It`s been two and half years since Apple`s Final Cut Pro entered the market, and in that time it has turned the professional video, film and television industry upside down. What`s this quiet revolution all about and where is it going in the future?
If we cast our minds back to the old days of print and publishing, scanners were huge machines that filled the room. Typesetters used highly specialised machines and all of them were paid large amounts of money. Competitive advantage stemmed from the type of equipment you had. Today, we are all aware that this has changed - it`s not about the equipment, it`s about what you produce.
Could video be going through the same revolution, and if so, how fast will this adoption take place? It was business as usual at a leading Johannesburg post production facility late last year. A young video editor was making final edits to an international client`s documentary while describing how his industry will never be the same again.
"They are all empty," he commented, pointing to large edit suites collectively containing millions of Rands worth of proprietary editing equipment. "Every now and again someone comes in and wants to use those machines. But a lot of the guys are now making the switch from using big, expensive editing solutions to desktop systems running Final Cut Pro," he says. It is simply a lot cheaper to run projects on desktop systems that have the same or even more creative freedom as expensive solutions.
In a few short years, Apple`s Final Cut Pro has made dramatic inroads into the professional video, film and television markets. When it was first introduced in PAL at IBC 2000, Final Cut was poo pooed by many ardent traditionalists - some arguing that it was a "toy" and that it would never make an impact on their industry. Of course, ardent traditionalists probably argued against the printing press, ballpoint pen and even the introduction of computerised video and film editing at its infancy. One thing is certain, Apple`s Final Cut Pro is making a major impact on the way footage is edited from corporate training through to music videos and right up to high-end broadcast documentaries from companies like Granada in the UK.
In the past, professional video editing was dominated by a few big proprietary players. These systems are prohibitively expensive. You will need over R500 000 just to start with. Then you will need another R150 000 here and R250 000 there for additional features and codecs, plug-in dongles and other widgets all designed to relieve locked-in users from their hard-earned cash. In the past four years, all that has changed. It started slowly at first, but the revolution, fired by technological advancements, is gaining momentum.
The first important development was the introduction of digital video. Although Beta and Beta SP were, and still are, relatively expensive, Sony`s DV and DV Cam popularised digital video. Originally, Sony`s solutions were designed for the consumer market. But pretty soon the format began being used for news coverage and for quick and easy footage. Many industry players began to realise that quality is not really in a tape - it`s intrinsically linked to the cameraman and editor. So digital video was accepted as a professional format, especially for news and documentaries.
At around this time, Apple introduced its first version of Final Cut Pro. It was a groundbreaking step because it enabled digital video professionals to link their cameras directly to a computerised editing suite through high-speed data transfer system, FireWire, edit and produce their work on one cost-effective solution.
Good as it was, from a professional perspective, the first version of Final Cut Pro was mainly seen as a DV editor and it was thought that it would not be strong enough for uncompressed footage. But now, with the later versions of Final Cut Pro, this has certainly changed. There have been significant advancements in video capture boards from various manufacturers and the solution is the only professional non-linear editor that lets you work in the entire range of professional editing formats from DV through standard definition, offline high definition, right through to film. Not only are Final Cut Pro-based standard definition and high definition systems the most powerful and affordable on the market today, but you can add Cinema Tools which allows you to handle Telecined Film or 24P HD timecoded material. In fact, the Cinema Tools software package costs R8 500 which, when compared to the systems in the past, seems unbelievable.
In an article published on www.kenstone.net, 12-year veteran editor and compositor, Patrick Inhofer, sums it up best with a simple Q&A. He asks the question: What is the difference between Apple`s Final Cut Pro and a proprietary solution? His answer?
None.
Except that a final Cut Pro Solution is, well, affordable.
"Regardless of your needs, Final Cut Pro running on Apple hardware is going to be an extremely cost effective solution," says Apple Country Manager, Bruno Verolini. "Ideally you would start with a high-end Apple Mac computer for around R30 000. You will also need a capture card, which can cost anything from R8 500 to around R34 000. It`s also important to realise that you would need a disk array for about R34 000 depending on the amount of footage you are looking to work with. Then Final Cut Pro 3 retails for around R8 500. So for around R92 000, the Apple system will provide you with all the power and tools to capture and edit in a wide range of professional formats - and that`s at the higher end of the pricing spectrum. Working with DV, the costs drop dramatically, and include all the standard tools from simple editing through to three-way colour correction.
