Avid Media Composer has been predominantly used to edit features since non-linear edit systems (a.k.a. NLE) — digital editing on a computer — began overtaking editing with physical film on flatbeds and Moviolas in the early 1990’s.
About other NLEs…
The first known Hollywood feature to be edited on Final Cut Pro was COLD MOUNTAIN (2003) by Walter Murch. It’s famously referenced as evidence that Avid lost market control. What is often missed… COLD MOUNTAIN was finished on an Avid. What this means… after Murch locked the cut and turned it over to the studio for color-grading, mixing and the many other steps to deliver a film to movie theaters, the cut was exported out of FCP and imported into an Avid.
Final Cut Pro from v.1–7 saw market penetration grow in broadcast houses, trailer houses, content and entertainment marketing, smaller production companies, and, some television productions, mostly reality TV until Apple redesigned not just the appearance of Final Cut, but also, fundamental aspects of the editing process with the release of FCX.
I attended Apple’s launch of FCX at NAB which spurred mixed reactions and much skepticism by editors and other Post-Production professionals. What followed was a huge campaign by Avid and Adobe to switch FCP users to Media Composer or Premiere Pro, both captured much of the FCP v.7 market share over time.
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT is the only known Hollywood feature (meaning, major studio production = Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount, Sony, Fox) edited on FCX for 2016, quite possibly, prior to then also. The post house for the film, LightIron, and, in particular, founder Michael Cioni, are advocates and developers of new filmmaking techniques, sometimes, unnecessary reinventing the wheel. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve been inside both LA and NYC LightIron facilities attending parties and presentations, workshops on their tech, seen multiple presentations at tech conferences, spoken with Michael several times. I have a great deal of respect for Michael’s savvy business skills and uninhibited motivation to evolve and adapt technology, but, I don’t share all of his vision on post-production best practices. This also highlights a different POV between business creating/management and an editor.)
Adobe is aggressively responding to industry editors requests for tools, “to make it more like Avid”, and, is widely seen as the FCP replacement. They’ve set-up an office in Santa Monica to support the entertainment industry as well as chase after a higher market share. With companion applications like After Effects, Photoshop and Media Encoder, it’s difficult to imagine FCX ever regaining FCP’s previous market share. Also, in the last decade, Apple shifted it’s business from focusing on computers and software to a broader product line of consumer electronics and A.I. With that shift, came a name change from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple Inc. Also, let’s be frank… Apple gave Walter Murch on-demand tech support, flew chief FCP engineers and product managers to LA ensuring the success of editing COLD MOUNTAIN on FCP. Anyone not Murch or his peers? Apple Support simply wasn’t constructed to serve a particular industry and one piece of software. The same is true for Adobe. In contrast, Avid’s sole focus is the full scope of the entertainment and news media industries. (MORE FULL DISCLOSURE: Although I’ve personally used Macs since 1988, I’ve worked on both Windows and OS platforms for 20 years. I worked at an Apple Store part-time during 2005–2007 as I broke into Hollywood. I’ve owned a number of Apple products. I’m a long fan of Apple and followed the company’s evolution.)
Avid remains dominate because of it’s toolset, shared project and collaborative workflows, media management, and, it’s dedication and support to the demands of post-production for the entertainment industry.
Thousands of features have been edited on Avid (watch to the end of credit rolls to see the Avid logo). So, what’s with the often recited anomalies? Post-Production professionals, including editors, do lean toward the nerds of the industry. We like tech. Like to experiment with tech. Evolve with tech. So, trying different NLEs or workflows is unsurprising. I’d venture to say, it’s even inherent to the nature of Post. Thus, NLEs may continue to come and go, but, none have sustained like Avid.
بقلم محمد الكويفي
اعلامي ومدون من غزة -فلسطين- ماجستير ادارة إعلام، بكالوريوس صحافة واعلام، دبلوم تكنلوجيا معلومات، دبلوم لغة انجليزية في الصحافة والسياسة، مدرب اعلام وانتاج ....
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