by Steven J. Cohen, Publisher

In 1992, as Avid Technology was debating an attempt to capture the hearts and minds of longform editors, a high-level executive there was quoted as saying, "Hollywood is a quicksand and it will kill the company." It didn't turn out that way -- but ambivalence about devoting "resources" (engineering man-hours) to "Hollywood" (features and primetime TV) has been part and parcel of the digital revolution, both at Avid and elsewhere.

Partly as a result, it's been a long time since we've seen fundamental changes in the equipment we use. But today, new forces are altering the competitive landscape. Will we see a new standard emerge? Editors switched quickly from film to digital systems when they saw how the new technology could improve their productivity and creativity -- and we may switch again if we are offered something that really advances the state of the art.

This is what I think such a system might include:

• A full collaborative environment for picture, sound and visual effects. All parties can share sequences and embed the work of one person in that of another. Picture gives a sequence to sound, where it can be played immediately. Sound creates tracks and hands them back. Picture sees them as a single unit -- the mix -- but can expand and manipulate them on the picture system whenever desired.
  
  
• Automatic version control. Want to save a version? Select a section in the timeline and hit a button. Later, it can be automatically made part of the master sequence. No more juggling with versions, no more searching old bins, no more typing descriptions.
  
  
• Everyone gets a machine. We've gone too long with one or two shared machines per cutting room. We need a networked system that puts the right hardware in front of everyone: multiple, low-cost systems working with low-res materials connected to a big machine that handles HD.
  
  
• Affordable, fault-tolerant storage. If a drive dies, the system restores it automatically in the background. No more backups. No need to stop working.
  
  
• Machine-readable change lists for sound. Sound and picture systems understand the same sequences/sessions without conversion. Changes are incorporated automatically.
  
  
• Simple, flying-fader temp-mixing in the picture system with editable automation that communicates with sound systems. Sixteen tracks of 24-bit audio available in the picture system. D-to-D audio throughout the post production process.
  
  
• Full, real-time multi-layer effects. This system is just as fast with multi-layer visual effects and titles as it is with straight cuts.
  
  
• All clip data, including film information, available at all times. No need to use auxiliary applications to see film information, check dupes or make lists.
• Intelligent pull-down handling. The system removes and reinstates 3:2 automatically. No A-frame identification needed.
  
  
• Dynamic trimming, track patching and trim rollers, with all the highly evolved editing tools that Avid and Lightworks made standard. An interface that can be fully customized, not just with a configurable keyboard, but with macros.
  
  
• Automatic measuring. How long must assistants have to laboriously measure shows? The system builds a show automatically, measures it and adds leaders as needed.

That's my short list. Some of these ideas are original, some aren't. Some are available now. But nobody has put all the pieces together. I'll wager that if such a machine existed, most Guild members would find it irresistible. It would make us much more productive. Editors could stop worrying about version control, work wherever they like, on laptops or desktops, at any resolution needed. They could create and modify effects without going stark raving mad. Picture and sound editors would be able to work together much more efficiently. Assistants could finally become fully productive again.

The question in the days leading up to NAB is this: Which company will take the time to really understand the evolving needs of our community and build a machine that meets them? Whoever does that, wins.