So, what's the best NLE?  If you go by what's the newest and hottest, at the moment it appears to be Avid.  All the talk is about Avid right now.  The company has released it's Media Composer 5 software.  By the looks of it and by all accounts it appears to be another big software release.    But I don't think I need to tell anyone that really knows their stuff that deciding what's 'best' is pretty darn subjective.
Seems the battle of the NLE's is as bad or worse than the battle of the OS's.  It drives me crazy that people seem to almost come to fisticuffs when defending their NLE of choice.  Seems pretty silly. 

I use both FCP and Avid and I like both applications immensely for different reasons.  I started my non-linear editing journey first on software called Speed Razor, then a hybrid application that Sony put out which I don't even remember the name of, and then I had the opportunity to work on Avid DS, which at the time was Softimage DS.  It's still one of the best NLE's I've had the privilege to operate and far superior to either MC or FCP on so many levels - in my opinion.   And that's just it. It's my opinion.   it's a different tool with a far deeper toolset and learning curve than most storytellers need.  I'm sure Smoke users would argue the same thing. 

FCP is silent at the moment and there has even been speculation and rumors as to where it's going.  But I'm sure Apple is just waiting until they are ready to spring a great new release on us.  Oh, and don't disregard Adobe.  They may not have everyone's favorite editing application but none of us could do without their products or influence in the post production world.  And just because it doesn't have great inroads into the post-production community, doesn't mean Premiere isn't a brilliant product. 

Overall my opinion is as long as different manufacturers and developers keep pushing each other,  it will be beneficial for the entire post community.  Norman Hollyn has a great post on the subject at his blog.  Steven Cohen says a bit on his blog as well. 

As it stands,  Avid MC 5 is definitely in the headlines, twitter posts and blog entries right now, so here are some reviews and resources that might be useful: 

 Oliver Peters Blog - Digitalfilms

 Avid MC 5 getting started training

 Dylan Reeve

 Shane Ross - MC 5 Review

Here's a tutorial from Steven Cohen also that he recently placed on his blog Splice Here .  Also don't miss his Avid MC 5 demo at, yes the June 16th  Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User's Group meeting.  If you miss it, I'm sure you can catch a demo somewhere, sometime.  You Tube maybe..... 

I personally can't wait to get my hands on a copy of MC 5.  Hope you'll have the opportunity as well but until then use the tool that helps you be the most productive and creative. 

Happy editing!

So, I got my start in media, communications and storytelling doing radio.  Well, professionally speaking anyway.  I love sound.  I still pay a lot of attention to sound in my editing and here's  a little something that proves I'm a true sound geek.

Check this out!

                                

Pretty cool huh?  Want one?
When I was working as an audio engineer in charge of production audio for a television and DVD series, my supervisor and department Chief Engineer gave me this spec sheet and told me to order some.  I thought he was serious and spent a few hours looking into where I could get one.  Then I actually read the specs and realized that I'd been had. 

"if it doesn't belch fire and suck air it isn't a real BF-6000 SUX!"

Merely connect the nuclear phase convolutor to the equiripple bilinear-transform multiband differentiator and then enable the dynamically stabilized invariant plasma module.  Crank up to 11, stand back , and watch the fun!

Throw some garbage into the Mr. Fusion, rev up to 88 mph, watch the flux capacitor light up and go back to the future....
Do I have a deep and underlying point to posting this?  Not really.  It's just cool! 

I've had this for some time.  I think I got it from someone on the DS list which at the time may have still been the Softimage DS list.  Perhaps it's not that old...  More likely it was passed on from a filmmaking colleague.  If any of you read this, perhaps you can let me know the source.   I honestly don't remember....
I recently reread it and thought it might be interesting to keep in circulation - as a reminder. 
Enjoy and pay heed!

How to Become a Successful Filmmaker

-----------------------------------------

It seems as if everyone who gets a computer and owns a camera toys with the idea of making a movie at some time. The plain truth is that films come and go with alarming regularity. A few stick around, but for every one that reaches its second birthday, five will appear and vanish. Here are a few simple tips to insure that your effort at making a movie places you in the majority.

 

PINCH PENNIES - You spent thousands on shooting. It's silly to spend more than $100 on an editing program. You might even find one for free. After all, if cheap is good, free must be better. Be sure to shop for a rock-bottom price on a post shop, too.  It doesn’t matter if no one ever heard of them before...they will before you are through.

