Ripple Training has released a new training course called Creative Editing in Final Cut Pro X. Hosted by Abba Shapiro, it majors on the art of editing. There's also 25% off until March the 3rd.
It's nice to see a new set of tutorials that concentrate on the actual art of editing rather than just the operation of an NLE. It's the first tutorial like this that Ripple has published.
In this new set of tutorials from Ripple Training, long-time FCP trainer Abba Shapiro takes the viewer through over three hours of video split into 11 lessons.
Maybe the best news of all is the course, Creative Editing in Final Cut Pro X, which is normally priced at $39.99 for the iTunes version, is discounted by 25% until March 3rd. Just use the code 'create'
"Creative Editing in Final Cut Pro X is a tutorial that delves into the art of editing. While many tutorials are concerned with the “how” of editing, this tutorial is concerned with the “why”. More than just technical explanations of editorial techniques, this tutorial focuses on the creative thinking behind each edit decision and why certain decisions have a positive or negative affect on the story.
To get inside the editor’s head, we’ve invited writer/director Abba Shapiro to sit in the virtual editor’s chair and cut a short film right in front of us. As he does, you’ll gain valuable insights as he explains his creative decisions while working them out in Final Cut Pro X.
Here are just a few of the questions addressed in this tutorial:
I’m staring at an empty timeline; where should I begin? How do I decide what shots or takes to use? When should I use cutaways? Is it ok to repeat action? How do I determine what to trim out? What is pacing? How do I build drama? How do I make a dialogue scene sound natural? How do I use sound to foreshadow events or convey character? How can I tell if my edit is working? What is the one quality I need to possess in order to get hired as an editor? "
Here are few extracts from the course:
Introduction to Creative Editing
Foreshadowing with Sound
Grouping Takes into an Audition Clip
The Rookie Mistake
Cutting to Music
Comparing Shots
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!
