OK.  I’m really not sorry.

The debate has been raging since nerds first discovered that you could plug a video card into your computer and record an incoming video signal.

The Windows guys argue that you can build your own video editing system for less money, and get the same editing capabilities (if not better, they’ll say) than any Mac.

Mac guys, generally speaking, don’t really make much noise in response.   The popular conclusion that the Windows guys will offer for this is that Macs are overly priced appliances that don’t really work for a serious video professional.

The debate has really seemed one sided.  But as a professional media editor of 20+ years, I can assure you that the debate is pretty much non-existent.  The real truth is that Mac guys are too busy doing work for paying clients to engage the Windows guys in the argument.

Mac guys are very busy creating content, and providing a valuable service for their clients.  They don’t have time to tinker with a computer.  They don’t care about hitting benchmark performance numbers.  Mac guys want to deliver their projects to their client on time, and without any heart-pounding hardware-related melodramatics.  They know that a Mac is reliable.  It may not be faster, but they don’t care if it’s fast enough.

Oh, yeah!  That got you pissed off.  (But you’re still reading)

I don’t want to imply that Windows guys don’t do good work or that they don’t offer great service.  I know that is incorrect.  There are very talented and productive guys working on Windows machines.  Andrew Kramer, from videocopilot.net is an amazing visual effects artist and motion designer.  He works on Windows based machines.  In fact, I invite you to comment below on how awesome your Windows machine is.   But that’s not my point.

My point is Windows guys doing fantastic work are also not very vocal in this lopsided debate.  I’ve been a fan of Mr. Kramer for nearly 5 years, and I’ve never heard him say boo about this topic.

So why aren’t good Windows-based artists saying boo?

If you said “Because they’re too busy servicing their paying clients”- you get a high 5!

So here’s the 411- (do the kids even say that anymore?)

The business of making videos professionally can only be measured by the number of paying customers you have.  Paying customers require reliable results.  Macs are more reliable and hassle-free than your average jacked up Windows machines.  Generally speaking, artists and video craftspeople aren’t all that technical.  They want an  “appliance” that can be relied upon to help them crank out the goods.  So, while there are some technical people that can also be creatively productive- most of them don’t want to have to worry about software/hardware conflicts and other such distractions.

So, that’s why the vast majority of your top creative agencies outfit their studios with Macs.  There simply cannot be any debate about that fact.  If you go to any advertising agency in new York or a random Motion Design firm in Los Angeles, they most likely are running on iMacs and Mac Pros.

For example. this is how it usually goes with ad agencies:

A very young, stylish account executive comes to a large editing facility carrying with them only a smile and a superfly laptop bag.  They yank a Mackbook Pro out of the bag and hand some goateed middle-aged man (in many cases that was me) a Photoshop story board that they created at Starbucks moments ago while their client was yelling at them into their equally stylish bluetooth headset.

They’re agency is paying bucoo bucks for me to turn that story board into a wonderful commercial for millions to see.  The young stylish guy with his stylish Macbook is now watching the creative paint dry at $500 an hour while I get chopping.

He does’t want to see me open up the side of my computer- not for any reason.  Not ever.  he wants me pounding away at his commercial.

This is not to say that macs don’t ever break down and stop working.  But, this stylish man knows that his Macbook is trouble free, and he therefore trusts that if I use a Mac- it wall also be trouble free.  When something goes wrong, he will rely on his experience, and assume that it’s a rare occurrence.  He won’t be as understanding if you have a Windows machine, however- trust me.

So that’s why Macs win the debate.  But wait.  There’s more.

Let me tell you the thing that makes this entire notion of a debate just plain silly.

Final Cut Pro only runs on Mac.

That’s all you need to know.  I’ll listen to anybody that tries to offer up any other software as being worthy.  I know there are valid arguments out there for using other software- I just don’t accept any of them.

Media Composer, Premiere Pro, Smoke- hell let’s even throw in Edius, Media 100 and Sony Vegas.  They’re all competent software packages.  They all will provide a toolset to juxtapose video and sound together in meaningful and elaborate ways.  They all have devoted followings of users.  But I assure you that they all are old and busted.  They’re all highly evolved projections of a foregone editing paradigm.  They all rely on tracks and patching and source bins.  They all suck- except for Smoke which is actually awesome at doing everything EXCEPT editing.

I’ve been involved with the advancement of editing workflows for companies like CNN Headline News back in 90’s.  I’ve helped develop work flows for shows like Dinner Impossible and Restaurant Impossible on the Food Network and Bar Hunters on Discovery.  I know what works and what doesn’t work.

Final Cut Pro is a game changer.  Final Cut ProX is the world’s most advanced editing platform.  Bar none.

If you are new to the editing world, you’d be crazy not to gravitate towards FCPX as a production staple.  If you’ve been in the business for a long time, like I have- I strongly urge you to learn it now.  Your time is running out.  Avid is old and busted.  Your Premiere Pro is really just a slicked back presentation of what FCP 8 would have looked like.  And, yes.  FCP 7- and therefore Premiere Pro are old and busted.

If your an editor already the learning curve is severe.  It took me over a year to really one to understand the power.  If you’re new to editing, then the good news is that FCPX is pretty easy to pick up.

In the coming articles, and video posts, I’m going to show you how you can leverage the power of a Mac and the amazing ability of FCPX to take your video presentations to the next level.

Please tell me why you think FCPX is great or why it sucks, or why you use Media Composer in the comments below.  I’d love to hear what you think.  If you have any questions, I’ll get back to you as soon as humanly possible.

Cheers,

Scott Markowitz