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Wow. Just bam, bam, bam another thing from Apple and another. . . .

I think the dumbing-down of iMovie '08 all-of-a-sudden makes a lot of [financial] sense [for Apple]...

Apple's CFO did state that there would be "product transitions" occurring this year...

$$$

final cut express is the cheap hit of crack. If you buy it, you'll be buying the final cut studio box within 12 months.

Dont say you weren't warned.

Good. No more complaining about iMovie 08.

9 out of 10 people that bag on iMovie 8 haven't even tried it, just like 9 out of 10 people that quote surveys haven't acually done them, but are just making stuff up.

iMovie 08 is what iMovie should have always been... Thatcold version was just a buggy final cut express with your hands tied behind your back.

I do fc work for a living bow, and I love iMovie 08 because its so easy to use and simple to whip something out in 10 minutes... Its for my mom, not cheap-skates that really want final cut express, who are cheapskates that really want final cut studio.

I wonder how well it will handle the 24p stuff from the Canon HV20.

Let's start the postings where people bought Final Cut Express a day/week/month ago and want $100 back.

+1 for iMovie 08. I'm a pro in the video field and love iMovie 08. It's so friggin fast, it's unbelievable.

I give it 3 months before some pseudo-victim initiates a lawsuit claiming ('cause they're too lazy to read the system requirements) they cannot edit AVCHD video on their PPC machine.
Off to get my credit card..it's time to move on up from iMovie :D

Not unexpected. iMovie HD was too "big" for the iLife package so they shrunk it. FCE is what iMovie 8 might have been - plus quite a few extras - so they cut the price a bit. The idea is to offer "introductory" packages at a low price to get wanna-bees up to speed and wanting the Pro apps. The new arrangement allows for an easier entry and fewer bars to growth. Understanding it doesn't mean I'm thrilled about it. Maybe it IS time I moved up to FCE.
Dave

escaport - it won't. I mean, it will, but it will be 1080i60.

to get 24p out of the HV20, you have to reverse telecine the footage... why in the hell would iMovie do that?

Now, i would applaud someone if they came up with some kind of plug-in that did that.. but out of the box, i can't see any sensible way for iMovie to do it.

what iMovie does is perfect perfect perfect. Its fast, its simple, and it hacks together footage in record time. its what 99% of people SHOULD use. Half the people that have FCP (and nearly 95% that have gotten it illegally other than to try it out) shouldn't bother with FCP. They should go back and get better at shooting, they should go and get better with recording audio, and they should not worry about the editing tool if their footage is shit.

i could smoke just about any kid that thinks he needs a pirate copy of FCP with iMovie if i shot it.

FC is a manual transmission, and imovie is automatic. If either is hooked up to a Ford Pinto for footage, its not going to mean jack shit.

1. Hold the fscking camera still
2. Don't touch the fscking zoom. Zoom should be like the Popiel Rotesserie... set it and *FORGET IT*
3. Pan 4 times slower than you think you should. You'll still pan twice as fast as you should have.
4. Get a fscking tripod with a handle and strap and USE IT
5. Get a shotgun microphone and at the worst, get one that fits in the hotshoe. If you have a friend that works for beer and pizza, put it on a cheap pole or monopod. Yes, you'll look ridiculous, but at least we'll be able to hear WTF your subjects are saying.
6. Dont ever, EVER, ever under any circumstances EVER use in-camera effects. just.. look.. just don't.
7. Be zoomed back a little more than you think you need to be.
8. Don't be a cheap bastard and get a wide-angle adaptor for your camera. No one wants to look at someone's nose hairs and they really only get you back where the damn thing should have been when they sold it to you.
9. Do i have to say "don't use digital zoom?" I didn't think so.
10. Don't zoom in all the way on anything unless you're on a tripod that's cemented into the ground and held down with chains. Even then, just get closer. Remember - we can't hear whatever it is you're shooting when you're zoomed in, so ask yourself if you really need the shot.

and remember - good audio makes a video... video is secondary.

@ the other steve joobs

Loved your post. Very well said.
I stopped using my camcorder because it is really to frustrating to use. Got tired of carrying a tripod all the time. And yes, Audio is a major challenge for home use. Makes one appreciate professional productions, thou.

Nov 15, 07 - 06:17 pm Comment from: Predrag

The other Steve Jobs makes great points. Best top ten list for video shooting I've seen in ages (and I read trade and amateur magazines in the field!). I would say, the top three of them should be legislated into a law (and perhaps even negotiated into a global multi-national treaty).

FCE is Apple's most ingenious trojan horse. People who are proficient in FCE will be (almost) as proficient in FCP. While pros and consumers are fairly clearly separated in the world of video, many wanna-be pros, or pros-in-training would rather pick up a $200 FCE, learn it and then graduate to FCP. Avid has a lot to worry about, and so does Adobe.

