THE FCP GENERATION⦠ALL GROWN UP
An article I wrote for Supermag back in 2009. Which makes this already super vintage... Please enjoy:)
THE FCP GENERATION⦠ALL GROWN UP
Itās safe to say that for the last ten yearsĀ FCPĀ has been making steady inroads into the world professional editing. Supposedly, around 49 percent of the editing market useĀ FCPĀ today, which makes it the main contender to the industry giant, AVID.Ā
Ā The focus of this article explores the rites of passage of the editors who came to be with the birth ofĀ FCP. Let us call themĀ generationFCP; those editors that for many years were looked down upon by the more established, professional AVID editor. Not that itās difficult to understand, even for aĀ generationĀ FCPĀ kid like myself.
Ā Ā BecauseĀ FCPĀ started as a less expensive semi-professional editing package for the average guy. It openedĀ upĀ the opportunity for the average guy to learn the skill of editing. For the avid editor, it must have felt like giving out free membership cards to their formerly so-exclusive country club. Maybe because this newĀ generationĀ of editors were an odd bunch.Ā
Most of us, especially those of us that started editing simultaneously with the birth ofĀ FCP, landed there by accident. Perhaps we wanted to achieve something different. We wanted our rock band to have a music video and, in order not to break the bank, we decided to figure out how to edit ourselves. We had ideas for TV show pilots, or a clever idea for a short film ā directors and visionaries in the making, with grand plans for a career in film.
Ā Ā We figured out that it was far easier and more effective to invest in a Mac withĀ FCPĀ than our old VHS to VHS trick. And then some of us got completely hooked in that process. We discovered the editor brewing inside of us. The editor we didnāt know existed. And our favorite hobby in the world slowly became our vocation, by sheer happy accident.
Ten years of experience later, you can find us in production houses and freelancing our way around the globe. And our companies are rubbing shoulders with the best of them.Ā FCPĀ has since itās birth become more sophisticated, professional and competitive. And so have we.
Ā Ā When legendary Walter Murch challenged the traditional film world by deciding to edit the late MinghellaāsĀ Cold MountainĀ onĀ FCP, way before Apple felt it was ready, theĀ FCPĀ generationĀ cheered. For us it was one giant step towards becoming mainstream, not just an editing package used by smaller advertising companies and amateur filmmakers. Walter Murch gave us the golden ticket to go play with the big boys.
Ā Ā TheĀ FCPĀ generationĀ became experts on the technical side of making TV, commercials and movies. If we didnāt already work with After Effects and other graphics or animation packages, Motion and Color have enabled us to become one-man post-production houses. And some of us have become ābilingualā, mastering AVID along the way. We just want to edit, and the software we use doesnāt really matter.Ā Ā Weāre also very much a big part of the digitalĀ generation. We subscribe to Google updates on the latest technologies, including the RED One camera. We think in pixels and 1 and 0. We must be annoying.
Itās no longer the case that editors need to spend years in school and years observing other editors as assistants, before we get to cut ourselves. We sort of work backwards ā we start cutting first. And for those that actually have a talent for it, they will eventually gain enough experience, praise and recognition to get to a level of high professionalism. And indeed we have arrived.
Ā Ā But it hasnāt been without struggle. There are drawbacks to easily accessible technology. There are always āfakersā out there, like itās always been, I guess. The people who think that because they know the shortcuts and the technology, they have the right to call themselves editors. We compete against them in the market. And companies hiring us to cut their commercials and TV series struggle to weed out the cowboys.
Unfortunately, with theĀ FCPĀ editor stamp thereās always going to be a moment of doubt from our potential clients. But the olderĀ FCPgets, the stronger we will be. And with time, word of mouth and great track record, weāre getting there. But, then again, theĀ FCPgenerationĀ has learned along the way, so I guess at one point weāveĀ allĀ been fakers ā āUntil you make it, fake itāĀ
ThisĀ generationĀ has changed the industry, like it or not. From the way budgets and companies are setĀ up, to the role an editor has. But apart from budget considerations and the way we came to be, have things changedĀ allĀ that much? Editors help and nourish the directorās vision into something spectacular.Ā Ā The directors are usually, by the time they reach post, half the man or women they used to be before production. We nourish them back to health. We stay diplomatic, patient, professional, and with the debating talents of a true politician, we cut and trim and polish until the director finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel.
When it comes down to it, true editors areĀ allĀ the same. We used to experiment with VHS tapes, with 8mm cameras, mini DVs and homemade setupsā¦we cut in our sleep. We watch films through an editorās eyes. We cut the film versions of the books we read, of the stories we hear around a bonfire. In fact, weād like to edit our very life if we could. In the end, with skillful hands, weāre cutting together a vision. ThatāsĀ allĀ weāre doing, be it AVID orĀ FCP.
For other great articles on editing, by editors, check outĀ http://supermeet.com/supermag/