I think maybe it's best not to have an "all or nothing" attitude if you want to find editing work. It's good to be flexible.

At my place of work we've had Media100 suites and PPro suites. We've occasionally hired editors in a pinch and they've generally been able to function on a few systems.

I'm the only one here who's used Vegas but the boss/business owner has generally come to accept the idea that it has a place - not in his editing world, but a place in the world in general. He's even brandished Vegas as a club when talking to Adobe engineers, along with the "I'll move to Avid or FCP" club. So it's a kind of progress.

For the last documentary, my employers hired a more experienced editor to collaborate and "fix" things. He'd done all sorts of work with Avid and FCP but none with the media100. But he wasn't hired for his m100 skills, and in fact he didn't have to do a lot of hands on work at all. He became a very vital project partner without having to really operate the edit system very much.

The observation that Vegas is better suited as a personal edit system is a good one, largely because there are fewer facilities that are Vegas based. Knowing Vegas is good, knowing Vegas and FCP and Avis is much better precisely because they're different from each other. Knowing just one can make you a bit inflexible. (I've watched people who were very experienced with just one system try to force other systems to act the same. It got pretty ugly and painful for everyone within earshot.)

You still need art and craft skills, but being conversant with a few tools at least gives you a chance to show off those skills.

Rob Mack

Good advice, Rob. My budget is tight, which is why Vegas seemed like a good system to start honing my craft when I first got into editing. I just cannot afford those other systems at the moment, so I was hoping to find a start with a company that utilized something I was familiar with and then hopefully save up enough from there to broaden my horizons with other pieces of software.

It just seems like the job market is mostly Avid and FCP with a little bit of Adobe Premiere sprinkled in here and there.

But thanks for the advice.

john - yeah - it is tough when the best tool for editing is the most obscure. I've used PPro up until recently and worked a little with FCP and tried to work with Avid. With the Big 3, you are stuck in an old style mode of editing whereas Vegas is a utilitarian application that is forward thinking in it's work flow.

If I were you, I would try and pick up a copy of PPro 1.5 used as it's interface is very similar to FCP (I got my legit copy of PPro1.5 for around $65.00 off of eBay last year). You can download a limited free version of Avid Xpress, but you get what you pay for with that - but it will introduce you to the Avid interface.

Good luck with your quest.

Cliff Etzel
bluprojekt

Yes, I'm in Austin and use only Vegas as main NLE.

Thanks for the advice, Cliff. I've actually got access to Premiere Pro with the company I currently work for. It's a small news publication with limited video necessity, which is why I'm looking for something that will further develop me as an editor. But I will get myself hooked up with that, so that I can at least gain some experience with something additional.

I appreciate everyone's help on this thread. You all have been most generous in helping a stranger. Best of luck to everyone.

Avanti...I'm new to this forum. How might I be able to get a hold of you? Perhaps you could e-mail me? You can do so through my profile. I'd like to inquire with your company, if possible.

Thanks for your response.

All good advice.

Basically, what you'd be doing is showing a reel of your absolute best work (don't include anything remotely questionable, better to have three samples of your best than 8 samples that aren't your best.

It'd be helpful to have a good reel item built on Avid Express or PPro just to show that you can use other systems. If the employer is interested then you just honestly say that you're familiar with a few systems and feel comfortable learning a new system.

Sometimes you can't get around an employer's edit system requirements, and they may have very valid reasons to standardize on 1 system. They're basically looking for an operator rather than a talent. Or maybe they don't really know what they need at all. A good reel can be an educational tool if it shows good work from a variety of tools.

Of course your reel needs to be relevant to the client. A corporate client probably doesn't need to see gunfights.

Rob Mack

I'm trying to get into music videos to start, rmack350. I love music, but my artistic talents are with editing videos rather than playing an instrument. I've been doing video editing for a little while (almost two years...I've got a major project to my credit and some smaller hobbyist projects that turned out really well that I can use in a portfolio), and I'm just starting to get into creating music through editing loops together and things of that nature with ACID to start before I upgrade to another audio platform (possibly ACID Pro).

