It feels like it's made by fanboys for fanboys. I mentioned a flaw with Off The Tracks, so here it is: It's extremely one-sided. Things like XML are very cool for cataloging clips, the magnetic timeline has been refined and offers some unique editing conventions, and there are many other refinements that have finally made it competent NLE. Still, Off The Tracks does reveal how far FCPX has come. That Apple attitude of 'my way or the highway' is something I've experienced many times as a user of their products. You'll also see the hubris of Apple's decision to release a half-baked product while simultaneously killing off its predecessor. (More on that in a moment.) It's really interesting to hear from Randy Ubillos about how he conceptualized FCPX and how - after it's tumultuous release - Steve Jobs stood behind both him and the product. It's a well-done documentary, albeit with one major flaw. When Off The Tracks was finally released, I was hoping the guests could enlighten me on what I might be missing. I kept hearing, 'It's so much better, it's faster, it does more,' yet no one I talked to could show me why. They could never show me the so-called magic that many FCPX users had been raving about vaguely. I'd ask, "Show me something you do every day that Premiere can't do." They'd show me things like the magnetic timeline which, while very innovative, didn't offer anything significantly better than ripple editing in FCP7 and Premiere. So I'd occasionally check in with two colleagues who use FCPX to show me the newest features. I stuck with Premiere and it's been my go-to NLE ever since, not because I love it, but because it works for me. I realized that if I wanted to keep delivering projects on-time and on-budget, neither FCP7 nor FCPX could do it, but Premiere could. (None of them even showed up in FCPX.) Plus Premiere could edit multicam clips - a necessity in my workflow - and FCPX couldn't in early releases. Not only did the interface make sense to me, but all of the video and audio plug-ins I'd come to rely on magically appeared in Premiere. After realizing that FCPX wouldn't work for me, I immediately switched to Adobe Premiere Pro. The director believes we should all be using FCPX because it's Apple, and therefore somehow instantly superior to anything else, rather than comprehending that people might choose a different program based on their own individual preferences and requirements. Basically, the premise of the film is: if you don't like FCPX, it's because you're a Luddite, afraid, or you just don't get it, and you'll soon be eclipsed by all the cool kids who've seen the new light your decades of wisdom and experience blinds you to. We're not true storytellers, but we could be because using FCPX can make you one. ![]() ![]() Off The Tracks would have you believe that someone like me who tries FCPX and doesn't like it is stuck in the past because we don't like change we want everything to work better without radical changes. Alas, due to many shortcomings in the early versions, it was not something I could use. I'm all for any tool that can make my workflow faster, easier, and more enjoyable. When it finally debuted as Final Cut Pro X, I initially felt like it was made for me. Having edited in FCP ever since Apple purchased it from Macromedia, I was waiting for the big refresh from FCP7 to its next iteration. I watched Off The Tracks because I lived through the maelstrom of controversy after the release of Final Cut Pro X.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |