The present and future of post production business and technology

The bogus ‘professional editors hate FCP X’ petition

In my email in-box this morning I received an email thanking me for supporting the online petition “Final Cut Pro X is Not a Professional Application”.

I did not sign this petition.

I do not support the goals of this petition.

Clearly this petition is bogus. Of those who’s name appears on it, how many are bogus like mine?

Apparently Petitions Online has no verification so you can just add any old names.

This is completely bogus and should be ignored.

If you want to make a difference, send feedback to Apple via the Application menu item in either Final Cut Pro 7 or Final Cut Pro X – both point to the feedback page at http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html.

If you have an Inside Sales Rep working inside Apple let them know.

And if you’re really unhappy with Final Cut Pro X, ask for a refund. Officially they don’t give them for the App Store purchases but I know many have received a refund.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

20 responses to “The bogus ‘professional editors hate FCP X’ petition”

  1. I’ve always rolled my eyes at the whole “online petition” thing. Petitioning is something you do with governments, not corporations. It just seems so childish, naive, and futile.

    Maybe for the irony of it I will start an online petition asking everyone who is so upset with Apple over FCPX to adopt a new editing platform and get on with their lives. Who’s with me?

    1. Terry Solenberger

      I hear you Andrew. This anger among the Film/TV editorial community with Apple is totally gone overboard. If they are so upset with FCP X then they need to switch to another application that best suits their needs. If most post facilities have Adobe CS5 Production Suite then that should not be a burden on them. Besides it is better to be skilled in more than one NLE as well as other creative software. That’s how you have an edge over the competition. I know how to use both FCP and Media Composer along with the basics in Premiere. I am also seriously thinking about learning Media 100, since they may have an opportunity to make a major comeback.

      Plus thanks to Larry and Philip I can get up to speed on FCP X. It looks like the Apple Pro Training series won’t be available until September, so they at the moment, are the only training resources available except seminars.

  2. Thats weird because I DID sign it with my e-mail for verification and I never got any confirmation. Maybe ours got switched up? Yes, the petition is a little silly at some of it’s requests, but it is getting the news out there about the general mistrusts of Apple in the professional community at large.

    1. Last count it was 1200 people (even if you count all the bogus ones). Of 2 million installs. Do you think Apple really cares what that tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny % thinks. (I’m not going to do the math because I keep making mistakes, but it’s under 1/10th of 1%.)

      1. I’m pretty sure Apple does not care what I think about FCPX or why I’ll be switching to another NLE, but I signed the petition anyway. I thought it conveyed a fair reasoning of why so many people are upset with the direction Apple has taken with FCPX, and the requests, while futile, I felt were reasonable.

        1. I have no problem with people who feel abandoned by Apple, nor taking up a petition. I just object to having my name on it when it is potentially reputation damaging for me.

      2. Charles

        VERY IMPORTANT!!!! though this is off your blog subject I think it is very Important. I have read all the questions about Final cut pro X and they all seem silly multicam this and that we know its coming. What every one should be asking is CAN SOME ONE PLEASE MAKE an app that takes the OLD FCP legacy projects and make them into XML that Final cut pro X can read. Apple Has stated they have no intrest in aiding in legacy projects opening in FCP X. The most embarrasing hiccup on apples part from this upgrade is that it will hurt many “PRO’s” in that and if they do like i do, archive their projects and years down the road have to un-archive them and FCP 7 can nolonger install on the OS due to no Apple support those archived LEGACY projects are done for. What do you do then. THIS is what I think eveyone should be asking. I work at a post house that is constantly un-Archiving from years back before I even worked there. I’m really concerned about this. I just needed to get that off of my chest, Im very dissappointed in Apple with the handling of this Upgrade. Thank you for listening and Phillip you are the MAN!!!!!!

        1. Here’s the thing. Conversion from FCP 7 to FCP X is never going to be even close to perfect. In fact, beyond a basic timeline of 1 or 2 video tracks, I’m not sure anything more is possible. Apple could not release something that did that little – the company doesn’t like to do things half way, and people would really eviscerate them for it. But a third party, like Automatic Duck, could do what is possible and release it. And I expect they will.

