Becoming a video editor, general info on programs [Archive]

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chrisv39

Dec 28, 2006, 11:09 PM

MT37

Dec 29, 2006, 12:58 AM

Adobe Premiere. I don't know the last version of it and I doubt it's universal.

Avid editing programs would be great to learn. Steap learning curve though.

icrude

Dec 29, 2006, 03:54 AM

If u can master FCS, you're good to go. The programs in that package truly are a dream come true.

eXan

Dec 29, 2006, 05:00 AM

Since you already have Final Cut Studio, you do not need anything else. Its a great suit for video editing! FCP, Motion, DVDSP - Awesome!

Irish Dave

Dec 29, 2006, 05:39 AM

bimmzy

Dec 29, 2006, 06:33 AM

So I am going to become a video editor soon. I am going to school for it. Off the top of anyone's head what are some programs that would be good to edit movies and such.

I have Final Cut Studio. Is that all that matters? Or is there other programs that would be good to learn?

Goodness where do i start!

Firstly the two main types of software in use in broadcasting are Avid Media composer and it's variants, and also Final Cut Pro. Don't bother about the rest quite yet (adobe premier, why does it exist even).
Another potential fly in the ointment is Quantel's QEdit, but hopefully FCP will kill it off.

Avid and FCP are very similar in many ways though i think Avid has the edge with respect to the user interface. Though I'm sure FCP will eventually take the lead from Avid in becoming the industry standard.

As for becoming a video editor, i wish you the very best (always keep an eye on the little details).
But my advise to you is to go and do something less frustrating!

Oh and be prepared to sit quietly in a dark corner whilst sitting on your hands at ceremonies when they hand out the awards.
You will never ever get the glory. The producers and directors will steal all that from you!

So I am going to become a video editor soon. I am going to school for it. Off the top of anyone's head what are some programs that would be good to edit movies and such.

I have Final Cut Studio. Is that all that matters? Or is there other programs that would be good to learn?

Goodness where do i start!

Firstly the two main types of software in use in broadcasting are Avid Media composer and it's variants, and also Final Cut Pro. Don't bother about the rest quite yet (adobe premier, why does it exist even).
Another potential fly in the ointment is Quantel's QEdit, but hopefully FCP will kill it off.

Avid and FCP are very similar in many ways though i think Avid has the edge with respect to the user interface. I'm sure FCP will eventually take the lead from Avid in becoming the industry standard.

As for becoming a video editor, i wish you the very best (always keep an eye on the little details)
But my advise to you is to go and do something less frustrating!

oh and be prepared to sit quietly in a dark corner whilst sitting on your hands at ceremonies when they hand out the awards. you will never get the glory. The producers and directors will steal all that from you!

evil_santa

Dec 29, 2006, 08:39 AM

I cant see Quantel getting a grip on main stream Editing again, we have just got rid of all our Quantel gear, i used Editbox for 10 years, and replaced with 5 FCP suites, Quantel is to high cost to buy & Maintain. My company refuse to deal with them anymore.

Back to the original poster, being able to work the software is one thing, but what you need is a good eye & a flair for editing, if you become a pro editor you will have to deal with directors & producers, and that is not always easy.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what software you use, its how you use it. I have editors who are nice and easy going, but can never put the cut in the right place & others who are good editors but have no people skills so the producers just wont work with them.

Then the worst editors i have found have no people skills, can't edit but always seem to have qualified as a FCP trainer. and constantly tell you that I should take them on because the are so qualified!

You also need to work out what sort of thing you want to edit, I do short form ie less than 5min, Ads Promo etc, compositing & color grading.

Rasheem

Dec 29, 2006, 02:32 PM

Id say it would be a good thing to learn Avid after you've mastered Final Cut Pro. THen you can get any job really, your not limited to some companies that use Avid or Some that use FCP

chrisv39

Dec 29, 2006, 02:41 PM

Thank you everyone for your answers. Is AVID for PC? Again, thanks for all the info!

