@Applestore: Workshops FCPX …

/please: this isn't meant as a rant, just enjoy my … 'field trip'/

So, read about latest store in Dubai, offering courses ‘Today at Apple’, fed my interest, made a search, and wow! There’s actually one, two for FCPX, here in Munich! ‘Importing and organising’ and ‘Storytelling’ … booked!

By the way:
well hidden, Apple, these offers, I intentionally apply no link - try to find on your own

No surprise: I was the only one appearing … plus an store clerk, privately interested, for personal use.
For the 2nd one, another person appeared - but, I don’t complain, very 1on1, I like that.

So, how was it?
I guess, it’s best summed up by two quotes:
Trainer “Do you really use key words? … I never do…”
Customer “I don’t spent 300 bucks for my holiday movie!”

hmmm :S
room for improvement, I'd say …
_______

Some additional randomly comments:
Munich, a tiny village of 1mio inhabitants, self-declared Capitol of German Movie Making, several nationwide broadcasters, dozen of production companies, universities for film-making… and ONE person interested in FinalCut? …
ok, as an excuse: have YOU found meanwhile those courses at apple.com for your hometown…?

Both courses didn’t fulfil even close its announced promise; #1 was explained by the trainer as a first in a series … actually no follow-ups in sight, but that is, maybe, explained by the shift to that 'At store' thingie .........

The one ’Storytelling’ was … <cough> phrasing it politely, no good salesmanship. I exposed myself as an ‘enthusiastic, year long hobbyist’, the other woman ’never used an edit app ever’ - which didn’t stopped the clerk to perform a, talented no doubt, blazing fast tour de force what’s possible in a timeline, J-/L-cuts, pic-in-pic, key framed animations, … typical beginners stuff .
I dared to recommend iMovie for her needs …
He mentioned, he's using Nuke for some tasks … hmmm, two worlds collide?

For the first course, the trainer schlepped a bundle of all sorts of MacBooks in all colours and sizes to an empty table … there has to be some ‘graveyard’ in an store, where those ‘orphans’ are kept …
My expectations was: for trainings, Apple has a flock of shiny, brand-new MBp, all perfectly set-up for the course (e.g. no ‘demo SDcard' to visualise Import, only pre-installed the well-known Flower demo in all its perfectism ) … For course #2, just two (different) MBs were at hand … hu??? What happened to the other??

… ok, ok, ok, the store is under reconstruction, the program itself either - but then: why offering anyhow?
Ok, ok, ok - it’s to the customer to decide, what level I am, what info I expect … but when just two persons with that difference appear, whom I should care for more?? Felt pity for the woman…

At last:
I learned (never heard of that but never searched for either), that there are individualised offers for school-classes! So, maybe, my kids from my ‘film club’ and I do a field-trip, one day … when Apple has finished its reconstructions.

What are your experiences?

I dare to say, there’s a huge difference in UX between, for example, US and German stores … here, an store is 98% ‘Free Facebook!!!’ crowd, noisy, and a jolly good crew of av. age of 22.5y = just imagine, a man my age wants serious consultancy for his 4-man company …

next on my list:
the Applestore offers 'Bring your own project!"-Workshops, helping customers with existing projects, … that will be my next … yep, old men like me have strange standards in 'having some fun' … :evil:

And <Yoda's voice'>
… a long journey ahead, you have, Mrs Ahrendts

Hi Karsten
So you made me curious so I "Googled" Apple Store Workshops and near top of search results came back with listings of nearby stores.
Clicking on individual store links lands you on store page with location, hours, projects, link to Genius Bar and as you scroll down a current listing by the hour of workshops, beginning at the current hour or first hour of workshop with a "Show More" disclosure triangle that goes into next day schedule.
Checked 3 closest stores and all had 2 or 3 video workshops either iMovie or FCPX. All stores also had a Studio Hours 90 minute Videos bring your own projects as well as a General 90 minute session for any type of projects. Photos and Music were also featured at each store everyday.
So long as you know about workshops, easy to find here in USA. This is in fact a major improvement in years past where all Genius Bar reservations were handled nationally and required more web clicks to find anything. Like the local store based info.
Maybe I'll go check one session out when I have time.

Have a great day!
Greg

VidGreg wrote: … So you made me curious so I "Googled" Apple Store Workshops and near top of search results came back with listings of nearby stores.…

Hi Greg,
yeah, by googling…, that's easy, I can find things too!!

… a bit more serious:
a friend at school once asked the teacher "to find out in a dictionary, how a word is spelled, I have to spell it right , so…" (pre-google, printed books)
meaning, and what you said:
if I don't know of the existence of such workshops at an store, I will not search for it, not at google nor at support.apple …

yeah, if you can 'afford' it, spend an hour … in my case, no real waste of time, both trainers were nice&friendly, but the workshop was a bit … say, improvised?

so, the 'meta data' of such workshops would be interesting - who attend it, how was it organised , etc … just curious.

This got my curiosity going too Karsten. Like Greg, I took the easy way and Googled. Aside from the fact that although the site is supposedly Apple Canada, every time I looked for something it diverted me back to apple USA, I persevered and checked 3 of the biggest Apple stores in Vancouver. Overall after scrolling through a never-ending list of iPhone workshops I found 1 FCPX course on making the most of 3D titles. Surprisingly I found a much longer list of workshops on using the accessibility features for a variety of disabilities (vision, hearing, dexterity). And no, there was nothing on FCPX with accessibility features.

