Assistant Editors

Assistant editors are the unsung heroes of the post-production world. While the editor puts together the film and gets a lot of the credit for the film's final creation, their job would be a lot more difficult without the work of an assistant editor. Assistant editors are integral to the post-production process.

To be an assistant editor one must know a great deal about the editing system that is being used. Most post-production houses use Avid as their editing system. The AE must know the ins and outs of the editing program and know technical knowledge as well in order to maintain the system. Most day to day duties involve ingesting film, labeling footage, looking through selects, creating rushes, and other behind the scenes steps that help to make the editor's job run more smoothly. Organization is key when it comes to this job. You must figure out a system to stay organized and stick to it, or the project will be absolutely confusing. The job is less than glamorous, often because this is considered grunt work, compared to being the editor and cutting together the film. However, it is an integral part of the editing process. As assistant editors progress the opportunity for editing gigs becomes more and more likely to occur.

One day I want to work as an editor. After I graduate I plan on finding a job working as an assistant editor and getting my foot in the door. Only time and patience will land me where I want.

Mac Pros? More like Mac Woes

It has been three years since Apple has given any sort of major overhaul to the Mac Pro line. Given Apple's current fiasco with Final Cut X (replacing the industry-standard Final Cut with some iMovie / Final Cut hybrid update that completely lost their market share and gave it directly to Avid), a lack of an update on this line of computers seems like another step away from catering to their professional creative demographic.

In an email response from Apple CEO Tim Cook, he confirms a major update to the line of Mac Pros this 2013, saying not to worry, and that "we're working on something really great for next year". One is led to believe that it is a major update and not a minor hardware update because he specifically mentions the small spec bump the line received last year, and then goes on to mention "something really great" in typical Steve Jobs fashion.

Rumors are swirling about when the release of the new update will be and when it will be announced. MacDailyNews, a source with a hit-and-miss track record when it comes to confirmed rumors, announced that one of its sources claimed that Apple will be announcing the update during the month of April. Don't hold your breath.

An update at this time would be a much-needed reassurance in the direction Apple is taking as a company. With so many studios and production companies using only Macs in-house (and many still using outdated versions of Final Cut), people are looking for any way to avoid having to restructure their entire corporate workflow. A renovated line of Mac Pros would show that Apple still cares about the prosumer and the professional, and maintain their relationship with their customers that has been very tenuous as of late.

With Apple's extreme push towards the casual consumer, with the user-friendly (to a fault) iOS, the beautiful yet impossible to open new iMac, and the absolute maiming of Final Cut Pro, Apple needs to remember what market stayed with them in the beginning and pushed their brand for all of these years.

FCP vs. Avid?

Final Cut Pro VS Avid from Jill DiBiase on Vimeo.

Strikes a cord?