I know, I know, Final Cut Pro X has been slammed by many, so what's the point in posting yet another article about it? Well, one question I've been asked a lot since the release of FCP X is, "I'm a student, what NLE should I learn?" Before, the answer was easy: Final Cut Pro. Now, not so much. Should a student commit to FCP X, assuming it will become the future standard despite being woefully incomplete at present, or should they learn Adobe or Avid, assuming Apple's role in the professional, wage-earning editing world as we know it is over? It's a tough question, and I'm curious to hear your thoughts in the comments. In the meantime, here's famed editor Walter Murch (The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather II, and The English Patient among many others) talking about the X at the Boston Supermeet:

Video is no longer available: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C8Kdm32btg

I know people who know people on the FCP X development team, and I've heard they were dismayed at the response. Real people work on these products and it can't feel good to have the entire internet bash years of your hard work. So, now that you've heard Murch's thoughts -- and even he's not sure what to think -- what do you think students should learn if they're starting from scratch today? Keep in mind Adobe's Mac editor is up 45% since FCP X, and that FCPX recently added XML interchange, though it still doesn't offer an official solution for backward compatibility.

More details on Much's appearance at Chris Portal's blog, including the tidbit that his edit for the upcoming ARRI ALEXA-shot Hemingway & Gellhorn includes 255 repositioned or blown-up shots (a practice many consider "unprofessional" in its own right). The times, they are a-changin'.

[via Filmmaker Magazine]