We have been very busy over the weekend and although from a quick look it doesn't look like it, this site has had a complete update. Can you help us to make sure everything works ok?
One thing for sure, to stay still on the internet, you have to constantly update. That might sound like a contradiction, but these days leaving old versions of software running on servers is just asking for trouble. We have been hacked twice this year, not because our software versions were very old, but the fact they were not the latest and thus suffered from known exploits.
So we bit the bullet this weekend and upgraded the site. This isn't just a task of clicking an update button, there are many different add-ons and components that have to work together.
So, first of all the good news...
The site is a lot snappier and pages load a lot quicker for us on a good internet connection. There is also added functionality as well as a smart make-over on the Community pages. You will see that there is now a large graphic as a cover photo on each user profile page. Please enjoy uploading a replacement of your choice!
And the bad...
Although our web programmer has been bashing the site on a ghost URL for a few weeks (sorry for those emails that went out accidentally,) not everything has been tested. It is almost impossible to go through every instance of functionality to check things are working as they should.
So if you find something odd, even if it's just a layout issue, please let us know and we will try to do our best to fix it.
A few things we do know about...
- Some avatars have been lost in the upgrade. We will try to get them back, but uploading them again would help. If you have never uploaded an avatar, please do as this helps us spot who is real and who is a spammer.
- Difficulties in logging in and not receiving email confirmations.
- In certain cases, text might be difficult to read. The CSS should act site-wide, but there are some sections of the site that think they are on a white background.
If you could let us know your problems either by contacting us on email, or in the Facebook comments below, it would be appreciated.
I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.
I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.
Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.
I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!
Current Editing
2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.
BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.
Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.
As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.
Plugin Design & Development
I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.
I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.
FCP.co
Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.
The Future
I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!
