production blog

Production continues with fxguidetv – Ep 18 is out and we record Ep 19 on Monday. The next ep will cover Beowulf. We had a great chat the other day with Barry from DVXUser. We both use the P2 in vastly different ways – but I think it is safe to say we are both big fans of the format.Actually the main difference in how we use them is in post. We use the Firestore drive to allow a really clean and easy FCP workflow. It is also safe to say this works brilliantly for us. Barry pointed out that for more general P2 card use, he thinks users should demand more from Apple, but we’ll let Barry articulate his point. We really respect Barry, and so while we might have a great Apple workflow the point he makes about demanding more from key manufacturers is a good one.Increasingly I personally sense that people feel like companies like Apple and others have “people” that solve things – and to an extent they do, but we all have a responsibility to get involved and contribute. Sure, sometimes it is killer difficult to take the time to report bugs and even more difficult to actively participate in a beta program, but decisions are made by those who turn up. If you turn up and contribute you can really influence product development. At fxguide we contribute to a few beta programs and get back so much more than we ever contribute – it is a very rewarding experience and I recommend it highly.One final point on beta program – and this is directed to the equipment manufacturers: releasing software to everyone early – that you know is buggy – is not a beta program. It is a two way street, if we invest time, you need to have engineering support for the program, feedback loops that matter and finally fix the damn bugs and be really open and transparent while doing it. Beta testing does not replace internal alpha testing and sensible review, but then real clients do tend to find bugs. As I said it is a two way street.Mike