Which equipment for production & post production

Welcome to indietalk!

As the macbook pro is intel based, you could always dual boot with windows in which case you could run Vegas, Premiere, or any of the other windows based software.

As for ease of use, FCP & Premiere are very similar, vegas is probably slightly easier for the newbie, but I don't think the difference is quite that large. You'll have a bit of learning curve with just about any NLE, and that's probably a good thing. That said, there's really nothing you can do with FCP that can't be done in Vegas or Premiere.. Keep in mind that hardware-wise you will (almost) always pay significantly more for mac than a comparable PC... But either way should work.

You will probably want to make sure you max out the memory on either laptop, and it would be smart to get yourself a nice external drive or two as well.

I'm going to have to go with recommending the Macbook Pro and Final Cut Studio. The main reason being that, particularly for a beginner, you want to use what everyone else is using so you can have easier access to guidance and help. And FCS is what everyone else is using.

If you don't need the interchangable lenses, you can save a couple grand off the top by getting the XL A1.

I would recommend not buying a laptop for editing for a number of reasons. 1) lack of upgadability, 2) lack of onboard storage, 3) screen size (this one is huge). Save money by buying a regular PC with a few terrabytes of onboard storage or even raid them for faster yet. Get a 22" or larger monitor for editing, or two, one for preview and one for the edit. I use Sony Vegas, and would strongly recommend it. Its very easy to use compared to the others, and does have a lot of ability.

Don't forget a decent lighting kit with stands, and a decent mic and mixer, and most of all, save a few bucks for your production budget and tapes. Learn your equipment. Know how to light and get good audio. Shoot on full manual. And spend as much time on your writing as you do your filming.

I'd say if you want a good fresh start, go for the mac. Sony tends to break down easier compare to the macs, and once you get a sony computer, u will need to get EVERYTHING else in sony. After speaking to a few experienced filmmakers, they have all highly recommended the mac to me.

Final cut pro really isn't so bad. If you really decide to take the mac you should just give fcp a shot. Back in college I took a class where the professor taught fcp for a month, and after that I was able to edit any forms of shorts/feature movies/ad on my own. It is def a good/useful software to learn in the long run, so might as well start now!

hope that was helpful =)

Beeblebrox said:

And FCS is what everyone else is using.

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So, those of us using Premiere aren't part of this "everyone" I guess?

I would recommend not buying a laptop for editing for a number of reasons. 1) lack of upgadability, 2) lack of onboard storage, 3) screen size (this one is huge).

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1. I don't think that's as much an issue these days as most laptops, particularly the Macbook Pros, are more than capable of editing DV. And you get the added bonus of portability.

If your projects are primarily HD then I do agree that a laptop is not going to cut it. In that case, you'd have to go with a Mac Pro or similar high-end PC and preferably a dedicated HD board, such as a Kona.

2. I'd highly recommend editing any project on an external drive whether on a desktop of laptop.

3. This is an issue to some extent, but you can easily add a second larger monitor to your Macbook Pro and set it as your main display. I edited a project recently on someone else's MBP with a 20" widescreen LCD as the main monitor and the 15" laptop display as the secondary monitor, and it worked wonderfully.

Will Vincent said:

So, those of us using Premiere aren't part of this "everyone" I guess?

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Technically speaking, most everyone is using Avid for major studio and television projects.

But the vast majority of other film and TV work is FCP, which is what I meant by "everyone" Everyone being those that edelhaus is likely to encounter in a professional capacity at the indie level. I've literally never heard of any indie film or show cut on Premiere or Vegas.

If that's not true, then I'd be happy to stand corrected (like I said, I like Vegas and I consider Premiere to be almost the equal of FCP), but every project I know of in town or out is either Avid or FCP.

GREYTV said:

Ionce you get a sony computer, u will need to get EVERYTHING else in sony.

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Wow is that wrong.. PC's are MUCH less proprietary than mac..

I agree with Will on that one. Macs are THE most proprietary system you can get. You'll have fewer hardware and software options and I haven't found them to be any more reliable than any other solid brand (Dell, Sony, etc). In fact, it's the only system in which I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the extended warranty (known as Applecare). Believe me, you don't want to be saddled with the expense of replacing an $800 motherboard. Yes, an $800 motherboard.

