Would certification be worth it?

I'm still fairly new to editing. I bought FCPX about a year ago when I got my new computer. Do you think it would be worth becoming Certified in FCPX? Would that increase my chances of getting some freelance editing since I'm so new to the game?

I am doing my best to learn on my own. If anybody has any tips on how I can improve then I'll be greatly appreciative. I'll also be glad to post anything for editing critiques but most of projects have been "sweded" movies in which everything is supposed to be amateurish.

Thanks.

Certification couldn't hurt. But nothing beats an impressive demo reel or list of credits. Since you're targeting a visual medium, a calling card tailored to appeal to that calibrated eye would serve you well. If you don't yet have any videos of your work, then produce some. Take your time & make sure your products contain honest representations of your passion & creativity, rather than a formula you think will garner interest. Be real, this is art first, business second. As for the business side, well.. you're gonna have to hustle, it's all about the self marketing. Some of the greatest artists never get discovered, while some hack is in the right place at the right time. Be in that place.

Granted, this is my personal opinion & philosophy on the art & industry, but this came about after many years of working with people who couldn't care less about the art, only the business.

I definitely am with you on the on the art perspective. I just want to be able to land more opportunities to learn more and perhaps bring in those new skills with whatever creative ideas I might have.

How do the self-taught editors discipline themselves to learn more and create more opportunities?

How do you reverse engineer the edits you watch in movies?

I've got a lot to learn but I'm eager.

This is my work thus far - vimeo.com/inkeye

I've also gave it a little thought of becoming certified, but not so much so I could get more editing work, but possibly travel around the country and make a little extra money teaching FCPX, that would be exciting I think... but like you, wondering if it would be worth the time and expense to get certified.

OK Ron, you had to bring up the trainer stuff, eh? Well, as an Apple cert'ed trainer since v.4.0 I can give some insight and data here. I'm going to be very, very honest here.

Being an Apple Certified Trainer is not the same as being an Apple Certified Pro User. To be a trainer, and the market is saturated, let me tell you. Very little in person training work these days. It's an industry that has been slowly dieing for a couple of years now. Anyway, you become a cert'd pro user first, then fill out an application online to become a trainer. If that is approved (no Apple does not approve everyone, I know folks who've been asked to get more experience and apply again), you pay like a thousand (used to be $1400 USD few years ago) bucks American, fly to one of only three cities (2 are in the US) they do T3 trainings at, stay (at your own expense) for 4 days learning to "teach" the app, then take your T3 test (which makes the pro user test look like a walk in the park). Then, you're on your own to justify why you blew so much money and time on a trainer cert that may or may not ever pay for itself.

As for the pro user training, it can be beneficial to beginners and educators (Apple has a new Associate cert for educators, but anyone can get it). But only in as much as you purposefully leverage that cert into your resume. Like a college degree, it is only as good at getting you work as you can utilize and package it. It won't magically get you work automatically.

If 2 folks walk into my office, perfectly identical resumes and demo reels (and so many demo reels are fake these days, I rarely rely on them any more), the one that has the cert is the one I'll probably hire.

It also looks pretty in a frame on your wall for a little while.

Do to events I won't go in to here, in my very humble, uninformed, personal OPINION, I'd not be surprised if Apple simply dropped the pro apps training program and concentrated only on the IT and iOS training.

Never make a demo reel more than 3 minutes long.
Be sure you're best stuff is in the first 30 seconds.
Most folks hiring won't watch much past that.

Do you think the in person training stuff is dying off because of websites like Lynda.com and Ripple Training, etc?

What would you recommend to prepare for the certification tests?

This is all good info. I appreciate it.

Our devolving fast-food culture is taking to online video training more and more. DVDs are pretty much dead for training, and folks won't sit for more than 3-4 minutes. Lots of marketing research shows this. Subscriptions are fast taking over pay-to-download models. That all-you-can-eat buffet is the dominant training model now.

But, I can assure you that educational research has always shown that in-person hands-on training gets students to learn, retain, and enact new information more efficiently than anything else. But, folks don't want quality training, they want fast on-demand training. Just because someone knows an app doesn't mean they can teach it well. Teaching is a unique skill that must be developed. But then, today's market is all about quick and cheap, not about developing quality in the long run.

