After months of editing with FCP X, I am still aware of the ‘missing tracks’ but now, instead of driving a car, (bear with me, I am jumping metaphors) it feels more like skiing or surfing. There’s a freedom, a flexibility. Now, ‘tracks’ seem out of place.

If you think this sounds like flowery hyperbole, you may be right. It’s hard to think of ways to convey feelings about software. So, I am merely trying to express the small sense of elation that I felt when I realized the upside of losing my trusted track framework. I felt encouraged to experiment more. I felt slightly liberated in my timeline edits. For someone who grinds away in editing interfaces day after day, year after year, for more than a decade, this was a notable change. There is something new here; a different way to edit.

—Philip Bloom.net | Read the Full Article

Once again, Apple has launched a minor number update to its professional video-editing software, Final Cut Pro X, with some major feature adds. The non-linear editing program was initially launched to protests by the pro-editing community, but Version 10.0.3 addresses nearly all of the remaining criticisms of the post-production tool, adding multicam support, external broadcast monitoring (still a beta feature), and detailed chroma-key controls. And perhaps the biggest criticism—the lack of an upgrade path for projects built into previous Final Cut versions—has now been addressed by a third-party plugin called 7toX, from Intelligent Assistance.

The free program update and the 7toX transfer plugin ($9.99) will be available on the Mac App Store starting today.
Other new features include a more-detailed XML 1.1 import/export format with support for effect parameters and audio keyframes, manual media relinking, and the ability to import and edit layered Photoshop graphics.

— PC Mag | Read the Full Article

Yeah, I cited PC Magazine… How do you like them Apples?

The discussion on the server starts around 1:20

Take a look at the comparison video below the original and colored versions of Warner Bros’ 1931 “Smile Darn Ya, Smile!” to see what they got right and what they got wrong:

FYI: Three point editing is placing in a clip into the timeline by defining 3 points in the edit. In the case above, he is defining the (1) the In-Point on the sequence, (2) the Out-Point sequence, and the (3) the In/Out point of the source video.

VIKTOR is an app for iPhones and Andriod devices that takes the videos from your media library and automatically creates a 1 or 2 minuted edited video using one of the currently 14 available themes. Videos are free and share for now but it will cost you up to $1.99 to export and share your 2 minute Robot Creation in the future.

Here’s a couple samples of the results VIKTOR provides:

Here’s one I shot in bed (don’t worry, it’s not too sexy… I do sneeze and tested out the a “pastel green” effect)

But seriously, this concept seems like a great idea. People have tons of media lying around from their vacations/parties that they simply don’t have time to meticulously prepare for Facebook Distribution. We can’t wait to see this feature implemented in the next upgrade of Final Cut Pro X! :/

All hail our Robot Overlords!! (VIKTOR, if you’re reading this, remember how we said nice things about you when you’re calculating the best allocation of scarce survival resources)

In Part I, Thelma Schoonmaker discusses her experiences in editing an improvisational scene from “Raging Bull.”

In Part II, Mark Livolsi discusses the process of cutting down an extended scene from “Almost Famous.”

In Part III, Editor Sabrina Plisco discusses how editors must shift gears and adapt to reactions from preview audiences, as she demonstrates with “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”

In Part IV, Editor David Salter discusses the intricacies and differences of being an editor on an animated film. In this video he describes his experiences editing “Finding Nemo.”

In Part V, Writer, Producer and Editor Allan Title describes how he crafted a dramatic story out of limited footage for a pilot reality show called “Arctic Roughnecks.”