But I'd like to combine my passions for music and video editing to do some work with music videos, and then from there I'd like to try to gain experiences with films.

I've got goals set for how I'd like to try to progress my career, but it's just a matter of getting my foot in the door. I'll definitely take the advice to learn a new platform and put together some reels from which I can draw my best reel using something else other than Vegas.

Thanks again for all the great advice in this thread.

I used to light rap and hip-hop a bit. I can't really say who these producers were using to edit but they were usually shooting 16 or 35 and then probably getting a transfer before editing. Generally, there was never some big overarching company, rather, the guys producing the video had a favorite editor or two.

One possibility is to try to hook up with a good up-and-coming DP. Do their reels. Hopefully this will lead to being pulled along on some music video productions where you can do more editing. From there you develop a relationship with a producer. Some of these things develop over many years so always treat them well.

An advantage to this is that you might very well be able to use their hardware, most likely an FCP system. So you get more connections, broader experience, a source of footage, etc, etc.

Rob

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a DP?

I can't thank you and everyone else enough for the advice. I'm glad I explored this forum. It's been a terrific learning experience.

Much appreciated.

John

director of photography

Thanks.

yep.

So what's a director of photography?

Typically, this person has directorial responsibilities for photography and lighting. It's a creative position, different from a camera operator, gaffer, key grip, etc. A DP may shoot the film or video, but not always. A DP will definitely guide the camerawork and the lighting. A good one will have been very involved in the preproduction planning of the video.

So basically I'm saying that, as an editor trying to break into music video, it's a good idea to hook yourself up to a few people who want to shoot, and who think of nothing but shooting film and video. You'll know them because it's all they talk about. These people will eventually bring you along with them to music videos and in the mean time they'll be trying their best to get you the prettiest and flashiest shots they can manage.

Some of this you'll be able to use in a reel. But ask, don't just take it.

Oh, and this is more of a career campaign than a job for "right now"

Rob Mack

My two cents... learn Avid and FCP. If you want to be in demand as an editor you need to learn these two programs. Of course, you have to have a good reel, but there is no way I am going to hire anyone who can't work in the industry's NLE leaders (and yes, they are the leaders. Regardless of spin doctoring, Avid and FCP are the leaders of the pack).

I just don't see Vegas making any in-roads in serious shops. Sure, there are a few here and there, but until VV gets serious with its interface, serious with it's packaged apps, and serious about marketing itself (kinda like how Canon XL-1 filmed 'Full Frontal), it will always be relegated to small shops, one-man-bands, and consumers.

I just don't see Vegas making any in-roads in serious shops. Sure, there are a few here and there, but until VV gets serious with its interface, serious with it's packaged apps, and serious about marketing itself (kinda like how Canon XL-1 filmed 'Full Frontal), it will always be relegated to small shops, one-man-bands, and consumers.

Editing collaboration is common in larger shops, really mandatory for many large projects. So what to get? Avid and FCP have collaboration tools, Vegas doesn't.

Vegas is a better editor, but without these tools (and often 10-bit support), it isn't on the list because it cannot do what's needed.

Thanks guys. Again, everyone has been most helpful, and I really appreciate the feedback this thread has gotten. I'm hoping to be able to get a copy of Avid in the near future. The price is a little steep for someone in my situation, but I'm sure there are ways of going about it.

Thanks again!

The fact is that if you want to work with for other people you gotta use what they buy. But if you want to get it done and it doesn't matter what you use, then screw what others use, and use what you like. Vegas is definitely improving, and NewTek is doing a better job of advertising their Speed Edit Application than Vegas by a long shot and Vegas had the tools and the tricks before them w/o a question.

Just look at newteks Speed Edit page and read. Sure makes me want to use it.

Dave