Help Getting Started?

Hi All

I am new here and just getting started on Final Cut Pro X. I am mainly a muscian/songwriter who has a home studio and alot of knowledge recording music. i am moving to an oppurtunity to film, edit and produce some small, short videos and really need to learn FInal Cut Pro X

I have a new MACbook Pro 2.3ghz, 64 bit, latest Lion, 16 gigs ram. attached is the new MAC 27 inch TB monitor and i have a 2TB external FW HD

i have Final cut Pro x, latest, motion and Compressor loaded.

I am a complete noob though in terms of all of this. i have purchased a final cut pro x training tuturial from the app store. but i am wondering how and where you all went to start learning not only final cut and the other apps, including 3rd party effects but also proper movie making in general?

i am looking at making 2 min or so films of a person doing a monologue with a soundtrack in the background, and then adding some cool effects around or behind that person with some cool editing that makes something like that interesting

after that it will probably lead to some music videos and filming some concerts and speeches that will need edited

i am not talking actual movies etc.

so based on my setup and what i am looking at doing i joined here to see if i could find some guidance.

oh, and my camera is a canon vixia HG21, so just wondering if you think i can do this type of stuff with that camera?

thanks very much for any help

Working yourself through that tutorial would be a good starting point with FCP X.

For the filming part: Learn about lighting, exposure and composition. There's a plethora on these topics to find on the web.

Watch loads of music videos of your genre on Vimeo or YouTube. Try to figure out how they handle cameras, light, and how they edit their stuff.

Most important thing: Practice what you learn.

...oh, and if you know how to set up and control your light you can make movies even with a Barbie cam.

I'm sure I speak for many when I say our paths to becoming Final Cut Pro editors are wildly varied. Editing is such a subjective thing and everyone has their own style, something they've perfected over years of work. There are some rules though and books on editing may be of some use here.

The only thing I can suggest is to learn the program the best you can and treat these jobs you have as a learning experience. For now try to keep it as simple as possible. Don't overwhelm yourself with 3rd party FX just yet. Once you are comfortable with the basics then begin to branch out.

Your equipment looks to be pretty good so your results should be fine.
Take it slow, be methodical in your approach and read and watch as many tutorials as you can. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but please please please only when you've read the manual first.

Too many people come here asking things that they really should already know just from glancing through the manual. It makes them look like they're not serous about learning to edit and just want others to tell them what to do.

I'm sure many here would be happy to review some of your early cuts and give you some advice on story telling, editing mechanics etc.

Have fun and good luck!

Seanus thoughts leads me to a (hopefully) fitting parallel: Think back how you learned your instrument (assuming you're a guitarist). You most likely started up with an acoustic guitar, learned your first chords and riffs, watched other lutists' play, then got an electric guitar somewhen, played around with different amps, added some FX pedals LATER and refined your play over time.

Do the same with video. Start it simple. Don't try to do all at once.

wow

thanks so much for all the feedback so quickly

i will def be diving into all you suggested. manual, the training videos etc. Its very cool you will take a look at videos and help in that way, that is very helpful

i am excited yet nervous, i have been very up front with them my total noobiness to film making and that while i have these tools i have not as yet used any of it. i however will put pressure on my self to produce a quality result, which can be good and bad as i am sure alot of you understand

very glad i found this forum

also, i have the mac book for some portability and i have my music DAW on there for some quick writing and recording. my hope though is Apple will come out with a new Mac Pro line sometime this year and i can be decent at the movie and video stuff by then to justify a new Mac Pro ( i have an old 2008 Mac pro i use for music still)

anyway, thanks again!