I haven’t been twitter bombing or blogging for a few weeks because Laura and I have been busy bees working on a promotional video for her company. The epic intro I wrote about last month has been replaced by something slightly less epic and more mild-mannered, but there is still a bit of an edge, or at least as much edge as this project warranted?A little bit of background on some of the software used to create this project. This video marked my first foray into Final Cut Pro X and Motion, Apple’s editing and compositing software packages, and I wound up enjoying both.
 |
| The Un-usual Suspects |
Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) is a huge departure from the old Final Cut Pro (FCP). When I first tried the software I was both shocked and pissed (shissed?) I couldn’t do even the most basic tasks. Granted, I haven’t used FCP in a number of years – but I still recall the basics! Luckily, the magnetic timeline, audio skimming and other various “features” can be disabled as outlined here. Also, Apple dropped the price significantly from Final Cut Pro to Final Cut Pro X, now you can grab FCPX from the Apple App Store for $299 which is a steal compared to the old $1000+ price tag of FCP. Here is a shot of FCPX in action:
 |
| Peep that icon wall, yo! |
Motion seems to hit much closer to the compositing standard, After Effects, and without even running to Google for help I was able to find my way through the app and setup a basic animation using footage from Maya. At $50 from the Apple App Store Motion seems like a steal – though I must say I wouldn’t have bought it if Final Cut Pro X let me craft custom transitions in After Effects. Regardless, the end product and integration with FCPX is very cool – here is a still of the Motion transition in action… oooooh, shiny!
 |
| I love gooooold! |
After all that rambling about software, here is the full AEP Awards promotional video. It is also up on the Soule Designs my work page – enjoy!