Switcher Stories: Kevin McAuliffe

I have been an editor for 12 years, and started out way back in the day of Avid Media Composer v5.5. At the time, there were a few other systems such as Media 100 and D-Vision out on the market trying to make waves, but then, and for a long time since, Avid has pretty much dominated the post production industry. They made the best edit system, hands down, and I was a die-hard Avid editor through and through.

In the last couple of years, I stopped calling myself an Avid editor, and just referred to myself as an editor, because at the end of the day, if you have no concept of scene flow, timing and what it takes to put together a promo or show (graphics, external elements, sound), you shouldn’t be an editor. Also, I can sit down in front of any edit system and have a basic understanding of input/output and editing in about a day or two. About a year ago, I sat down in front of a Final Cut Pro system for the first time and let me tell you, I was floored.

Making the Switch

Up until a little before I started editing on Final Cut, I still believed everything that I had heard. It was an inferior editing application, that if you used it, would lead you to no end of dropped frames, crashes and headaches. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I made the decision for our company to stop working on an Avid|DS HD, and switch to FCP. I liked the flexibility that a Mac offered to build a customized system, and was also totally impressed at how far FCP has come at only v5. I also wanted to make sure I had access to high-end compositing capabilities (like DS) at a reasonable price, and Shake was the way to go.

I took a course from Witz Apple Certified Training here in Toronto, and when I signed up, I told the instructor that I was an Avid editor for 11 years, and I would have a lot of questions like “I can do this in an Avid….How would I do it in FCP?”. The training was delivered at a comfortable pace, and started at the basics with a complete overview of the OS (which I hadn’t used since Avid version 6.5), and then went into FCP with a bit of Motion, LiveType and DVD Studio thrown in for good measure. The main reason for me taking this course was that I thought that there would be a bigger learning curve for FCP, but in reality there really wasn’t. I would recommend courses for editors new to FCP to learn Motion and especially Shake, as Shake is an extremely powerful tool, but also extremely complicated.

Choose Wisely

Looking back to when I first started out using a Mac and FCP, I’d say the hardest thing for me was wrapping my head around not having everything contained inside of one “box”, like in an Avid. When you buy an Adrenaline, you get an Avid I/O breakout box, Avid drives, and essentially everything Avid. With FCP, you have Apple’s software, but then could have AJA’s Kona 3 or Blackmagic Decklink HD Capture Card with either an Apple XServe RAID or Ciprico MediaVault. With Apple you have a world of choices, but it’s imperative that you understand what you are getting yourself into, and whatever you do, don’t cheap out when it comes to purchasing capture cards and disk arrays.

It’s always a good idea to have a good relationship with your reseller. I decided on On the Go Technologies, and their Sales Director, Bert Silva, was extremely helpful in not only building a system that was right for me, but also helping after installation with any questions or problems I was having. When you’re in a jam (and editors are from time to time), it’s great to be able to call someone, whether it’s a software, hardware or just a Mac or FCP question in general, and get a quick, courteous response.

It’s been smooth sailing since I started working in FCP. Whether you’re a wedding videographer, corporate communications editor or using FCP in a production or feature film environment, you will be able to deliver your project to time, on time! Looking ahead, I won’t ever say that I won’t edit on an Avid, as I still do from time to time, but for me, I really enjoy working on a Mac and editing in Final Cut Pro.

Kevin P McAuliffe is currently a Senior Video Editor working in HD post production in Toronto, Canada. He has been in the television industry for 12 years, and spends his days onlining on a Final Cut Pro HD. Kevin’s high definition onlining credit list includes concerts for Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies, Snow Patrol, Sum41, Paul Anka, Il Divo and Pussycat Dolls, to name a few. If you have any questions or comments, you can drop him a line at kevinpmcauliffe@gmail.com

© 2007 Kevin P McAuliffe