Avid Interview

That's a bit of a new experience.

I was interviewed on skype by a journalist in California for an artist profile on the Avid website. Avid is the company which owns the video editing programme I use - Studio by Pinnacle. Some years ago, when I was first investing in my own computer set up, I decided upon Studio over the usual Final Cut by Adobe. I had a couple of reasons - I'd never really got on that well with Final Cut, and found the Adobe system and terminology not very intuitive. I'd probably add to that the fact that I'd never really had it to myself to play around with in privacy - it was always in a computer suite. The other reason was that Studio is much cheaper, and therefore possible, and so I had to like it.

I've spent much time teaching myself Studio, and now know it thoroughly. I do find it intuitive, and can always find a way of making it do what I want. Perhaps I would have with final cut. I use the programme like a time saving dark room. My first years in photography and video was very hands on, very analogue and actual. I still have that approach, and only let the computer do what I could do myself by hand in a darkroom with film or slide. More or less.

The disadvantages of using Studio is that the support is very poor and patchy, and they leave behind previous versions. I have never seem their presence in any of the video or broadcast trade shows I go to, and the awareness in the UK is slight. The other big disadvantage for me is that Final Cut is the industry standard here, so I have never felt I could gain paid editing work, as in Adobe I'm a novice, although I could fulfil the task in my own programme. Once or twice I've talked to people who know Pinnacle and agree that in effect it's just as good as Final Cut. Recently I was talking to a video artist about this, and he said it shouldn't stop me at all - that I just take the work and produce the finished edit by whatever means. Perhaps he's right, but it's a whole other world and industry I have no links or knowledge of. Another time. Another lifetime perhaps.

It was a pleasant interview - more of a chat with an interested party. It's sometimes hard to explain how you use a programme, what your thinking is, and where you're coming from. This time it's the interviewer's job to sum up and give his own take. I'll add a link when it's done.

11th October 2011