Where were you this time last year? We were waiting to go into WWDC to see the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR for the first time. This year? Nobody is attending, but we do have the Keynote livestream. Will we see the beginning of the transition from Intel to Arm-based processors?
Ever had that feeling of déjà vu? We can still remember when we had to run dual binaries of FCP (Classic) when Apple transitioned from PowerPC to Intel processors.
Now, if all the rumours are to be believed, we are about to see the the beginning of the change from Intel to Arm-based chips.
If so, what does that mean for Mac users and more importantly, FCPX users?
The year-old Mac Pro is modular, so we would expect Arm-based processor modules to be released at some point. They will of course cost, but not as expensive as buying another machine!
As for laptops, would the 16 inch MBP be the first candidate for change? Apple only last week announced the new GPU option, so who is going to pay $3000+ for a new machine when you know its life will be limited?
Sure, there will be the equivalent of the Intel/PowerPC translation software Rosetta if we all have to make a change. However, it is all the third party software developers that will take a big hit.
Keeping one instance of a product up to date with the macOS is bad enough. Having to port it to run on Arm-based chips as well is a heavy extra load for developers.
The FCPX ecosystem is larger than any other NLE and some of the products available are critical to certain workflows. Some users will move immediately to a new machine with the newly coded apps. Some will have to wait until all their third party products have completed the change.
Talking of changes, we haven't seen a major update of Final Cut Pro X for two years now. Is this because they have stopped development on the Intel version and have concentrated on the Arm-based version?
Let's hope they don't make the same mistake from FCPX's now legendarily bad launch where the previous version was killed overnight.
Who knows? We certainly don't, that's why we will be watching the livestream of the keynote from Apple Park with interest.
We are also planning a live show for tomorrow night (Tuesday) where we will be talking about WWDC and the impact it will have on FCPX editors. See you there!
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!
