About to buy a laptop + finalcut pro x

F

Fever Dreamer

Hi
I'm midway shooting a feature film , all going great, tons of hard work but so satisfying. In the past I have relied on friends to edit my short films on their computers and have yet to edit anything myself.
Now this is where I'm getting out of my depth. I was thinking of buying an Apple macbook laptop and getting Final cut pro x. I'm completely not a techy person but have to learn as I was thinking of editing the film myself. Any suggestions on what I should look for in a laptop GB etc and how easy/hard is it to get to grips with editing..Budget is around £2,000 hopefully less for laptop/final cut.. Thanks in advance from this complete newbie. :)
 
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directorik said:
I have the almost opposite opinion than Sweetie.

You do not need a professional at this point. Learning yourself is
(in my opinion) essential. So you make mistakes - learn for them.
So it takes you a long time - after it's over you have learned. But
then, you said you would despair if you spent a year learning to
edit and didn't have the end result you want.

At the point it seems you are being bogged down in terminology.
Get the laptop you can afford and start the learning process.
Nothing you get right now will solve all current and future issues.
As you learn and grow as a filmmaker and editor you will need to
change equipment. You will not be using the same machine in
ten years, you may not be using the same machine in five.

Learn with what you have. Get better and grow over time. Don't
rush to be a skilled, experienced professional in a short period of
time. Build up to that point.
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Thanks, so true..Everything I know at this point in film production is from doing and Iv'e been learning as I go along..Experimenting with different techniques etc is what I love..Have been making hundreds of super 8mm from ages 14 - 26 then video shorts now HD in the last 4/5 years. I gather that editing,colour correction etc is going to be a huge learning curve and it's something that I'm looking forward to..creatively I know what I want and I have an advantage of being a colorist through other work to get the look. The terminology does daunt me at times at this stage but that's to be expected. As long as the laptop can physically do the job I require then I'll just apply myself to understanding as much as possible to get it done. Igather laptops seem to be used by filmmakers editting shorts etc and I haven'tcomeacross hardly anthing on the internet of filmmakers editting whole features..I just returned from the store and the guy said that it'sperfectly ok to edit a 90 min film with this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-MacB...480265094&sr=8-3&keywords=macbook+pro+15+inch if I keep the HD clips stored on a separate HD and just download and edit each sequence as I go along, deleting the stored clips on the mac HD after the edit..if that makes sense..so it looks like it will be the macbook pro 15 in w / FCP X
 
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Dude, you're gonna be fine. You clearly have done your research and you have a path planned that I think will work just fine for you.

I do still think you need more on-board HD space. 256GB is kinda shitty. There's a really important thing that they never tell you at the computer store -- you can only use half of your hard drive.

When you surpass the halfway mark of your hard drive's capacity, it starts to slow down, noticeably. The closer you come to maximum capacity, the worse your computer performs, and this is true for both PCs and Macs.

Even if you edit with proxy footage, even if you utilize an external HD, you're going to need more than 256GB of internal storage.

Annnnnd that's another reason why I think you should consider PC. You can purchase a superior computer for less money!
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Dude, you're gonna be fine. You clearly have done your research and you have a path planned that I think will work just fine for you.

I do still think you need more on-board HD space. 256GB is kinda shitty. There's a really important thing that they never tell you at the computer store -- you can only use half of your hard drive.

When you surpass the halfway mark of your hard drive's capacity, it starts to slow down, noticeably. The closer you come to maximum capacity, the worse your computer performs, and this is true for both PCs and Macs.

Even if you edit with proxy footage, even if you utilize an external HD, you're going to need more than 256GB of internal storage.

Annnnnd that's another reason why I think you should consider PC. You can purchase a superior computer for less money!
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256 GB is shitty I know..I thought editing w/ proxy footage via Eternal HD would get around this..it's maybe too tight along w/ music/sound/photos etc..the next model up w/ 512 GB HD is £2,190 which I don't really want to spend ..The thing about PC is I hate the idea of paying for premior monthly or when needed..w/ FCPX you buy and that's it...oh gosh..back to decisions..My hair'sturning grey!
 