I guess very few of the 2 million FCPX seats are occupied here in western Canada! :whistle:

… hmm, have to stop ranting myself:
on apples homepage, scroll down to its very end and tadahh:



so, it IS a front-page topic! …
sorry, Apple, my ignorance!! :blush:

seems that Apple offers two workshops in Frankfurt at the moment;) Need to check how to "export" a project to an external HD drive including all used M5 templates Last time the iMovie training was a 1:1 at least I learned how to rename projects in iMovie as a double click on the project name never worked

Lets see how this fcpx workshop/training runs ...

Schnurr wrote: … Need to check how to "export" a project to an external HD drive including all used M5 templates ...

Same idea here:
will create a new Lib on my ext Samsung SSD, and copy one Event (=match) plus my 'Standards' Event onto it.
Then 'Consolidating' that Lib should do the trick…


… we'll see …

Hi,

my experience from todays new Video workshops called "Studio hours". As I expressed the wish to work on a FCPX project to get some feedback and workflow suggestions the guy stated "well I am sorry we don't have FCPX on our workshop macs installed and recommend to import the files and create an iMovie project". I had to laugh because being in an Apple store and no fcpx on their on macs...Funny.

Finally he remarked that they are just in the beginning of setting up these "bunch" of new workshops and they will start at the 18th of May in FFM. I remarked that there is an other way this Friday with same subject and he stated well just for iMovie... Aha thanks for wasting my time Apple team Frankfurt/Germany.

Schnurr wrote: … the guy stated "well I am sorry we don't have FCPX on our workshop macs installed and recommend to import the files and create an iMovie project".….

hahaha, excellent!
uhm, well, theoretically, for sure the shop needs a licence per installed FCPX seat..., in my case, Munich/Rosengasse had a 'bundle' of MacBooks with FinalCut/Special Edition, the one with the pre-installed 'Flower Artist' project. (was told, after we have slaughtered the timeline, those machines reset automatically on re-launch...)

To Apple's defence: those workshops are illustrated with an iMovie screen (just zoom-in 600% … LOL)

… you should have ask him 'proceed' and watch how he tries to 'import' an FCPXproject into iMovie… esp. with your highly individualised custom plugins :evil:

… we naughty-ones should wait, 'til that new '@store' thingie is in effect.

… a minor update on this story:

meanwhile 'Today@' is up and running. It made it (close) to the front-page: apple.com , Support and scroll down to the very bottom of page …

Made a quick, randomly comparison of offered courses:
Here in my tiny mountain village Munich, mostly 'Basics', iPhone/iMovie stuff, but no "…… with _prominent name_ …".
The later in Berlin. At last.

In London,  offers so-called Pro-Series, e.g. "CC and Grading in FCPX" … Would be interesting what they teach in 90min…

…  the usual issue:
hen/egg principle - nobody books such courses, because they are not offered? Or, are they not offered, because of no demand?

And, …  qualified coaches… (?)
I'm planing a second visit (in a different location) in the near future… :evil:

With all the Apple Certified Trainers for FCP around, and the server lack of independent (AATC) classes being canceled due to lack of sign-ups (anyone not know the LearnQuest story?), you'd think Apple would take advantage of these certified trainers to get into local Apple Stores and do really awesome FCPX presentations and mini-classes. Seems Apple is wasting a ready-made resource.

Disclaimer; I've been an Apple Certified (Master) Trainer for every pro app Apple sold for over a decade.

… German website giga.de published an article about a guided photo-safari in Berlin

google.translated version

German. original version

unfortunately no architecture pics (theme of that event) published made on that tour… aside pics of the photog who guided …

<old man cough> does anybody care nowadays for straight/non crooked lines? or old-fashioned <cough> rule of third? but nicely hip desaturated

As a video-maker, red alert: all iPhones in use vertical!! aaahhhhhhh

With all the Apple Certified Trainers for FCP around, and the server lack of independent (AATC) classes being canceled due to lack of sign-ups (anyone not know the LearnQuest story?), you'd think Apple would take advantage of these certified trainers to get into local Apple Stores and do really awesome FCPX presentations and mini-classes. Seems Apple is wasting a ready-made resource.

@ FCPX.guru with respect to the Learn Quest thing. Not quite sure what you are talking about but I was advised strongly by my lawyer not to sign the contract they sent me. So I am now in their eyes in a grey area. But then every thing is a question of perspective all the best Paul

My attorney buddy looked the LQ contract over, basically what Apple had you sign when you first became an ACT. Very little difference. I've taught for technical training companies for 2 decades, I'm not worried. But LearnQuest can't sell a class. And how would they? 1- They charge $1200 per seat, 2- The course is based on a year and a half old version of the software.

I can still call myself an ACT and teach independently, as long as I don't call what I present as "Apple Authorized".

Back to my original point, why isn't Apple using these ACTs they have all over the globe to come teach REAL classes in the Apple retail stores? Serious waste of precious resources.

FCPX.guru wrote: … why isn't Apple using these ACTs they have all over the globe ….

blue tee guy: 1200$£€/month
ACT guy: 1200$£€/day
… :lol:

aside, you were certified to FC/p, not FCPX, aren't you?
(as a customer, I would make a difference …)

Hi Karsten, whist your maths does not add up 100% your basic point is I believe rock solid. :dry:

We certified trainers do NOT make $1200 a day, FAR from it. A training center charges that per seat, but they keep the overwhelming majority of that money.
I've been FCP certified since v.4 all the way through to today, never wavered.

If Apple asked me to do a two to four hour workshop in a store for very little money, I'd do it. No one made a living ONLY teaching FCP classes. Doesn't pay enough for that. We do it on the side from our day jobs because we have a passion for it.