Tools and Talent
13/April/11 09:22 AM Filed in: Editing
| Post
Software
Picking tools is fun.
Arguing about which tool is best is fun. Checking out
shiny accesories for the tool is fun.
But, eventually, you have to build the house. Or award winning feature.
But, eventually, you have to build the house. Or award winning feature.
It’s truly coincidence that I’m writing about selecting editing tools today. As everyone in the editing/picture post world knows, FCP-X was revealed last night. Some love, some hate, many pontificate.
Penny for my thoughts. We all enjoy talking, arguing, at times getting very heated (trust me, I know editors that are very, very passionate about their like/dislike of, especially, FCP) about the tools of our trade. And our workflows. Get ten assistants in a room and you’ll hear ten different ways to get a QT out of an app, transcode it, compress it, and upload it to various cloud servers. FTP, Dropbox, SugarSync?
I wish I was/had been at NAB and the Supermeet. I thought long and hard about my schedule, commitments, other parts of my life. And about how we work. The truth is, if I went to NAB, it would have been more for fun than “work.” And I’m sure I’m not alone. Reading the tweets and blog posts coming out of Vegas, I know the post world is having a good time. As it should be...it’s a party with opportunities for discourse about the tools we use while making a living. Would any of us be less well informed if we just read about the new tools? Not at all. But we’d miss out on a good time and a few late nite beerfests. And lots of schwag. Toys to dream of owning...
The same happens everyday in cutting rooms, various online forums, and at user group meetings in cities across the globe. And if tomorrow, poof, all the other NLEs magically vanished, we could all get along with Premiere. Some of us might even enjoy using it, while griping about the lack of choice. Or we could all get along with FCP or AVID or Lightworks also....in the absence of choices. Do we get distracted by our tools? At times I believe we do. We complain instead of crafting better pictures.
Real point is, the tool matters only insofar as any individual prefers it. Of course there are factors such as speed, availability of artistic tools within an NLE, and other possible limiting factors. Though we all know how to get around any “limits”...and there is no tool that doesn’t have limits of some sort.
Finding the right tool=fun. Using it well=skill. Cutting an entertaining story=talent. Tools don’t create talent. Talent draws upon artistic ability, experience, and innovation. These can’t be acquired by buying the right software and a 4TB drive. So enjoy going through the Home Depot of editorial toys. Then bring one home and use it well. Be the artist you want to be.