Rasheem

Dec 29, 2006, 05:24 PM

Thank you everyone for your answers. Is AVID for PC? Again, thanks for all the info!

Yes but you can use bootcamp for it and it'll work great. Dont even try using parallels

puckhead193

Dec 29, 2006, 05:27 PM

Thank you everyone for your answers. Is AVID for PC? Again, thanks for all the info!
its for both mac and pc

down the line, you should learn pro tools and after effects, just because its something else to add to your resume.

marioman38

Dec 30, 2006, 03:40 AM

down the line, you should learn pro tools and after effects, just because its something else to add to your resume.

FYI: Don't buy After Effects Yet, because its not Universal.....

bimmzy

Dec 30, 2006, 02:38 PM

Thank you everyone for your answers. Is AVID for PC? Again, thanks for all the info!

in general this is true, in as much as there is not a universal version of any of the Avid flavours, yet. But it is coming.

There is however the PPC version of Xpress (and Pro) and media composer, but it will not run on mac-intels.

Mr B

Dec 30, 2006, 08:19 PM

Final Cut Studio is awesome. Make sure to experiment on Livetype and Motion. And Sountrack Pro can really surprise you. I don't think any mentioned it, although this is pretty much a given: learn photoshop. You wll need it anyway, plus editors these days are often expected to do much/or all of the visual effects as well. Good Luck!

Alpinism

Dec 31, 2006, 10:23 AM

AVID is king of the industry. HOwever FCS is making a huge huge dent. Watch out for next 2 installments from Apple (FC extreme and FCS 6) possibily being released next year at NAB.

FCE is designed specifically to dethrone AVID. It is also made to compliment the RED One.

JohnMC

Dec 31, 2006, 10:31 AM

Mr B

Dec 31, 2006, 01:56 PM

FCP is a great video editing program but Motion and Livetype are underpowered for doing anything 3D. For that you should use Maya or AfterEffects. Learning AVID is on my list of things to do because many studios still use it. ProTools is a must for anything audio in the industry so learning how to use it might be a good idea.

JohnMC

Is it really that common for editors to use Maya? I mean, if you have it and know it, that would be great, i just have never seen it used in most editors workflows. Just curious.

faustfire

Dec 31, 2006, 08:57 PM

Is it really that common for editors to use Maya? I mean, if you have it and know it, that would be great, i just have never seen it used in most editors workflows. Just curious.

I would say that after effects is used more by the average editor. Maya and other 3d programs are used more my editors who also do motion graphics.
If you are planning on being primarily an editor but would still like to do a little 3d work I would recommend learning Cinema 4D as it has a much more mellow learning curve.

MovieCutter

Jan 1, 2007, 11:11 PM

The obligatory "The programs DON'T make you an editor. Just because you know how to push the buttons, doesn't mean you're a video editor. Learning the craft and art of editing takes time, patience, and skill. Don't think you're just a video editor because you know how to use Avid or Final Cut Pro." post. Aside from that, they're all the same. An insert is an insert, and overwrite is and overwrite. A three point edit works the same in every program, split editing works the same in every program, trimming works the same in every program...you just need to know what the hell your doing and when using Avid, remember to be in the right "mode".

Oh, and learn After Effects for the love of baby Jesus. For some reason, all the job postings for editors I've seen lately have "After Effects required/a plus" in them.

markjones05

Feb 5, 2007, 02:40 PM

To be a successful editor you will need to know 2 programs inside and out. First and foremost is Avid. It is still the industry leader and many clients request that their projects are edited on this because they don't know anything else. Secondly FCP. It is what I prefer and is much more cost effective way to accomplish professional jobs. I use it whenever I have the choice. Especially since Avid has been dragging there feet with updates. You still can't run avid on an Intel Mac. Also HD on many Avid platforms is severely lacking. It also helps to know the basics in After Effects and other motion graphics programs to give your final product that professional shine.

LethalWolfe

Feb 5, 2007, 03:54 PM

I'm going to take the "obligatory" baton from MovieCutter for a second.