          So that’s not going to be a solution to the archived project problem. You will need to keep a seat of FCP 7 around – your current version for instance. That will run now, and on Lion and by the time Lion’s replaced you might be ready to buy a new Mac if you want to continue with FCP X at that point, or simply stick to the current version.

  3. Art Bell

    Ya – writing to Apple – thats always made a difference.

    Bullshit.

    Apple is freely giving refunds, not that it will make a difference.

    As some wise singer once said ” Stick a fork in his ass, he’s done.”

    IMovie won. Youtubes will come out shiny clean by the zillions now thanks to Final Cut X.

    Quicktime X started it. Final Cut X ended it, a good ride is was .

    New Coke born again in Cupertino.

    Stop polishing a turd Philip.

  4. I’m sorry I really like Final Cut Pro X. I like it to edit in, I like it’s titling and I love the metadata foundations. This is the App I wanted Apple to make so I’m relatively happy for a first release. Even though we (as a company) have a whole lot more at stake than any editor who has to learn a new app interface

  5. Jay Wilson

    Philip, I have found your reviews, posted on this site as well as in your podcast, to be detailed and to the point. I don’t think you’re polishing a turd at all as one of your posters has written, but giving a detailed, thoughtful analysis of new software.
    I think whats tripping up the Final Cut community is that this is not “Final Cut Version 10” so much as it is “version one” of something entirely new. My only beef with Apple is the naming convention.
    I have appreciated the thought behind the analysis.

  6. I’m curious, did you actually talk to the author of the petition or did you just summarily declare this “Bogus?”

    I ask because I’ve been in touch with the author for over a week now. He approached me before he started it to ask what I think. I told him it was a pointless exercise and wished him well. Eventually one of my buddies shamed me into signing it because I am one of the “early adopters.”

    He’s a sincere kid who truly wants to bring back FCP 7 / Studio 3 if he can. In fact he’s going in there and cleaning up all the clearly bogus name. He even contacted me to ensure that I did truly sign the petition. I thought that showed some class.

    So while the petition will amount to nothing, it’s by no means bogus.

    Walter Biscardi, Jr.

    1. When I get an email saying that I signed a partition that I did not support nor sign, I make the obvious conclusion that nothing about the partition is to be trusted. How many “Philip Hodgetts” and “Randy Ubillos” are there that are on the list without actually signing? So I call bogus, even if some of those who signed it are genuine.

      1. You got the email because someone signed you up and even knew enough to put your correct email in there. Had nothing to do with the author. Same with Randy U and I’m pretty sure Steve Jobs is on there too. I don’t think their reputations are going to be hurt by that. As I said before, the author contacted me and others to ensure the signatures are genuine and he’s cleaning it up.

        I wish everyone on this forum the best as you all move forward.

    2. Chris Wilby

      and these guys call themselves ‘Pros’!

      http://chrisfenwick.squarespace.com/home/2011/6/28/fcpx-by-steve-miller.html

      I basically find this pathetic…

      1. I really only got to “We spent 30-45 minutes attempting to create a bin and put selected clips into it. ” and had to give up. That’s so easy. File > New Keyword Collection. (you have to have an Event selected). Name the Keyword Collection, but think of that as your Bin. Now drag clips to it. You’re done.

        How could anything else they had to say be relevant?

  7. I am quite surprised, that known, respected pros haven signed this awful petition.
    I am all for making your voice heard, but this petition’s goals are ridiculous!
    Trying to force a downgrade, because they think it’s iMovie pro is quite dumb.
    Threatening to release source code is even worse.
    Anyone signing it should really sign up for anger management.
    And all this, because they cannot use v.1.0 software in their workflows, the day it came out… (so what if it’s marketing name is 10).

    1. As I discovered, just because a name is on the petition doesn’t mean they signed it. But there are probably some genuinely concerned people on the petition that feel sincere, and I respect that. I disagree, but I respect it.

  8. Chris Wilby

    Philip you are 100% correct. Keep on doing what you do best!

    Walter Biscardi. I’m sorry, but I’ve lost any respect for you that I had. You should know better. Hang your head in shame :-((