Broadcast TECH NON-LINEAR EDITING


still as divisive as Marmite. Apple’s radical overhaul of its non-


linear editing (NLE) software sent some professional users into a tail- spin when it was released in June. Its redesigned user interface was


dismissed as too consumer-orien- tated, while the apparent stripping out of professional features such as multicamera editing and shared stor- age meant few facilities were able to plug the software into their existing post environments and just get on with the job of editing. Broadcast monitor support and


multicam editing have since been added and shared storage is also now available, although many com- plain that it’s still not as straight- forward as it could be. “Apple has taken a real body blow on this one,” says John Perez, an independent post-production con- sultant at Support Partners, whose clients include early FCP adopter BBC Factual, Darlow Smithson and Maverick Media. But, he adds, Apple is making up ground. “It will develop it aggressively and the fact Apple is pre-announcing features is evidence that it is really listening.” What the release of FCP X did


do is offer post houses pause for thought. Facilities that had once built their business models around FCP took the opportunity to rethink their offerings, and the conclusion many came to is that they are unlikely to put all their eggs in one basket again, especially when there are other good NLEs – such as Avid’s Media Com- poser 6 and Adobe’s Premiere Pro 6. In July, FCP-only facility Unit moved away from Apple software with the installation of 12 Avid


www.broadcastnow.co.uk/techfacils


A BITE OUT OF APPLE I


t’s been on the market for more than a year but Final Cut Pro X is


FEATURE


The launch of Apple’s Final Cut Pro X has divided the post industry and allowed rival systems from the likes of Adobe and Avid to muscle in – but the fi rm is fi ghting back. Ann-Marie Corvin reports


Media Composer workstations. Soho-based Unit, which was founded as an FCP specialist in 2006, said it made the shift in response to client demand. Sequence head of post Ben Foakes


confi rmed that his facility is also looking at alternatives to FCP. He says: “There could be a place for FCP X as a low-volume tool within our future business model but cer- tainly not as our core application.”


Client demand Foakes says another reason for offer- ing alternative NLEs is because cli- ents are demanding it. “Professional broadcast editors have said ‘no thank you’ to FCP and we, as a facil- ity, cannot force-feed it to them.” Managing director of The Inde- pendent Post Company Simon Frod- sham says demand for FCP editors at his talent hire company peaked about four years ago at around 25% of bookings. Since the upgrade, it has fallen to roughly 10%.


‘There could be a place for FCP X within our future


business model but not as our core


application’ Ben Foakes, Sequence


Brian Cantwell, managing director of talent hire and training outfi t Soho Editors, has seen a drop-off in interest in FCP courses since X was launched. “People’s thinking is that FCP 7 will eventually be discontinued so what’s the point in learning how to use it? And do they really want to train on FCP X if it doesn’t work?” However, Cantwell adds that there’s


a lot of misinformation in the market about FCP X. “It’s a work-in-progress and it requires a change in thought, but you don’t have to do any encod- ing, you can just drop everything in regardless of the format. You also never have to render because it is con- stantly doing it in the background.” There’s no doubt FCP X has rein-


vigorated the NLE market – fi rms such as Avid and Adobe have spot- ted a weakness and are scrabbling to improve their tools. Meanwhile, Perez is advising his clients to keep an open mind. “We’re telling them to let it mature and see where it is in a year’s time.”


September/October 2012 | Broadcast TECH | 37


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52