After a year and a half of being away from video production, I’ve decided to take up the reins once again. Part of my hiatus came with the changing out of one machine for another — namely, my old G4 mirrored-door for my Intel Mac. Seemed the version of Final Cut Pro I had didn’t want to play with an Intel processor or the too-futuristic video card inside. So, through a combination of FCP not being sold as a stand-alone app any longer, not wanting to regularly work on my old machine in light of my shiny new one, no longer doing public access TV, and the whirling dervish of my work/school/podcast life, video slipped into the background and more or less took a long nap.

Then, I woke up one day and realized just how much I missed video work. I mean, really missed it. Not producing SubSIN on a regular (or any) basis not only took me out of that loop but kept me unpracticed and, ultimately, lagging behind with the growing tech advancements. Yes, even a few years can matter. So, I tightened my belt a bit and bought the obscenely expensive Final Cut Studio. Standing at the counter of Small Dog while it was being rung up, I joked to the clerk about how $1000 gets you such a small box. Well, $1069.99 with tax, to be precise.

For those video geeks in the audience, Final Cut Studio used to come in a box the size of a large toaster. Now, it’s the size of five CDs stacked. Whether it’s Apple once more appeasing the “go green” crowd or the recession hit them a little harder than expected, or both, the manuals are not the nice hefty tomes they used to be. That’s sad because I like nice hefty tomes. Oh, sure, all the manuals to all of the Apple software are on their site in downloadable PDF format, but I’m still an old fashioned computer nerd at heart (despite my strikingly good looks). Gimme books, damnit!

And I definitely knew I was getting a bit of bang for my buck when I experienced the mind-numbing installation time: 6 and 1/2 hours over the changing of seven DVDs. Total hard drive space claimed: 48.7 GB! If I was Jewish, I would say, “Oy Vey!”

Dividing up the suite to my needs, I’d say it’s (initially) going to be Final Cut Pro for video work, Soundtrack Pro for podcasting, Compressor for YouTube prep, and the other three apps for wherever they apply. I’m looking to pick up a Kodak Zi8 for on-the-go video shooting (fun stuff, not the high-end vid work I’d otherwise do). Anyone have any input on those? Would love to hear it.

Conclusion? Well worth the purchase on so many levels. Least of all, my returned enthusiasm for the video medium. Feels good to be back home.

School is going well. Grades are up and participation is high. My one online class, however, is a bit of a thorn in my side. Seems my idea to take it in expectation of it being easier or at least less time consuming fell completely flat. It’s actually far more time draining and easily three or four times harder than a classroom-based equivalent. The Web-based structure of the learning environment is, at best, counter intuitive and, at worst, confusing and inept. And, that’s coming from someone who’s been a computer user for almost 30 years. At the risk of my GPA, I might barely squeak by with a minimal grade if I’m lucky. In short, no more online classes. I don’t work well with them, it appears.

As far as Terror Transmission goes, all is well on that front. Jason and I will be adding some interesting content to the show over time, contributing self-produced video to the YouTube page, and doing some horror convention stuff in the summer. Naturally, we’d like you all to take a minute of your time and vote for us at Podcast Alley. It doesn’t hurt. Really, it doesn’t. It only takes a minute and you’ll feel oh-so-good about helping us out. Thanks.

That is all. End of line.

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