You might have read between the lines over the last month and worked out that FCP.co will be at NAB this year. We have setup a WhatsApp group and have a few discount codes that might come in handy.
With less than a week to go, we are looking forward to this year's NAB Show. Although there won't be any official Apple presence on the show floor, there will be lots to keep us busy.
If you want to stay in touch with like minded FCPX folk, we have set up a WhatsApp group. If you would like to join, please email us and we will send you the invite link. We have some great money saving codes to share on the group and we don't want to post a public link. You can find FCP.co's email address here. Spaces are limited, so only ask to join if you are attending NAB please.
Hopefully we can arrange a very informal meetup of folks on the Sunday night who have just flown in.
So what is going on at NAB?
First of all, we don't expect an update to Final Cut Pro X. Apple just pushed out 10.4.6 on the 21st of March, so an announcement this Friday followed by a release a week today (like last year) seems very unlikely. However, when Alex Gollner gets on a plane, it's always worth hitting the refresh button just in case!
Talking of planes, you can get your show badge from the domestic or international baggage claim areas at McCarran airport. Or check to see if your hotel can issue the badge.
Your NAB badge also gets you into a few parties and discounts on Las Vegas attractions including tackling Avid users zombies. Worth checking for restaurant discounts. You can also get a discount on a monorail pass that can added to your show badge.
Apple hasn't been on the show floor now for quite a few years, but expect to see FCPX on stands in the Lower South Hall including Frame.io on SL2426, storage manufacturers and plugin & software companies such as Softron on SL13016.
During the show, there are lots of post production session to attend, lots! Registering for the whole package is slightly pricey, but you can go to Steve Martin and Mark Spencer's Post|Productions sessions and get in by mentioning their names at the door. Note that some of the sessions are this Saturday!
We are probably heading to Final Cut Pro X Power Tips from Top Experts at 5.00 PM on Sunday 7th April.
As with all trade shows, plan your day, wear comfy shoes, make sure you have business cards and take a refillable water bottle.
What About Outside NAB?
The biggest attraction for us outside of NAB is LumaForge's Faster Together Stage. Taking over from the previous large meet-ups, this looks to be a great evening, with a great speaker lineup and of course a raffle hosted by Michael Horton.
To be held a the Rio Hotel, tickets are priced at $15, doors open at 4:30 pm.
On the Monday, LumaForge are also hosting a party (Formally The Guru Gathering) in the Embassy Suites of the Convention Centre.
Tickets are limited, but worth going for the networking and we have heard that there will be an announcement during the evening that is directly related to the FCPX community.
It will be an interesting night!
So if you are going, we hope to see you there, joining the WhatsApp group will help you keep connected and save money with the codes.
If you have any further events or news for readers, pleas add them in the comments below.
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!
