blaku92 wrote:(ok, I'm not trying to brag or anything by telling you what I'm doing with my life right now because I definitely don't know everything and often times I still feel like a total noob, but I hope this answers some questions.) I'm actually taking a year-long professional course in a post production institute called Video Symphony (rated as the number one certified Avid training facility in the world by Avid) in Burbank, CA because it fully teaches you how to use Avid. It's true that Avid has been around for a while, but for good reason. It may cost a bit more and take time to learn, but it really can do things other non-linear editing software can't. It is set up to handle many projects big and small, and has a film editing feel to it because that's what it was originally made for. It does like to work with it's own resolutions specifications and that's why it takes forever to import/convert a huffy file or most formats for that matter. The program isn't meant to import several files, but rather capture from tape and eventually layoff to tape once the edit is finished. It works in a low quality resolution (something like SD 15:1s) in order to preserve drive space and make playback faster. After the sequence is completely edited, the timecode is saved and can be further edited in an online editing session where they recapture only the scenes that were used, based on the original tape's timecode, and fine-tune the project's color/effects etc (you don't really need high def or superb image quality when you're editing strictly for narrative purposes). As far as work flow goes, I think the only reason why people complain about how long it takes to edit with Avid is because they don't really know how to use it properly. The trimming options in combination with a good keyboard configuration, which you can customize, make editing much smoother than the way Final Cut operates in my opinion. Programs like Final Cut have an easier to understand interface, more of a "build with your bricks" type of work flow, but that method can waste a lot of time. It's true that Avid requires external hardware (Adrenaline/Nitrus/etc.) to run at peak proficiency, but it's all worth it if you need speed and you have to meet the specific demands of the industry. Also, Networks like Avid Unity allow several editing stations to access the same media and project files at once. I'm not saying that one program is better than the other, but you can't deny that more professional industry standard options are available in Avid and that's why it's a requirement for most editing jobs. It's good to know how to use most editing programs though because occasionally you will get those directors who prefer to edit their own movies to a certain extent (i.e. Coen brothers) and in those situations you'll have to work with them on FCP. My Avid Professional Program's experienced film editor/instructors have really been teaching me how the business works. I've had instructors who have worked on everything from Water World to Superbad and they all say the same thing: Know Avid, but don't be too stubborn to learn something new everyday.
Too bad I live about an hour from Burbank since I live in Orange County (30 min back when I lived in Pasadena) and I'm too poor to enroll in Video Symphony after looking at their super high tuition fees..
I'm still willing to learn more of avid and will do my next year's AWA Pro video in it to learn the ropes. Since I came from a drag and drop generation of editing, it's pretty obvious why I'm having trouble with the program.
Since you live in LA, I'm sure you can also vouch for the majority of the video editing jobs on craigslist and mandy being more geared towards Final Cut Studio. Usually 1 out 10 jobs I see are Avid while the rest are Final Cut. Ever since I finally got the hang of Final Cut Pro about a week ago, I've been applying for FCP related jobs, so I hope one comes my way..
I do feel the best way to learn a program is actually forcing yourself to do something you need (like how I learned After Effects) for a project, so hopefully I'll put aside my differences with avid to complete my AWA pro video for next year.
Good luck with your studies over at the Video Symphony.