"Conversely, proprietary products cost a fortune. For simple digital video, a proprietary system will cost between R170 000 and R255 000. For a standard definition system it will cost an additional R50 000 to R60 000. For high definition, you won`t get way with spending less than R850 000 and any additional features are likely to cost in the region of R170 000 a piece. Verolini`s argument - a R92 000 Apple Macintosh solution running Final Cut Pro 3 will do the same job as a R760 000 proprietary system - with vastly reduced running costs.
Some proprietary systems require that their locked-in users enter into R20 000 a year maintenance contract - regardless of whether the system goes down or not. What happens when a critical component in a proprietary system falls over? You need to get a specialist in to fix the fault - while your important deadline looms ever closer. And let`s just hope it`s not the whole expensive system that needs replacing. Even if you do have a spare R700 000 lying around - will the supplier even have stock and be able to get the system running in time for that deadline?
"All Apple`s solutions are available off-the-shelf from various authorised resellers around the country," says Verolini. "Should a drive or a card go down, it`s a simple matter of replacing the component. Many users are able to replace their own cards or drives and a free market ensures competitive rates for a professional service," he says.
Sadly, a number of professional editing concerns have been locked into major capital commitments with existing proprietary systems. These businesses need to realise their investment over a number of years, and as such, have to charge well over R500 an hour in the edit suite to ensure effective cash flow. The result is a kind of `snob` value which has been associated with using proprietary systems. It`s understandable - these companies need to justify in any way possible the necessity to use an expensive editing suite - even if the argument is illogical and unrealistic.
"Conversely, Apple`s solutions are driving a new kind of value - in the professionalism of the editor," says Verolini. In the past, not much value was associated with the operator - it was all in the capital expense of the proprietary system. But now, the value comes down to the creativity of the editor and the quality of the work they can produce. It`s creative and story-telling skills that are driving value - and top editors are likely to see an increased demand for their skills as editing houses compete to lure the best talent. The real questions for any professional operation are: Do you bill for the use of a system or for great content? Which do you think your clients would prefer?"
According to Verolini, the secret to Apple`s success has been its` aggressive acquisition of key companies to produce an all-in-one solution for the professional motion picture industry.
Apple offers:
1. Apple hardware and Final Cut Pro that provides digital video, standard definition, high definition, various filters and flexibility.
2. Special effects and high-end compositing in the form of recently acquired compositing application Shake. For the most demanding compositing and visual effects in film and video, Shake is the production-proven choice. Seen the latest in the Lord of the Rings series? WETA Digital used Shake software as the primary film compositing system to handle the enormous visual effects requirements for the films.
3. Quicktime as a transport layer for the media allowing the user to use a whole range of applications from a wide variety of manufacturers to achieve all sorts of creative content.
4. DVD Studio Pro - Apple now owns up to two thirds of key DVD market sectors through acquiring companies such as Spruce and Astarte. DVD player purchases in Europe has been faster than the uptake of consumer video a decade or so ago. A number of higher-end Apple Mac solutions are shipped as standard with SuperDrive (CD-RW and DVD-RW) - enabling video professionals to take advantage of the growing DVD phenomenon.
5. Serious audio solutions though the acquisition of companies like eMagic.
"In three years, Final Cut Pro has gone from nowhere to being a serious contender in the professional film, video and television market. Growth in both technological advancements and market share has been exponential," says Verolini. "In three years, we have proved our commitment to the professional market.
Returning to the print and publishing analogy: This market is changing and the speed at which this is taking place is phenomenal. The questions are essentially the same: Who will be the manufacturers leading this? Who will be the up-and-coming new companies? Which new directions will the video market take? How will this impact on traditional business models? One thing is for certain this will be an exciting time.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.
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