 

SCHIZOPHRENIA IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY - Keep 'em guessing. Try at least a dozen different formats and tape speeds. That will keep post on their toes. You wouldn't want to be predictable. Change things around constantly... timecode, audio channels, gamma, the color balance from section to section. You really don't like it when the online is easy anyway.

 

SPEAKING OF BEING PREDICTABLE - Only be available part time. And change your availability frequently. Part of the adventure of post is to keep the facilities guessing. Pick strange hours: noon to 3 pm Tuesday and Thursday, 6 am to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Midnight to 6 am weekends, except national holidays and the third Tuesday in September.

 

DON'T WASTE MONEY ON OFFLINE - You don't need it for such a brilliant movie. It will put itself together.

 

SWITCH FACILITIES WHENEVER THE NOTION STRIKES YOU - After all, it is your movie. So what if you like the lattes better across town! The backers can just cough up a little more.

 

BE RUDE TO EVERYBODY IN POST - They're all schmucks who don't know anything. You don't have to be polite to them. Do your best Sam Kinison imitation when they ask questions.  Call them names and make fun of them because they don't know all about Kurosawa and German Expressionism and such. After all, you know everything about them... don’t you?  Dump them in mid-session because they take too long to comp in your cameo...or just because you want to look important.

 

MAKE IT A DELIGHTFUL MAZE - Make lists so complex that a PhD couldn't find his way around your edit. Hide files on computers without internet access, and with obscure names and RT-11 codes. While you're at it, use several different frame rates to test the online editor. Then complain bitterly when you're still digitizing after a half-day.

Follow these simple rules and I can guarantee you will join the vast majority of films that fade into the sunset within months or even weeks of screening.

 Does all of this sound like a lot of work?  You’re right.  It takes a lot of effort to become a successful filmmaker. But the rewards of meeting new people, making new friends, seeing other points of view, make it all worthwhile.

 

Here's something that sort of  follows off the coattails for the last entry. 
These are some musings from Norman Hollyn - media expert and editor, as told by Jeskid. 

Jeskid TV Episode 59

What interests me about editing is the anxiety and excitement of going into an edit not knowing what you are doing.  Walter Murch talks about having a feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he starts a new project.  This is based on the fact that there are an astronomical number of ways that images can be combined to tell a story in a film.   I don't necessarily think of it in those terms but I do think it's the excitement about the process of discovery.  Murch says, "Editing is not so much a putting together as it is the discovery of a path."  The 'unknown' aspect of editing that involves finding the end product is what is unnerving but also exciting.
Most all of all it's nice to know that projects and stories emerge out of a process, not a set way of doing things and being rigid to the idea that one must conform to the rules. It's about collaboration, adaptation and flexibility. 

I'm a member of the Trail Runners Club here in S. California.   We get together early on Sunday mornings and go for long runs in the hills around LA.   It's great. One day a few weeks ago, I was running a route starting at Temescal Canyon.  It went  up pretty high, circled around to Will Rogers and then another climb back over to Temescal.  It is a beautiful run.  It happened to be a great day. The trail was a bit muddy but the air was clear and the recent rains were really bringing out the smells of the California sage and wild flowers.   At one point I remember being able to see the ocean, West LA/Santa Monica, the rolling green hills over which I was running, and in the distance, snow capped peaks of the San Gabriels,  all at once! - well...in a panoramic view.   I've been around and it's not many places in the world in which you can experience this. This is part of the reason so many people choose to live here and not in say Nebraska (Sorry Nebraskans!)

I also happened to be thinking that I'm glad I love the outdoors and have a background as an athlete and runner.  I was thinking this especially because of the fact that I have chosen an inherently unhealthy profession.  I don't really compete any more.  I run to keep the pounds off and keep the cholesterol at bay.  Most editors sit for  50 - 60 hours a week in dark rooms, occasionally taking a break to eat junk food and drink liquid candy loaded with caffeine.   

I go crazy if I'm not active - physically and mentally.   Even when I'm in a busy editing phase, I try to get out, even for a half hour or so to relax my eyes and stretch my legs and see some sun.  I haven't tried editing standing up yet, like Mr. Murch but I'd like to give it a try sometime.  Seems a little more healthy.  I know Walter runs also and walks whenever he can.   I don't know that he's ever said specifically what it does for him, other than exercise, but I like that he does.   For myself, I know that it not only feels good to exercise but I think it makes me more creative as well.  There's something about a repetitive mechanical/physical endeavor, combined with the rhythm of breath that puts me in a meditative state.  I'm often able to solve problems and come up with solutions - creative and technical - while on a run or a swim.  In my mind it also makes for a balanced life.  I think it makes me a happier and more creative editor in the long run, which in turn makes for a better product.  And ultimately that's what it's all about isn't it? 

