a question for the guru's

dvpixl

dvpixl

Veteran
if you think you're an FCP guru, you may answer.

Now, this question I pose to get an idea of how good I have to be in order to be considered a final cut PRO.
i know many of it is subjective...

how fast do you have to be?
a. If I use the mouse to drag and drop a clip. is that too slow?
b. If you're considered top notch, should you use the mouse only to keyframe? and hotkey your way to everything else?
c. If I use the basic ripple tools, copy paste, copy and paste effects and attributes, edit selection, JKL, wire toggle, I, O, trim and keyframe tool all on the keyboard am I considered OK?

dialogue scenes
a.if I am cutting a scene with two persons talking and I DON'T line up the two clips together use intercutting then trimming as needed- instead I view each one from the viewer and then IO what i want and drag them off into the timeline or canvas then repeat the process till the scene is finished. too slow? inefficient?

thanks for any tips, secrets and inside advice about becoming an fcp nerd. thank you very much.
 
Re: a question for the guru's

Hi, I'll try to answer your questions:

- using the mouse is not too slow and is used still by the most professionals.

- Using the basic tools you mentionned under (c), you should be fine. I don't really think that someone that is really fast with keys and shortcuts will be perceived as a pro for that fact alone. At the end of the day, it's how much you're doing with FCP that counts of course.

For dialogue scenes, the way I do it is:

I drag the whole scene for both angles and synced them up if shot at the same time or try my best to sync them up if shot separately. I'll trim and use the proper tools to cut the scene up the way I want it. It's easier to have a better understanding of the bigger picture when you can see and toggle between both shots directly in your timeline.

This may not be the way everyone edits and it may not be the way you might want to edit. It's just something I got used to with time and experience. I recently edited a fight night (extreme fighting) for the japanese market on DVD and I had three cameras posted all around the ring. I asked my camera operators to never cut during the fights. This way it was easier for me to sync everything up and just switch on the fly as I was watching the fight, selecting the best angles. you can also use a software called "Live Cut" (http://livecut.sourceforge.net/) to do exactly that. It's a great tool to add to your FCP workstation if your doing multi angle stuff.

PLUS the software is FREE! Try it out.

Take care and I hope this helps a little.

Seb
 
Re: a question for the guru's

I tried not to work with the mouse because I got pain in my wrist. So I had to learn to use my shortcuts. It is faster. Aiming your pointer takes time.
For multi camera you can also put three tracks on eachother and then smaller your canvas of your three tracks so you see them three in one canvas (set your rt in seqeunce in "unlimited' instead of safe" so you don't have to render in the fisrt place.
Then you can multi camera edit also. I Hope you understand, my english is not gurisch. I'm dutch.
Dolph
 
Re: a question for the guru's

thank you sebastian
thank you dolph
i appreciate it.
I just wanted to get myself ready for a possible job interview and the person who referred me told me that I should be able to be confident in my use of the fcp. I have been using it for 3 years now and I work pretty fast. I just wanted to see if there was some popular PRO way to work.. although, all the tutorials and books always seem to offer different techniques, they always seem to be more sophisticated than the other.
 
Re: a question for the guru's

Between my five button mouse and a programed shuttle pro, I very rarely touch the keyboard. Some do it the oposite. It is what you are comfortable with. If you have been using FCP for three years, have confidence in your abilities, know what most of the capabilities of the software are,you will be good to go. One other truely important thing, how are you with clients/bosses, that relationship is a HUGE key to doing well as an editor.
Good luck.
 
I'm not a guru, but I play one on television :)

At Los Angeles FCP User Group (one of the hottest FCPUGs on the planet), you'll hear the gurus as that the power is in the keyboard shortcuts (this is typically followed by an explaination that hurts your head...)

Point is, the biggest time wasters are head scratching and trying to find the tool/function you need. Using the mouse to drag a clip isn't a rookie move, but searching the menubar for the "insert default transition" is - as is not knowing how to change the default.

Being fast isn't really a speed thing, it's a "not breaking your flow" thing. It's knowing how to do what is needed as simply as possible.

As for the interview question, it's really just a different kind of tool question. Learn LiveCut, it's the best tool in most cases.

If you want to see a true guru in action, take a look at anything done by Steve Martin of Ripple Training. His grasp of FCP is staggering.
 
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