Learning programs is very much secondary to learning how to edit. Just because you buy a bat doesn't mean you can start swinging like Babe Ruth. ;)

I strongly recommend grabbing "In the Blink of an Eye" and "The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film". The first is a series of essays written by Walter Murch and the second is basically an extended interview w/Walter Murch . Reading up on editing theory and/or the practical experience of others can only take you so far (to stick w/my analogy reading about baseball is different than actually playing baseball), but it can introduce you to concepts and ideas instead of you stumbling upon them on your own (no point in re-inventing the wheel).

Editing is storytelling, and good editing utilizes beat, rhythm, and timing to connect w/the audience emotionally on an almost subconscious level.

/rant.

Lethal

bigbossbmb

Feb 5, 2007, 05:31 PM

I have to second "In the blink..." as it is a great learning tool for those getting into editing. Also, you might want to watch a documentary call "the cutting edge" you can find it on netflix and such. It was made by Starz! and is pretty interesting to watch. By no means is it complete, though. It just breezes through some of the most basic principles.

bimmzy

Feb 6, 2007, 06:57 PM

in general this is true, in as much as there is not a universal version of any of the Avid flavours, yet. But it is coming.

There is however the PPC version of Xpress (and Pro) and media composer, but it will not run on mac-intels.

CORRECTION!CORRECTION!CORRECTION!CORRECTION!

there is a universal version of xpress pro for mactel! its a beta but it works well. you need to have a service account with Avid in order to get the "free download" and you get one of those by paying Avid for Xperss pro!!!!!!

ezekielrage_99

Feb 6, 2007, 07:37 PM

Go with Final Cut Pro, Avid or anything by Autodesk. These are pretty universal video editors and industry standard.

dredmorbius

Feb 6, 2007, 09:19 PM

Goodness where do i start!

Firstly the two main types of software in use in broadcasting are Avid Media composer and it's variants, and also Final Cut Pro. Don't bother about the rest quite yet (adobe premier, why does it exist even).
Another potential fly in the ointment is Quantel's QEdit, but hopefully FCP will kill it off.

Avid and FCP are very similar in many ways though i think Avid has the edge with respect to the user interface. Though I'm sure FCP will eventually take the lead from Avid in becoming the industry standard.

As for becoming a video editor, i wish you the very best (always keep an eye on the little details).
But my advise to you is to go and do something less frustrating!

Oh and be prepared to sit quietly in a dark corner whilst sitting on your hands at ceremonies when they hand out the awards.
You will never ever get the glory. The producers and directors will steal all that from you!I agree with a lot of this post but as for the awards, they do give them out to editors as well. I have been fortunate enough to win 2 Primetime Emmy awards for Picture Editing, and also have been nominated twice for Sound Editing. So it does happen. Of course, they give us our own awards show seperate from theirs but hey, the trophies still look nice on the mantel. :D

Basically, what you need to know totally depends on what you plan to do with your career. You can be quite successful knowing only Avid (or Final Cut Pro) and nothing else but it all depends on what you plan on pursuing. If want to cut long form shows or even features, a lot of the time you will only be cutting in low-res or as an offline editor which won't require you to know other applications. The finishing is usually done by an online guy somewhere else. I know someone who was nominated for an Emmy and didn't even know how to use the Title Tool in Avid but he was one heck of a storyteller. Again, that's the high end I know and if you plan on doing things for yourself or working for a post house, by all means learn Photoshop, After Effects and everything you can get your hands on. It can only help making you more marketable.

obeygiant

Feb 6, 2007, 10:22 PM

I strongly recommend grabbing "In the Blink of an Eye"

Great book. Every first year film student required reading, I think.

Bob Jovi

Feb 7, 2007, 10:46 AM

Did any of you guys on here that are video editors start off as runners? Or were you able to go into assistant editor postions straight from college?

