The Editblog

I was able to play with the new Final Cut Pro a bit over the weekend and here are some observations. The good, colorful and ugly.

We maybe I’m exaggerating about the Earth slightly tilting with the release of the new Final Cut Studio. It contains Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, Compressor 3.5 and DVD Studio Pro something as it didn’t get updated and is so old that I think it has a long, gray beard.

The Los Angeles FCP User Group has a good collection of links about the release. Of course there’s Apple’s own Final Cut Studio resources where they also have new Logic Studio updates and a new Final Cut Server. There’s training videos and books available a day after the release as well. Don’t believe the hype though that this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I took a more critical look at the announced features on Studio Daily and Mike Jones probably summed it up better than anyone.

There was also a slew of Release Notes that came from Apple yesterday. My favorite has to be this one:

I’m so glad they cleared that up! By far the funniest blog post about the new FCS release was from Owen’s Photoblog titled How To Install Final Cut Studio 3. I like #3 in the process:

I’ll bite, I’ll be the sucker and try to do just that at some point over the weekend:

If you’re a user of CoreMelt plug-ins and you haven’t updated to the new V2 line of products that was introduced at NAB 09 then now might be the time. CoreMelt is having a Summer Upgrade Special with 40% off upgrades to V2 products. It’s for 10 days only, July 21 – July 31. This coincides with an update to version 2.2 that adds a number of new effects and transitions. The version 2 of the CoreMelt is a stand-alone plug-in for Final Cut Pro, Motion and After Effects that is no longer part of the FxFactory-engine based architecture. They new release is fast, has a lot of great effects and adds CoreMelt’s own tweaked interface to the Filter tab of FCP:

Tune in to Studio Monthly for an upcoming review of CoreMelt V2.

The Los Angeles Final Cut Pro user group meetings are now online for a small fee. This is a great resource.

The 2008 ACE Equipment Survey is up and online.

Get ready for some reading. The book DROIDMAKER: George Lucas and the Digital Revolution is available as a free pdf download. At least for now.

CineForm has a new product called the CineDDR, as in direct-to-disk recording.

The Edit Foundry has posted a great piece on Eye Trace.

ParticleMetrix is a new plug-in from idustrial Revolution.

Here’s some great viewing with the Top 10 Rock n Roll documentaries.

And here’s 10 bargains for no-budget filmmakers.

Our friend Jim Geduldick’s Final Cut User blog was featured on G4′s Attack of the Show.

While writing Please label tapes and disks: An open letter to DPs, camera ops, DITs I got a couple of good links about all of the different HD formats and frame rates that are out there.

Here’s a new 35mm lens adapter called the Modo35. Speaking of 35mm adapters, Call Box has a DVD about just that.

The DV Show lists out 55+ iPhone Apps For Video Pros as well a a great list of apps that might help Rescue Corrupt Video.

Digital Revolution has a nice list of Guides to Digital Filmmaking and products that make up a Virtual Film School.

Shane Ross found a sample contract that might come in handy for editors.

Here’s 404 Avid Tutorials.

Cameras is a free Mac OSX preference that lets you assign cameras to certain applications.

Norman Hollyn follows 15 Film School Tips in 20 Minutes with More  Film School Tips.

Yep, the new iPhone 3G S shoots video (though it doesn’t really edit it) … while it is cool it’s not the second coming though the fanboys go nuts over it with things like music videos, “film” competitions, expensive supports, stereo and shoulder rigs. Calm down people it’s just a phone that shoots crappy, non-HD video.

Could the SD card replace DVDs on our computers? It would be more like the future if they did.

Here’s 10 Photoshop Interface Features you (maybe) Didn’t Know Existed.

So apparently there’s hidden metadata in Final Cut Pro. That’s just like FCP to have something there that the editor can’t use or get access to.

So maybe you don’t need real scopes to produce broadcast legal tv. But with HD scopes finally this affordable why not if you’re producing for broadcast. To me it would be worth it just to have them all always available at a glance and not taking up screen real estate.

I’m not sure how I feel about 5 Second Films.

Links from Twitter:

lafcpug located 8 Documentary Dos & Don’ts.

bcfilmmaker tweeted the Top 5 Things You Need To Know When Making Your Low Budget Film.

5tu likes the Six No-Budget Lessons of Be Kind Rewind.

Underseen posted the helpful 25 Free Mac Apps That Will Boost Your Productivity.

karimamara points to IFC’s 50 greatest trailers of all time.

eastbayjay - Keep Your Customers Around with Better Customer Service for Your Freelance Business

TheEditDoctor found an HV20/30/40 focus ring.

PXLpainter retweeted @GuyKawasaki 12 Real-Life Locations Behind Out-of-this-World Films http://trkk.us/?gFD

Filmbot retweeted from 3DWorldMag: 10 defining moments in CG history.

rhedpixel found a nice site for vector brushes and artwork for Illustrator and other Adobe Apps http://vector-art.blogspot.com

kfirpravda wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs: Don’t Forget The Pro Users.

gopalbalaji got technical with a link to How Cineon File Format Works.

mrbarnard1: On-location feature film production in Hollywood has fallen to its lowest levels on record. http://sn.im/n25pq

stevensantos posted about Editor Anthony Harvey on the lost ending of Dr. Strangelove and PaulForte said to check out “Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes,”  a documentary about Kubrick’s archives … though the video doesn’t seem to be available anymore. Google it and you can find it in different parts.

Off topic:

Damn Man Babies is funny and Pingwire will kill a lot of time as you watch pics being posted to Twitter in real time.

And finally,  stevensantos also linked to this Rolling Stone article by Matt Taibbi’s about Goldman Sachs: http://bit.ly/10pqAg It will make your blood boil.

I posted a while back that the Basics of Avid Media Composer for a Final Cut Pro Editor article was coming in the Pro Video Coalition Post | Pipeline newsletter. It has come and gone for those subscribers and is now posted in the Editblog on PVC for all the world to read. If you’ve only ever edited on Final Cut Pro and are curious about what some of the main differences in the two applications are then this is a good place to start. The Avid2FCP Changeover Challenge is another though going in the other direction (see, we’re fair and balanced at the Editblog!). And since Avid Media Composer is available as a free 14-day demo then you’ve got nothing to lose except some time. I hope you find the article useful.