In 1989 Avid revolutionized editing with Media Composer version 1 with all the glory of 160 x 120, 4 bit (16 gray) non-linear editing. A true revolution that allowed editors “to more easily view shots and quickly make trial cuts and changes.” The cost of any given edit, among many variations, dropped dramatically compared to remaking changes in linear offline suites.
Since 1989, the non-linear editing tools have increased in quality and capability such that there are entire suites of tools for $1500 instead of 1989’s $50,000. Storage has increased in speed and capacity and dropped in price. We’ve gone from postage stamp video to full HD in the edit interface.
And yet, editing hasn’t evolved since 1989. Non-linear editing has become the status quo, the “way it’s done.”
It’s time to get excited again. It’s time for…
In the modern high-end edit bay, Assistant Editors handle much of the routine-but-important work for the editor: like organizing and synchronizing media and making sure it’s available for the editor for them to work on. An Assistant Editor is often encouraged to make “rough” edits of specific scenes to help learn the craft. Of course, the editor on the job improves and finishes these first cuts!
You would think that computer technology would be ready to make some really smart tools for editors: tools that take out much of the time invested in exploring the story, freeing the editor to apply their experience and skills to polishing the finished result.
Assisted Editing evolves non-linear into the next generation. By making fast first cuts “cheap enough” that one can “waste” edits by exploring all sorts of different cuts before starting the master cut, the bar has been shifted again. Avid and non-linear editing made edits less expensive than they were before, leading to widespread adoption. Assisted Editing lowers the “cost” of a first cut, or finish pass, to almost zero freeing the editor to be truly creative.
Assisted Editing: freeing you to be creative
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