LethalWolfe

Feb 7, 2007, 04:58 PM

Did any of you guys on here that are video editors start off as runners? Or were you able to go into assistant editor postions straight from college?
Things vary depending on the size of the market you are in and the size the company you get a job with, but pretty much everyone starts on the bottom rung as a PA, runner, digitizer or some other "we just need a warm body" entry level type position.

The thing about school in relation to the entertainment industry is that it doesn't teach you how anything about how it all works out in the "real world." This is one reason why I always stress to get involved w/an internship or work study program while in school. Not only do you learn how a real post house works, but you'll meet (and hopefully impress) people that can help get you a job when you graduate.

Lethal

markjones05

Feb 7, 2007, 07:22 PM

Things vary depending on the size of the market you are in and the size the company you get a job with, but pretty much everyone starts on the bottom rung as a PA, runner, digitizer or some other "we just need a warm body" entry level type position.

The thing about school in relation to the entertainment industry is that it doesn't teach you how anything about how it all works out in the "real world." This is one reason why I always stress to get involved w/an internship or work study program while in school. Not only do you learn how a real post house works, but you'll meet (and hopefully impress) people that can help get you a job when you graduate.

Lethal

Everything about this post is unfortunately true. I started off by working nights loading and logging sporatically at some small production company, then moved up to loading, logging and laying off shows steadily every night at a major television show during wich time I did freelance PA work during the day before I actually got a full time salary paying job during daylight hours. I didn't mind the work because I was making connections, gaining experience and it afforded me to pursue personal side projects. If you have steady freelance gigs you can make some good money and its a hell of alot better than waiting tables to pay rent while sending out resumes. Youre more likely to find a job while working than you are spamming resumes around and going on interviews. It's not about what you know but who you know. So start PA'ing and assistant editing asap. Like Lethal said school is great because it can show you what path in the production world you might want to follow but it can't succesfully show you how the industry functions.

FF_productions

Feb 7, 2007, 10:09 PM

Good Advice guys.

I'm looking to become an editor (for a living) and this is the best advice I've heard in a while.

markjones05

Feb 11, 2007, 07:36 PM

CORRECTION!CORRECTION!CORRECTION!CORRECTION!

there is a universal version of xpress pro for mactel! its a beta but it works well. you need to have a service account with Avid in order to get the "free download" and you get one of those by paying Avid for Xperss pro!!!!!!

Can you supply a link to this?

Davowade

Feb 12, 2007, 05:42 AM

Ok, here's my 2c.

Learn everything you can. Easy. (he he he)
Learn your basic FCS suite for an all round base in editing and production.
Learn after effects because it has been around for ages, and is still a fantastic program despite not being a universal binary yet.
If you can, try an avid. Pretty sure you can get a trial DV version from them, but it sucks learning it without an avid keyboard.

Watch lots and lots of edited material, TV, Movies, ads, everything! Look at how they are done. "Borrow" ideas if you must, but try editing a few things that you are passionate about and really get involved in something.

And never forget, video projects are never finished, they are only abandoned.

Oh and enjoy daylight while you still have the chance. :p

pxlmvr7

Feb 12, 2007, 10:08 AM

Essential editing programs:
FCS, learn all you can, great suite of products; Photoshop, for client logos, creating supers and various other graphics; After Effects, for stuff FCP can' do and compositing; Illustrator, at least a working knowledge for those elements which will be used in After Effects; Some sort of compression product, web video will be HUGE soon; Some sort of audio sweeting tool, Soundtrack is great, Pro Tools is a standard, also I LOVE Sonicfire Pro, great for tuning your music bed to the length of your program. If you can learn Avid, that would be great; most tv shows and movies are still edited on Avid.

One good pointer on editing; watch programs with the sound down to see the cuts, then with the sound up. Watch programs in slow motion and frame by frame to count frames on quick cuts.

Editors are increasingly responsible for all aspects of content. Graphics, audio sweetening, motion graphics are our responsibility now. Take some art classes to learn layout and composition for use in creating graphics.

Editing is a wonderful career, learn all that you can.

pxlmvr