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Alternative Solutions to a Post-Production Education
by Selise Eiseman
 Larry Jordan. |
Over the past 18 months, I attended two different workshops to learn Final Cut Pro in order to edit a documentary on which I have been working. The first was a four-session class taught by Tara Kozuback and Dustin Lehren, Apple-certified trainers, at the Apple Store at the Grove in Los Angeles. The second was a one-day, eight-hour class taught by Guild member Larry Jordan for the LA Final Cut Users Group at Barnsdall Art Center in Hollywood.
The Apple store class enabled hands-on training for two hours before the retail store opened. Using the exercises from editing instructor and author Diana Weynand’s text (see accompanying interview), students were able to learn settings and preferences, interface, marking and editing video, timeline editing, basic and advanced trimming, capturing media, working with audio, transitions and filters, compositing, keyframing animation, exporting, customizing FCP, maintenance and troubleshooting. Both instructors were extremely informative and, with a class of only eight, were able to answer everyone’s questions and demonstrate many shortcut techniques.
Jordan’s class was a lecture using a PowerPoint presentation. A tremendous amount of material was covered from the basics through the more advanced functions of Final Cut Pro. The instructor was available to answer individual questions during lunch and the afternoon segment. Participants ranged from beginners just learning the program to advanced users who wanted to discover alternate shortcuts.
I found both experiences useful in providing me with the necessary skills
to comfortably learn the program and apply them to my film project.
In an attempt to find other training facilities around Los Angeles, I contacted
all of the organizations listed below and spoke to the program directors
about their teaching methodology and the specific software and equipment
training they offered. Many have discounted prices for Editors Guild members.
Apple Training in Retail Stores
Pro Applications include:
Final Cut Pro HD Workshop
Motion Pro Workshop
Check local stores’ schedules for exact dates, times and costs for
workshops. Instructors are all Apple-certified trainers. If you purchase
a ProCare card for $99, you can receive one-hour of individualized training
per week for a year at the Genius counter of any Apple store on Final Cut
Studio or other individual programs.
Contact: www.seminars.apple.com/index.html;
www.apple.com/software/pro/training.
The DR Group
One-on-one training at $150 per hour. Will provide editing suites or teach
at your location, either Final Cut Pro 5.1 or DVD Studio Pro. Most are two-hour
sessions with a maximum of four hours per visit. All instructors are Apple-certified
trainers.
Contact: Nathan Adams at nathan@thedrgroup.com
or Adam Wasserman at adam@thedrgroup.com;
3640 Holdrege Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90016 (near La Cienega and Jefferson
Boulevards), 323-960-1781.
dvcreators.net
Classes are offered at the Santa Monica facility and around the country.
Final Cut Pro 5 hands-on workshop (two days), Final Cut Pro 5 advanced hands-on
workshop (three days), Final Cut Studio hands-on workshop (12 days) and
DVD Studio Pro 4 workshop (two days).
Cost: Two-day class fee for weekdays: $595. Weekends: $545, but one hour
shorter. Three-day class fee: $795. Twelve-day class fee: $3,495. There
is a 10 percent discount off total registration fees if you sign up for
a second class at the same time. Editors Guild members with a valid ID receive
20 percent off.
Contact: Duncan McFarland, 1515 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403,
800-965-3976, dvcreators.net/events/dvd-studio-pro-hands-on-workshops.
Larry Jordan & Associates
North American Seminar Tour in 13 Cities––Fall 2006
Seminar 1: Optimize Your Editing with Final Cut (four hours, $99)
Seminar 2: The High-End of Final Cut Studio (eight hours, $225)
Boston – October 16, 17
Chicago – October 6, 7
Honolulu – December 14, 15
Los Angeles – September 29, 30
Nashville – December 6, 7
New York – October 18, 19
Orlando – December 1, 2
Philadelphia – November 16, 17
Portland, OR – October 11, 12
Sacramento – September 21, 22
San Diego – November 9, 10
San Francisco – October 26, 27
Vancouver, BC – November 3, 4
Editors Guild members save 10 percent by entering a registration code (EGM) when signing up for the seminars. Private training and consulting is also available to individuals and small groups.
Contact: Debbie Price, seminar coordinator, Larry Jordan & Associates, Inc., PO Box 578, Agoura, CA 91376, seminars@larryjordan. biz, 818-879-5105.
The Los Angeles Film School
A year-long specialized program in editing using Avid Media Composer, Adrenaline,
Nitris and Avid Express begins monthly. Editor Danford Greene, (M*A*S*H,
Blazing Saddles) is head of the post-production department.
Cost: Approximately $30,000.
Contact: LA Film School, 6363 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 400, Hollywood, CA
90028, www.lafilm.com, 323-860-0789.
Moviola
Intensive one-to-five-day classes in all levels of Avid and Final Cut Pro,
Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Shake, Logic and After Effects. Also offered is
Avid Certified Support Representative Technical Training. This is the only
facility in North America besides Avid in Boston to offer ACSR training.
Class fees vary from the introductory four-day Final Cut Pro 5 class at
$1,195 to the four-day Avid class at $1,295. All instructors are Apple-
and Avid-certified. Discounted fees of 25 percent for Editors Guild members.
Also, Guild members are eligible for refund of two-thirds of the fee through
the Contract Services Administrative Trust Fund (CSATF) after completion
of the program and applicable paperwork.
Contact: Paul Stephan, director of Education Center, 1135 N. Mansfield Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038, www.moviola.com, 323-467-1116.
UCLA Extension, Department of Entertainment Studies
Fall 2006 offerings of one-day and intensive courses:
Editing with Final Cut Pro: Introductory Workshop – Timothy Snell;
Editing with Final Cut Pro: Advanced Workshop – Timothy Snell; Intro
to DVD Studio Pro – Larry Jordan; Editing with Final Cut Pro: Advanced
Workshop – Larry Jordan; Final Cut Overview (one day) – Robert
Scheid; Editing with Final Cut Pro: Introductory Workshop – Rocio
Martinez Goff; Intro to Logic Pro (Apple-certified) – Jay Asher; Intro
to Pro Tools – Steven Saltzman; Advanced Techniques in Logic Pro –
Jay Asher; Intro to Avid Media Composer – Toi Juan Shannon.
Cost: Class fees range from $115 to $999.
Contact: Ivan Hernandez, program representative, UCLA Extension, 10995 Le Conte Avenue, Suite 437, Los Angeles, CA 90024, ihernand@uclaextension.edu, 310-206-4905.
Video Symphony
Certificate programs and individual courses in television and film editing
(Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro 5, introductory and advanced), sound
editing and mixing (ProTools, Soundtrack Pro), and motion graphics (After
Effects, Maya, Photoshop).
Cost: Classes range from $400 to $1,500 for individual classes. Editors
Guild members receive a 10 percent discount and are eligible for two-thirds
refund of fee from CSATF after completion of program and applicable paperwork.
Contact: Jocelyn Horvath, 266 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502, www.videosymphony.com,
818-557-7200.
Weynand Training International
Diana Weynand’s training company, Weynand Training International,
provides authorized training for Apple products as well as curriculum development
for emerging entertainment industry technologies at both her San Fernando
Valley training facility and through classes in Florida, Minnesota, New
York and Texas. Individualized training and small classes are also offered.
Class fees vary depending on class.
Contact: Shirley Craig, 16430 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91436, shirley@weynand.com, 818-995-1719.
Selise Eiseman is a film professor, screenwriter and former Executive Officer of Women in Film.
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