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I love the fact that I only have to pay for Premiere monthly. Are you going to be editing this film for the rest of your life?

No, you only need the software for a few months. And so you only pay for it for a few months. Premiere is more affordable than FCPX, AND it's universally recognized as being better.

Do you really need me to post links from newegg for you to grasp how much more affordable PCs are over Macs? It's a REALLY big difference. PCs do the same thing. I'm speaking from experience.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
I love the fact that I only have to pay for Premiere monthly. Are you going to be editing this film for the rest of your life?

No, you only need the software for a few months. And so you only pay for it for a few months. Premiere is more affordable than FCPX, AND it's universally recognized as being better.

Do you really need me to post links from newegg for you to grasp how much more affordable PCs are over Macs? It's a REALLY big difference. PCs do the same thing. I'm speaking from experience.
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I think I'm going now w/ a PC (shock horror) ! The fact of paying £1,600 for an apple MBP w/ just 256 GB on the HD is a f@##@ing joke.
Now about to research the best PC for editing ..Suppose it should have i7 quad core 1TB hard drive..HD screen...(wow terminology)_)) anything else I should be looking for when it comes to specs..?
(any recomendations of a portable PC greatly appreciated)

thanks so much guys..indietalk has been great so far..really appreciate all the comments ..will definitely be here for a while sharing updates on my film etc and hope to learn from those more experienced in other areas..
 
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Down the rabbit hole we go again.

I need to be sure it will have all the requiremnts I need down the line before spending the dough!
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That's part of the issue with laptops. The upgrade path. Or Lack of.

Get the laptop you can afford and start the learning process.
Nothing you get right now will solve all current and future issues.
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Rik, normally I'd agree, though if he's getting this computer for a specific task of editing his feature. I do believe that running out and buying a computer without help, there's a decent chance he'll need to go out and buy another. I don't want to push Fever down that potential path. He probably cannot afford a two thousand dollar mistake. This is why it's important for Fever to talk with someone who is familiar with his circumstances, otherwise he's gamboling $2k with your guess.

You have your friend as a resource. If you trust him, next time you see him, sit down and talk with him.

I just returned from the store and the guy said that it'sperfectly ok to edit a 90 min film with this
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Did he ask enough questions to determine your circumstances? If not, would it be smart to trust the word of that salesman? There is a big difference between the footage that comes out of a GoPro to footage that comes out of a Red. I don't think you've mentioned anything more than 4k. I'm not sure how others are convinced you'll be fine without knowing. But that's none of my business, right?

How is this..will be powerful enough for editing a 90 min feature?
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It again comes down to workflow, software used and media type. It may be a struggle, the CPU seems to lack grunt for an i7. With Proxy, easy peasy. It'd probably be considered overkill.

more screen-size
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Always want more screen real estate. This is the main reason I dislike laptops. Number of screens and screen size is limited.

I have an advantage of being a colorist
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Color grading? This may change the requirements you need for your system. You may be fine. Better to check, especially if you're planning on using Resolve.

Good luck with your decision.
 
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Sweetie said:
Down the rabbit hole we go again.
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Lol. Nah, there's no need for us to dive into the deep end over this. This isn't a life/death decision.

I do agree with you regarding the advantage of a desktop, but I assume Fever has reasons for wanting a laptop.

Sweetie said:
I'm not sure how others are convinced you'll be fine without knowing. But that's none of my business, right?
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The reason I know Fever will be fine is because I've done it before. I know the kind of budget that Fever is working with, in fact I'm kinda good at it, and I'm pretty sure that if $2,000 is the budget for the editing computer, the movie is probably not being shot on Red.