I've done a lot of iMovie HD (the previous one) work for home videos. It really has the aspirations of a semi-pro NLE. I am very, very anxious to see what they have done with FCE. What I always liked about iMovie is that the standard settings for all editing (transitions, disolves, fades, titles) were usually optimal (typeface, type size, timings for titling, etc), so you didn't have to figure it out on your own in order to get good results. You could always tweak it and change it, but it started you off right. I hope FCE will have those qualities. Since its market is high-end consumer and prosumer (what an awkward word...), I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Once again, thanks, Other SJ, for an excellent post.

First I bet all my Apple stocks you name isn't Steve Jobs.

Second, Final Cut Express is quite the capable application without forking out for the cost of the FCP. Many editors have found that they do not require the Pro level software.

Third, I enjoy all three apps. And without even try FCE 4... I know with the new price point and the level it was... that this is one smooth and welcoming move on Apple's part.

Back to work... David Gregg DMA NY/L

Nov 15, 07 - 08:16 pm Comment from: SKY LARK

@the other steve jobs.
Good info and funny to boot ... until that last line about the audio. screw the audio, this is video, not radio.
(sorry)
Now, what you really got to concentrate on is the relationship between the lens and the lighting.

The following is care of -
Leo Ticheli
Leo Ticheli Productions
Birmingham, Alabama USA

1. You're using a camera with a tiny sensor so your depth of field is terribly deep. To overcome this liability, use as long a lens focal length as possible consistent with the aesthetics of the shot. In other words, move as far back from the subject as you can and zoom in as far as you can keeping the action in the frame.

2. Move the subject as far from the background as possible and try to choose backgrounds that are as homogeneous as possible so they will not detract from the attention you want to give the subject.

3. Shoot wide open aperture, also to reduce depth of field.

4. Control your background lighting so you don't call attention to it. If appropriate, drop the light level on the background a bit.

5. If your camera allows it, always shoot progressive instead of interlaced. If possible shoot at 24 fps with a 180° shutter which will give yo an exposure duration of 1/48 of a second. This provides just enough motion blur for the filmic look you're after.

Subject: the Seven Sins of Cinematography...

1. Lazy Camera Position. Avoid the temptation to shoot with the camera at a comfortable “tripod” height. Explore unusual angles and camera positions. Shoot most talking heads with the camera a bit below the eye line.

2. Poor Composition. Remember the rule of thirds; few things in life are as boring as a talking head with the eyeballs dead center horizontally and vertically.

Try to give your shots depth by including out-of-focus foreground and background elements to add interest.

3. Too Little Coverage. Not enough coverage with too much reliance on Master Shots is a prescription for boredom. Typically, you’ll want to shoot the master and then get your coverage; over-the-shoulder and close-up shots.

4. Too Much Depth of Field. The standard for depth of field is 35 MM film. Video Cameras, especially 1/3” chip cameras, have a very long depth of field which fails to isolate the subject from the background. Even 2/3” chip cameras have 2.5 times the depth of field of 35 MM, or about the same as 16 MM film. To reduce depth of field:

A. Keep the subject as far from the BG as possible.
B. Always shoot with the iris wide open. Use Neutral Density filters to limit the light passing through the lens.
C. Use as long a focal length as possible consistent with the esthetic content of the shot.
D. Use camera or subject motion to isolate the subject.

5. Poor Lighting. Work toward three-dimensionality with lighting or by selecting available light that gives a three-dimensional effect. Never use on-camera lighting unless you are shooting an Alaskan coal mine at midnight.

Hint: The Softlight Law: “The softness of the light is directly proportional to the relative size of the aperture of the light.” Be aware that the “aperture” in this case has nothing to do with the lens, it’s the size of the light source, for example a 4’ x 4’ softlight. This means that a 2’ x 2’ softlight very close to the subject produces a much softer effect than a 4’ x 4’ softlight very far away. Move the light twice as close to the subject, and the effect is 4 times softer because of the Law of Squares.

Remember the Law of Squares? In the case of light levels, moving a light twice as close to the subject raises the light level by a factor of 4; move a light that is 5 feet from the subject to 10 feet, and you cut the light to 1/4 the intensity.

6. No Movement. Static shots can be boring. In many cases, you’ll want to keep the camera moving. No dolly? Improvise; a wheel chair can make a decent substitute. If you can’t keep the camera moving, move the subject. Try the “John Ford” close-up, where the subject moves from far away from the camera to a frame-filling close-up. Watch some old John Ford/John Wayne movies to see this in action; it’s easy to do and makes a huge impact.

If you don’t dolly, and it’s not always appropriate to do so, try using a little subtle camera movement, drifting around the shot. Please don’t rely on the zoom! Most of the time zooms look cheap.

Generally speaking, diagonal movement is more interesting than movement perpendicular or horizontal to the lens.

7. Lack of Color Discipline. When you can, choose wardrobe and locations carefully so you can avoid a cacophony of color which, in most cases is distracting.

8. Rule 8. This is the big one. To make great looking films you must often violate one or more of the other rules!