Wow, thanks for the excellent advice (albeit - a bit contradictory). I guess the problem is there are really a lot of great options out there. This all actually started with me wanting to build a home studio for voice work so the good mic, stands and headphones are a given - then I was told by several sound engineers to buy a Macbookpro (of course, I was also told by a few others to get a PC). I decided it wasn't much more of an investment to upgrade so that I could work on HD or DV films, too...

I have a 20" external monitor that I can hook up to a laptop. What do you think about the smaller version of FCP (FCP Express HD) to use as a learning tool so I won't be so overwhelmed? .. then later upgrade.

The external hardrive suggestion is one that I will definately be using!

I would probably only go that route if they offer an upgrade discount that is at least equal to the cost of Final Cut Express, otherwise you end up throwing a bit of money away. As for the interface, as far as I know it's basically the same, but Final Cut Studio gives you more tools to work with.

Will Vincent said:

So, those of us using Premiere aren't part of this "everyone" I guess?

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By everyone I think he meant the cool kids.

Beeblebrox said:

I agree with Will on that one. Macs are THE most proprietary system you can get. You'll have fewer hardware and software options and I haven't found them to be any more reliable than any other solid brand (Dell, Sony, etc). In fact, it's the only system in which I'd HIGHLY recommend getting the extended warranty (known as Applecare). Believe me, you don't want to be saddled with the expense of replacing an $800 motherboard. Yes, an $800 motherboard.

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I'd only recommend, like any computer, not to get the extended warranty unless you have an expensive HD LCD screen. I've had two Macs in the last six years and have never had an issue. (Knock on wood...)

While there isn't as many options available for software you really don't need them. What is available is very stable and easy to work with. I have also found that since I've moved to Mac I have had a lot less issues with stability. Even the Mac has to suddenly close down programs but in my experience it is far less than Windows software.

But the real question is what is your budget? That should be a big deciding factor in what you go with.

Firstly, I'll just say I've always owned macs... and I'm so old several of my oldest machines now only have value as doorstops.

There's been a lot of great advice in this thread.

However, it seems there are two questions here -- one is about what's best to edit on and the other is what's easy to learn.

When it comes to making decisions about buying a computer for film making, in many respects your software preference decides your operating system.

I'm not that knowledgeable on Vegas, but I know lots of people swear by it. It is also used for some professional broadcast production (in fact my favorite UK car show "Top Gear" is cut on Vegas... and always looks stunning).

Premiere is the PC owners editing software of choice. It's got several major advantages: 1) The sound software that comes as part of the package is phenomenal, 2) All the adobe stuff is integrated, which means you can move effortlessly between Premiere, Photoshop and After Effects and 3) all the Abode software has the same operating philosophy, so if you've used photoshop to alter say "levels," then you'll automatically understand how to do it in Premiere.

FCP (or FC Studio) is the mac owners NLE of choice. it's rapidly deposing Avid in the TV industry and is commonly used to cut feature films. Unlike Premiere, it's not seen as a "videographer's" editing choice. So, anyone who learns to cut on FCP is not just developing an editing skill, they're learning a skill that could lead to employment in professional post-production houses. Personally, I don't think it's that hard to learn. And if you did decide to go down that route, I'd strongly suggest you bought this book FCP Training.

By the time you've worked your way through the exercises in the book you'll be as proficient at cutting as anyone who is Apple Certified.

If you were asking me for advice and you were set on buying a laptop I'd definitely go for a Mac Pro and FCP... but as I said. I'm biased.

However, if you're already used to working on PC's, then mac OS in itself is a learning curve. It's a whole other world and it drives some PC owners to distraction.

There is also the issue of other usage. If you're intending to use the laptop for other stuff... well, PC's offer a wider range of other stuff. Macs are great for anything related to music, video, design and graphics... but if you need a massive variety of other types of software you may struggle with a mac.

Thunderclap said:

While there isn't as many options available for software you really don't need them. What is available is very stable and easy to work with

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I agree. Even with its limitations, I'd still recommend a Mac, especially for editing and video production. FCP, IMO, just can't be beat.

As for the extended warranty, I used to agree with you until I had to replace the mother board on my iMac. It was $800, which is an example of Apple at its worst. So they're very reliable until something happens, and then you get raped by Apple unless you have Applecare.

You hit the nail on the head, Clive and thus found the core of my dilemma... but with everyone's helpful input, I have decided to go for the apple. Thanks again to all.