Customers want to know quick tricks and tips, not professional workflows nor the "language" of editing. Just how to incorporate the latest effect-du-jour (can't wait for light leaks/flares to die).

What information about the story does that lens flare relate? A question I've yet to have a student answer properly, but man, they'll use that stuff like their life depends on it.

As for the Apple certification tests, there is only one source that will help you with them, the "Apple Pro Training Series" books. The tests come directly from those books, those books are based directly on the test. The book is that test, the test is that book. And know that book WELL. The details will kill you quickly. I recommend my students who take the class or not do the appropriate APTS book cover to cover at least twice before taking the test. If I only had a penny for every student who thought they knew the app well enough to simply take the test, only to come crawling into my classes with their tail between their legs, finally ready to "learn" professionally and properly.

The "practice questions" at the end of each lesson in those books are deceiving. The test is much more difficult than those questions would lead you to believe. If you are serious about taking any Apple certification test, get in touch with me off-forum.

There has been a "hint" to us trainers that the FCP books will be updated in 2013, but it is a very long, very complex operation. I'm not holding my breath at this point.

I got started in 2001 with FCP and probably would have benefited from doing the Pro Training courses. Of course, that was before the advent of lynda.com and youtube and Final Cut Pro becoming ubiquitous in the video editing realm. I couldn't afford to do the Pro Training when I started and after I got going, it seemed like something that would have been smart to do but I never got around to doing it.

It probably makes sense if you can figure out how to leverage it as Ben said. I've had a lifelong rebellious streak towards degrees and credentials . A good reel or even better, a great recommendation from someone who's worked with you, trumps credentials in my experience.

I'm not saying you shouldn't explore them and I'm absolutely not saying you shouldn't seek out great training wherever you can get it. Get all of the quality training you can get. But if it comes down to shelling out cash that you may not have for it, realize you might be better served using that money for something more useful. Like a camera, or more RAM, or lights or a decent production monitor.

Grailz proves my point.

BTW, as for experience, I've taught FCP 7 classes to editors from CNN, FOX News, Discovery HD, Telemundo, ComCast, etc, etc, etc. In every class they were season pros who've used 7 for years. Every single one of them were blown away with how much they did NOT know, and more importantly, how much time they were WASTING on inefficient workflows.

I'm just saying. Proper training saves you lots of time in the long run. You can't ask questions of the instructor online, you can in person, something that is priceless.

But the extra RAM, skip the formal training, take lots of extra time to produce deliverables to your clients. 90% of my emails and phone calls from users are problems covered in class, asked by those who thought it was a waste to take them. So then they have to pay me even more as a consultant to fix things.

In the end, you get out of a career only what you invest in to it, physically and intellectually.

Rant over, I'm out.

I am going to SFSU for their television broadcast program and decided my main focus would be on editing, a month later Apple released FCPX so I've never had to make the grumpy transition from 7 to 10.

If you're getting into editing it is important to know what the software can do, but more important is understanding the theory behind editing. Anyone can learn how to use a software program, but it takes years of practice and skill to be a good editor. Editing is about putting a story together not about keyboard shortcuts. People used to edit with razorblades and tape, everything we have now is far superior and allows for more creativity. The FCPX audition feature is in my opinion, one of the greatest things about FCPX.

If you want to get better at editing you need to study the art of editing and allow what you learn there to push your technical skills forward.

I did an independent study on editing with one of my professors and here is some of the material I used for Research.

This is a great film on the subject.
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

In terms of books, here is a list of what I've read so far and reccomend.

In the blink of an eye -- Walter Murch
The invisible cut -- Bobby O'Steen
The technique of film & video editing -- Ken Dancyger
On film editing -- Edward Dmytryk

On film editing is my favorite by far, but it is kind of difficult to find sometimes.

None of those books talk about technology, they are purely theory books and will really add a lot to your editing skills.

There is an out of print book that's fantastic if you can find it. By Micheal Wohl, Apple Pro Training Series: The Craft Of Editing. Hands on, step by step through editing several different types of scenes, why the edits are being made, not a technical "how to use FCP" manual. But it uses FCP legacy for the exercises. Once you know the FCP X basics, you can use the lesson files to build the projects in the book and follow along. Really great book about the language of editing.

Hint; it is not mysterious voodoo.

This is all good info. I'll be putting these book suggestions in my Amazon wish list.