any thoughts that I could pass along would be appreciated.
Thanx
Evan Fitzer
CFJC-TV, Kamloops, BC
Re: Final Cut in the Newsroom... by Evan Fitzer on May 5, 2008 at 9:56:35 pm
Jeremy, I believe that has yet to be determined, so, that's a very good point. I'm guessing that capture cards will be in the picture because of the vast array of formats we still have kicking around here.
Evan
Re: Final Cut in the Newsroom... by john christie on May 5, 2008 at 9:53:59 pm
Hi Evan
Probably the biggest drawback to using FCEexpress is that it doesn't let you see source time code. That would be a drag in news editing. I believe it only has print-to-video rather than print-to-video and edit-to-tape that FCPro has.
There's a lot in Final Cut Studio that you don't need for editing news, but Express might be a little too limiting.
Re: Final Cut in the Newsroom... by Tom Matthies on May 5, 2008 at 10:05:12 pm
Plus I don't think that Express supports the "professional" broadcast formats, but only works with DV, HDV or AVCHD. As I read the specs, it looks like you would be limited to Firewire I/O for the system.
One of the local stations in my market here installed a couple of Final Cut systems in their newsrooms and it was disastrous. The news folk never did figure out how to run the system and in the end, they wouldn't touch it. Of course, there was NO formal training on the systems. Instead it was "Here you go. Make news now..." They begged for the ancient Postbox to be returned instead of the Final Cut system. Both were eventually replaced with NewsCutters. Those gave the staff fits as well, but, with some training they eventually found a way to make them work.
If they install FCE systems MAKE SURE that there is someone with the patience of Job (not Jobs) to train them.
My 2¢ worth.
Tom
Re: Final Cut in the Newsroom... by Dave LaRonde on May 5, 2008 at 10:26:53 pm
I hope that management isn't looking at these new suites as a replacement for the current edit bays, but rather as an enhancement to them... y'know, for longer stories, stories that need a little dressing up, etc.
FCP is DREADFULLY slow compared to the news-specific NLE's that accompany newsroom computer & server systems. They may not have all the bells & whistles of FCP, but they are F-A-S-T, fast! In one system, you plug the camera's hard drive into a bay, and as it's copying into the server, you immediately begin editing the story, no waiting necessary. A photog can also edit in the field on a laptop, or choose to finish editing in house.
Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA
Re: Final Cut in the Newsroom... by Dylan Reeve on May 5, 2008 at 11:20:43 pm
That would be my concern too, having used Avid Newscutter in a server-based environment a few times it really did have rock-solid workflow and integration.
Of course if you're all tape-based, it might not be such an issue, although I'd still wonder if the fast-turnaround style of spot-news is entirely suited to FCP.
That said, from what I know of FC Express, that would definitely seem to be a poor decision.
There's not a lot of news operations in my part of the world, but I know none of them are using FCP. Some use Avid (Newscutter and Media Composer) and the rest use one of a handful of niche News NLEs. But I've certainly heard of US news operations using FCP for spot news editing. Check out the Forum on B-Roll.net - it's a news shooters' board, and they'll have a better idea of what people are doing.
Re: Final Cut in the Newsroom... by Dave LaRonde on May 6, 2008 at 4:10:01 pm
I get the uneasy feeling from this thread that station management is looking for an inexpensive way to get rid of the old edit bays.
They might be able to find one, but it will come with debilitating costs: no speed anywhere in the news editing process, the inability to immediately share video with all edit bays, and the loss of vital metadata.
There's a reason why newsroom video server systems come with their own NLE's, and why they're pricey -- they work, the vendors make sure they work, and they make sure everyone knows the new drill for getting video on the air. If you put together a piecemeal system for cheap, you have no such reassurances.
Since the business of a TV newsroom is to get video on FAST, reliably, several times during the day, and be able to locate old video quickly, I suggest that management find another place to save money.
They may want to start by foregoing the rennovation of their offices, the rennovation of the lobby, new carpet for the floors, new wallpaper, and other things that have absolutely NO bearing on day-to-day operations.
Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA
