On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 6:30 AM, Oceanwatcher<[email protected]> wrote: > I would like to get a little serious talk around the use of the word > professional. > > It seems to have two meanings. > > 1. Anyone that get paid to work with video and TV > > This is a very popular way of putting it for people that is not in that > business themselves. And to a certain degree, it is true.
This has been my interpretation. I call #2 artsy, craft, skilled, or whatever strikes me as appropriate at the time. I also like and agree with nearly everything you mention below! > But there is a different way of looking at it, and this is something you will > frequently meet when you enter the business - you will quickly learn that just > because you get paid to do it, does not mean you are able! > > 2. A professional is someone that can tell a story in such a way that the > technology get out of the way and into the heart of the viewer. This is based > on skill, knowledge and the ability to relate to the people in front of the > camera and in front of the screen. > > I have been working in this business for 20 years. And sometimes I have been > doing demos of editing systems. I could always tell who the amateurs were when > their first question was "How many effects does this system have?". The > correct > answer (that I could never give them) was "More than you should ever need or > use!". > > I have come here to offer the knowledge I have for free, and I consider myself > a professional. I also happen to think that what is good for a professional is > good for the amateur. > > Would you ever think about "dumbing down" Word or OpenOffice just because you > think most people are not professional writers or secretaries? I think that is I have never advocated for removal of features to dumb it down, but perhaps on the lingo thing... > the wrong way to go. I have seen it over and over again - never underestimate > your audience. If my drinking buddy wants to edit video, it takes him a very > short time to grow out of the "dumb" stuff. And he is left craving for more. > But then, as he moves "up", he will have to start learning things all over > again. > > There are two areas of video production that have very simple needs. News and > documentaries. Most amateur productions would fit very well within those > boundaries. They usually do not produce fiction, music videos or commercials. > A most definitely, altho music videos is not far behind because people edit anime and machinima against music not to mention fan videos and indie band promotion. > vacation video is basically a documentary. So they need a tool that fits the > job. And there is nothing wrong about taking what big companies and thousands > of professionals have spent millions of dollars to learn and develop and apply > that to a tool that is developed for free. Why waste time inventing the wheel > again? > > A trade lingo, or professional naming, is common in all areas of life. Have > you ever been to get the oil changed on your car? Or talked to a chef about > food? Try to pay attention when you are going through the day. How big would > the confusion be if everyone insisted on developing their own set of rules and > language for everything we do? Communication would be totally hopeless. You make a good point, and I agree with you now, but there have been times when reading media post production rags where things are mentioned that I just don't know what it is. I know it can be explained in a verbose manner, but they are being terse so as to not be tedious to their audience. I have probably reacted to that whereas perhaps I should realize that in a tool, documentation or tooltips can accommodate, and the web itself is a wonderland of discovery. > Eventually (I really hope so), kdenlive will attract more professionals and > you will get a living community around the art of telling stories. That is > waht this is about. Kdenlive is a tool to get stories out to the world. No > matter if you get paid for it or not. Well, it is also a hobby for many - not just the usage of it, but the development - not just for developers either but also the project coordinators (e.g. JMP) and enthusiastic users. I do not want to drive people away from something they want to feel a part of, and I fear that I can do that when I express myself. But I do also like to express myself and feel like it can make things interesting, like this discussion. > And here is the BIG thing for me. Most of the people that really need kdenlive > in the first place are people that can not afford any of the big brands of > videoediting. All the big, well known TV stations have money enough to buy > what they need and they will not consider kdenlive at all. The only ones > inside an organisation like that considering it, would be open source fanatics > that are working in small test groups to see what is "out there". I know one > of those groups and when kdenlive is ready for it, I will make sure it gets > the attention that it should have. > > But the main area are people that today are pirating software in the hope that > it will make them a better storyteller. And instead of having a stable, > uasable system, they might end up running something that is Windows based and > full of malware. > > I also know a lot of what you can called advanced amateurs. People that are > passionate about making video, but do it as a hobby. They are also a big group > for kdenlive. AND they are very concious about getting to know the correct way > of naming things so they can communicate with the pro's. Yeah, and that is likely a big source of the friction. Many of these are borderline professional taking little gigs now and again like I am with MLT. Maybe I should then be more understanding. I dunno, but I know we are not up to the level of expectations by this class, and it may take a while to get there. I will keep this in the back of my mind the next time I feel an inflammatory response coming on. > The pro's that will come to this community will be a huge resource as most of > them are more than willing to share their knowledge. And in my experience, > people crave knowledge and they are very attracted to anything that can > increase it. > > What kind of tool is in my opinion needed? A tool that is as basic as > possible. The focus should be on cutting video, and not on compositing. What > my drinking buddy needs is not a tool to make the next Matrix, but a tool to > edit his latest fishing trip to show off how big the fish really was. > Compositing > might be fancy and cool to work on, but face it, it is a real minority that > will ever need it. On the other hand, what EVERYONE need is good media > management, fast and efficient cutting, easy adjusting of clips in the > timeline > and as much standard ways of doing things as possible so they can use the > knowledge they already have. > > Have you ever used professional kitchen tools? As you move away from the > hobbykitchen, flimsy, plastic stuff, you see that you also loose most of the > fancy stuff, but the tools become more powerful and more sturdy. > > For a pro it is not about more features and effects, it is about less. There > are two words used in the business about the kind of video that uses all > available effects and fonts in all colors - pizzavideo or porn. If someone use > that about your production, you might not consider that as a compliment :-D > And if you actually has read all the way down to this, I thank you for > listening to these thoughts of mine whether you agree with them or not. > Because that is your privilege. > > -- > > Regards, > > Oceanwatcher ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Kdenlive-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/kdenlive-devel
