It’s hard to imaging but between them Amazon and Netflix plan on spending $8 billion on original content in 2016.

Amazon is expected to spend $2 billion, subsidized by Prime subscribers

Netflix’s subscribers will finance $6 billion in original programming.

Combined that would be 60 movies with a $100 million budget each. (Typically 400-500 movies are released by studios every year.)

Or 3000 ‘hour’ television episodes assuming a $2 million an episode budget. (Some would be higher, some lower). At 23 episodes a season, that’s one season for 130 different shows.

In this episode I get to spend a lot of time talking about the background the Lumberjack System, in the context of  the very unsexy topic of workflow, particularly automating the workflow. I share many of the background decisions related to Lumberjack System – our logging and pre-editing system for Final Cut Pro X – including why it’s limited to FCP X.

Other topics include automation; Digital Heaven’s announcement of SpeedScriber; how Lumberjack has developed based on user, and use, feedback; the post NAB development of noteLogger; Prelude LIveLogger and the Premiere Pro ecosystem and NLE market shares; how development resources are allocated.

Patently Apple reports Apple have filed for Trademarks for: ‘Mac – Works with iMovie’, ‘Mac – Works with Final Cut Pro X’ & Combo of Both.

This certainly isn’t the first time Apple have filed for “Works with” Trademarks, and that’s what makes it interesting. Previously these type of trademarks have been for Apple Ecosystems, like iPhone, iOS, iPad, CarPlay, AirPrint, et al.

While I have no idea what it might mean – developers have no clues yet – it is interesting that iMovie and Final Cut Pro X are being considered as part of a larger ecosystem. For those who don’t know, these days iMovie is a version of Final Cut Pro X with a simplified interface.

Adobe revealed record quarterly earnings on March 17th, with $1.38 billion in quarterly revenue ($5.5B annualized) and 4.252 million Creative Cloud subscribers (us included).

Of course, Adobe is strongest in document handling and photography but every subscriber has access to the entire Creative Cloud suite. I believe the integration between the video and audio apps is one of Adobe’s strengths in the creative TV, film and video space.

If I had to place an educated guess, I’d say there are more active Premiere Pro CC users than Media Composer active users, but not as many as Final Cut Pro X.

According to an article on MacRumors today, Apple is negotiating with Studios and Producers to create original programming for Apple TV. Two thoughts.

Apple have long created their own content by running music festivals and recording the performances.

It’s been a long time coming, but I thing it was inevitable. Back in late 2009 I postulated on What if Apple or Google simply bypassed Networks and Studios? My conclusion then:

Clearly, either Google or Apple could destroy the existing content production industries without borrowing or risking their business. Just what leverage do the current middlemen really have?

It’s a strategy that’s working well for Netflix and Amazon.

Yet again the threat of movie piracy – that is, unauthorized distribution – has had no observable affect on an industry with higher attendance and higher revenues. Please destroy my businesses like this!

I first wrote about derived metadata back at the end of January 2009. Derived metadata uses computer analysis to derive metadata from the video source. There are now technologies for speech-to-text, meaning extraction, facial detection, facial recognition, emotion detection, image recognition, and more. One company has been accumulating these somewhat diverse technologies: Apple.

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My year seems to have three major themes: sucking while learning, family history video and small production kit. Along the way there have been 13 episodes of Lunch with Philip and Greg. 

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If there was a theme to 2015 in production technology, it would be that this was the year of more. More pixels – 4K and beyond; more dynamic range with HDR video; more field of view as VR establishes; and more programming sources as Netflix et. al. become fully fledged ‘networks’.

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From Variety:

Joss Whedon shared an eye-opening fact during Saturday night’s reunion of the “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” team: He’s made more money from his independently financed 2008 Internet musical than he did from writing and directing Marvel’s first blockbuster “Avengers” movie.

That’s pretty amazing considering he would have picked up between $5 and $10 million for writing and directing that first Avenger’s movie.

I previously wrote of Dr Horrible’s Singalong Blog in February 2009, where I discussed where the income was coming from. The iTunes revenue and DVD sales must have been pretty good as streaming served more as promotion for the iTunes and DVD sales.