Fever, you're going to be just fine. I'm glad I converted you to PC because that will allow you to get more of everything, woot-woooooooot! :D
 
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Fever Dreamer said:
thanks guys..never thought choosing a laptop would be such a headache..just want to start editing now...
Just reiterate film was made on a 60D and at this stage Premior looks to my option!

Here's a list of the top 10 laptops for editing 2016 ..any stand out!
https://www.wiknix.com/best-laptop-for-video-editing-2015/
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For the love of God, don't get Dell. Should you purchase from that list, ASUS and Apple are the only brands I think you should trust.

But hey, look at this bargain -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16834233185

The screen-size is bigger than you think.
 
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The reason I know Fever will be fine is because I've done it before.
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No worries. I wasn't aware that your feature was 4k.

I do agree with you regarding the advantage of a desktop, but I assume Fever has reasons for wanting a laptop.
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So right.

the movie is probably not being shot on Red.
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As it turns out, you're right in this case, but what if it wasn't? The poor guy spends 2k and still need to purchase an editing rig. I've seen it happen multiple times before.

I guess it's lucky that he's moving to Premiere, where it's easy to fix hardware mismatches on the fly. It has quirks like the caching system that get newcommers stuck, especially on those machines with limited drive space. Now I'm mostly only worried about how he's planning on performing the edit with a smaller hard drive. Makes me wonder if he's thought about the plan for the final render.
 
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My suggestions is try both. Personally, I much prefer Macs to edit on, despite some people's protestations ;)

Also - how portable do you want to be with this laptop? 17" laptops are yuuge these days, at least for portability.

Seriously, I edit small things on my Macbook 13" Retina from time to time on FCPX and it's great. Would I edit a feature on it? Probably not - but then I wouldn't edit a feature on a laptop. Personally, I'd prefer to use a Desktop with at least a 27" screen for a feature.

One thing Macs have going for them is portability - they're super thin and super light and have pretty awesome battery-life.

Let's be real - your film was shot on a 60D. You don't need the kind of power that someone needs if they're editing 4k native raw from a RED. Or 4k at all.

And in terms of FCPX vs Premiere: it will come down to your preference. I'm sure a lot of people who demonise FCPX either haven't used it since 2011 when it came out and/or are simply against Apple.
It's a super-fast piece of software and can work well for the right operator and project. I love it for some projects and hate it for others.

Are you also going to be doing the colour grading? Sound mix? Composing? VFX? All on this laptop? That will also factor in to what you will most likely need.
 
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Thanks everyone for your tips and comments..I finally did it...after much deliberating on a Mac and then deciding to get a PC I went to the store, listened to 4 sales persons and one guy, really knowledgable, and finally ended up buying a MacBook Pro 15 inch...:O Been on it the last few hours, works like a dream..so far so good..haven't downloaded FCPX but there are some great vids on youtube w/ professionals saying that's what they use and it's easy and quick..anyway i7 16GB ram and a new external hard drive..I'll keep you updated and once I get FCPX your gonna see me here every minute..help..please don't hate me! )
 
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Sweetie said:
No worries. I wasn't aware that your feature was 4k.
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Oh, no it wasn't. I shot it on a T2i, 1080p. When I said I've done it before, I meant more in a general sense, as in just finding a way to make things work on a tiny budget. Either way, I guess it was a moo point. It's moo. ;)

Congrats on the purchase, Fever! Sounds like you've got a sweet new computer! Color me green. :P
 
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hmm... 4k? I wonder where I got my wired crossed. May have been another thread/conversation. If we're talking low bitrate 1080p, you can edit that on almost anything with 8+gig of ram.

once I get FCPX your gonna see me here every minute.
Click to expand...

You might find one or two who can help you with FCP. Good luck with your edit. I hope you get the film you envisioned.

lol@Moo
 
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Thanks Cracker Funk / Sweetie..you've been a lot of help..now taking it one step at a time and hopefully won't be too long before I get into editing..won't need any after effects -I believe Premier is much better for that anyway. Eventually I'll get DaVinci also for the col grading...ok later.
 
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