In November I went up to Santa Rosa and helped shoot the opening scene of a movie with my brother and a great group of filmmakers. The film is called 'Crave'.  It is an action/horror film.  This opening scene was shot basically as a sales vehicle.  The idea is that a dedicated group of filmmakers, with a good story (always essential), experience, professionalism, some donated equipment and virtually no money could put together a professional looking, sounding and engaging story.   And by my estimation that's exactly what we did. Over the course of a weekend!   If the final product is any indication, I think people will want to see more.   The point is that with a good story and great human resources,  great things can be accomplished.

    So, how did we do it?  Essentially we did it with dedication, fun and a love for filmmaking and storytelling.  Each and every one there wanted to be there and took pride in their work.  We all contributed our expertise - and more.  People chipped in wherever they were needed.  I can't remember how many times I heard the words, "What can I do for you?",  "What do you need?"  "What can I do to make your job easier?"  We asked each other questions.  We learned from each other.  There was no ego clouding the set.  There was no one  getting busted down for making mistakes.  Sure, there were personalities, and arguments and some hurt feelings but that's what happens.  This didn't prevent anyone from doing a job and helping others do theirs.  Here's something I read recently that encapsulates the general attitude I experienced.  What does it mean to lead well
I think everyone on this set was a leader in their own way. 


On this film, I didn't edit.  I didn't even participate in post-production.  I chipped in my expertise as sound coordinator - and yes, boom operator.  It was fun, and a nice change from sitting in a dark room for hours on end.
We enjoyed working together and we made a great product primarily through human resources.  We didn't have a $million. We didn't have high tech equipment.  We had people that knew what they were doing  and have a passion for filmmaking.  I hope this film goes somewhere because I'd sure like to work with them again.  I hope if it goes somewhere I'll get to do some editing but if not, I'll do something else in an area where I have some skills and can add some expertise (if I'm asked of course).



So, does this have anything to do with editing?  Well, sure it does.  It is a film after all and what is a film without the editing.  But film is a collaborative effort - Robert Rodriguez aside.  This work ethic applies in the post-production process as well.  We do this job because we love it.  Editing requires one to be professional and add their expertise but also be confident enough in themselves and their skills that they are willing and open to accepting others contributions.  Ultimately it means adding what you can to make the best possible product.  It also makes for a more enjoyable experience and that's what it's all about. 

Well...here's my first blog entry.  I've had a lot of ideas about how to start this whole blogging thing and I suppose that will make for a good start because I'll have some material to put up for a running start.  I thought a short introduction might be a good way to kick this off. 

Some of you may be asking first of all, hmmm, "Piri, what a peculiar name.  What does it mean? Where's it from?  Short answer.  I was named after someone with the name.  For those of you interested...Piri Thomas (http://www.cheverote.com/piri.html)  Family friend. Author. Poet. Interesting guy.  
Everytime I've asked him about the name, I get a different answer.  Poetic license I guess.  The one I think the most probable though is that it is the middle of the word 'espiritu' or 'spirit'.  
Tio Piri, wherever you got it, thanks for sharing.  As I get older, I gain a deeper understanding of what it means. 

So, this blog is going to primarily revolve around my profession, career and passion of editing.  But yes occasionally there will be other musings.  Somehow though I think it won't be hard to make associations between my life experiences and my chosen career.  That's part of the reason I chose it.  I'd like to think my life, quest for varied experiences, search for knowledge and zest for life and it's challenges informs my editing and storytelling ability.  Life's a story and that's what it's all about.

I've been involved in media production on and off professionally since 1991.  I started in radio and have always had and still do have a passion for audio and sound. In fact, I recently did production sound for a short film - 'Crave'.  More on that to come.   I've had many hands on positions in production and post-production over the years and am grateful for the versatility and knowledge that has afforded me.  I've also had the opportunity to experience the world and much of it's diversity.  As often happens, I sort of fell into editing and discovered how much I enjoyed it.  I hope I can impart some of my knowledge and experience to you.  I'm by no means a professional writer and I hope you'll bear with me as I try to do that. 

And now back to our regularly scheduled program  - Neill Peart's drum solo.