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Mossberg and Swisher Leaving News Corp. for NBCUniversal

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December 11, 2013

AllThingsD editors Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher are leaving News Corp. at the end of the year, and have reportedly completed a deal with NBCUniversal for a news and conference business. Mossberg and Swisher will have majority control over the company while NBCUniversal and another unnamed investor will share one-third of the business, according to an unidentified source. Most of the current AllThingsD staff is expected to join the new holding company. Continue reading Mossberg and Swisher Leaving News Corp. for NBCUniversal

USC Event: Andy Nicholson on Designing the World of ‘Gravity’

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November 21, 2013

The 5D Institute and USC School of Cinematic Arts will host a special presentation this Friday with production designer and art director Andy Nicholson, who will discuss the 3D space drama “Gravity.” Nicholson will be introduced by USC professor and filmmaker Bruce Block. Following the presentation, a Q&A session will be moderated by editor and author Bill Desowitz. The event will take place 3:30-5:30 at USC’s Eileen Norris Theater. Continue reading USC Event: Andy Nicholson on Designing the World of ‘Gravity’

USC and AFI Lead THR Ranking of Top Film Schools for 2013

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August 1, 2013

The Hollywood Reporter has released its third annual ranking of the Top 25 Film Schools. This year’s top spots went to USC, AFI, NYU, UCLA and CalArts. THR editors evaluated graduate and undergraduate programs nationwide, and consulted with industry insiders to rate the programs. More than 600 anonymous ballots were submitted by members of the Writers Guild of America West, American Cinema Editors and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Continue reading USC and AFI Lead THR Ranking of Top Film Schools for 2013

NYC Startup Looks to Revolutionize Magazine Publishing

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March 20, 2013

New York-based startup 29th Street Publishing wants to make it easier for freelance writers and independent editors to publish in a digital world. The company helps develop and maintain iOS apps for serialized content and, in the process, just may help revolutionize magazine publishing. 29th Street already builds apps for about 20 publications, some of which are established names and others that are brand new. Continue reading NYC Startup Looks to Revolutionize Magazine Publishing

Movie Editor Develops Frame-Based Editing App for iPad

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February 25, 2013

Film editor Dan Lebental, motivated by the desire to interact more directly with media, has designed an editing app called TouchEdit that he describes as a “21st century version of the Moviola.” Lebental was intrigued by the similarity of using the iPad’s touchscreen with how editors would formerly “touch film.” His app intends to bring back that simplicity while integrating the latest in mobile technology and cloud-based services. Continue reading Movie Editor Develops Frame-Based Editing App for iPad

Will Apple Win Back Pro Editors with Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1 Update?

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September 26, 2011
  • In response to negative reviews and public outcry regarding FCP X, Apple made Final Cut 7 available again for editors frustrated by the upgrade’s reported limitations. ETCentric posted a story last week explaining that the company was reintroducing the previous version via Apple telesales for a limited and unspecified time.
  • Now Apple has released a new update (Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1) that contains a number of promised features.
  • Additions to the new update include: XML import and export of project and event information, intelligent stem export from project timelines using Roles, timecode start customization, GPU acceleration for export, a camera import SDK designed to ensure Pro X-compatible hardware and a fullscreen mode in OS X Lion.
  • “Townhill admits, however, that several promised features have yet to be implemented, above all multicam editing and broadcast video monitoring,” reports MacNN in response to statements made by Richard Townhill, Apple’s director of pro video product marketing. “He elaborates that Apple is ‘fully committed’ to adding the options in a 2012 update.”
  • Apple is also trying to win back alienated customers with a 30-day free trial and a PDF booklet that introduces Pro X to Pro 7 editors.

Apple Responds to Pros by Making Final Cut 7 Available (For Now)

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September 19, 2011
  • In response to the public outcry from video enthusiasts and professional editors regarding the reported feature limitations of FCP X, Apple announced it has reintroduced Final Cut 7.
  • However, it will only be available through Apple telesales and at the original $1,000 price (the newer version costs $300, plus $50 each to add Compressor and Motion). According to the New York Times, the deal is for a limited and unspecified time.
  • The article suggests one drawback: “…it is impossible to import work from Final Cut 7 to Final Cut X. That means partially finished Final Cut 7 projects must be completed in 7. That also means many pro editors will have to keep both products on their computers for some time to come.”
  • The move is reportedly meant to appease producers who are in the process of assembling a film. “For the rest of us, especially the video dabblers, it makes more sense to get used to Final Cut Pro X, which more than serves most amateur needs,” suggests the article.

Professional Editor Offers a Different Slant on the Future of FCP X

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September 14, 2011
  • “CSI: Miami” editor and creator of 2-pop FCP informational site, Lawrence Jordan A.C.E., provides an alternative analysis of Apple’s much maligned Final Cut Pro X release.
  • In his recent Editors Guild Magazine article, Jordan discusses the history of FCP emerging as an affordable alternative to Avid, the unveiling of FCP X at the SuperMeet in Las Vegas, the subsequent negative backlash and comparisons to iMovie, Apple’s response to the debacle, and a refreshingly optimistic view of FCP’s future.
  • “Marketing debacles aside, once you dig in and start to really understand the breadth and depth of the things it can do, it’s hard to argue that Final Cut Pro X is not groundbreaking,” he writes. “It’s a slick, sophisticated and innovative rethinking of the editing paradigm that, considering Apple’s weight and power in the marketplace, will very likely be embraced by an entire new generation of media creators — people who will be crafting stories into the future, for platforms and devices that don’t even exist yet.”
  • Jordan concludes on a promising note: “Although I can’t recommend it to my fellow editors for editing features or television in its current incarnation (after all, it is only version 1.0), I look forward to what Final Cut Pro X will have to offer as it matures and as Apple begins to deliver on promises of a professional-level product that meets the needs and expectations of both its new and experienced users. I guess we will just all have to wait and see.”

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