Apple previewed its soon to be released Final Cut Pro nonlinear editing system version 5.1.2 at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), which concluded in Amsterdam earlier this week. (Full show coverage will appear in next week’s SHOOT).
Compatibility is a big focal point in this release–compatibility with additional formats and compatibility with the new Apple Mac Pro, which includes real time profiling, taking advantage of the dual core processors in the new Mac Pro. Version 5.1.2. also addresses compatibility with third-party PCIe cards on the Mac Pro, from manufacturers such as AJA Video and Blackmagic.
Available as a free software update for registered owners of version 5.1, Apple reported that its new version would include native support for HDV 720p/25 and 720p/24 editing, as delivered by JVC’s ProHD camcorders. Apple explained that “native editing” means that the video is transferred directly into Final Cut Pro from the source without any changes, so that the video is edited in the same camera-original format that was shot and stored on the tape.
Important particularly in the European market, Apple is also adding 25p support for Panasonic’s new P2 format. And, Final Cut version 5.1.2 addresses compatibility with Sony’s new XDCAM format, with variable bit rate settings at 18 and 35 Mb/s.
Final Cut Pro is a part of the Final Cut Studio package, which also includes: Motion for graphics and animation, Soundtrack Pro for audio sweetening, DVD Studio Pro for SD and HD disc authoring, and Compressor for high-performance encoding and format conversions. Final Cut Studio 5.1 is universal, meaning that it will run on both legacy PowerPC hardware and the new Intel-based systems from Apple.
Apple also used IBC as a platform to remind customers that two Final Cut Studio programs will be discontinued by the end of the year: Universal Crossgrade, a promotion designed to enable customers who own a current PowerPC version of one of the Final Cut Studio products to “crossgrade” to the Universal version; and the Final Cut Studio Upgrade, a promotion to bring customers with standalone applications to the Final Cut Studio package.
“Atropia” and “Twinless” Win Marquee Prizes At Sundance Film Festival
The war satire “Atropia,” about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O’Brien movie “Twinless” got the coveted audience award.
Juries and programmers for the 41st edition of the independent film festival announced the major prizewinners Friday in Park City, Utah.
Other grand jury winners included the documentaries “Seeds,” about farmers in rural Georgia and “Cutting Through the Rocks,” about the first elected councilwoman in an Iranian village. The Indian drama “Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears),” about a city dweller mourning his father in the western Indian countryside, won the top prize in the world cinema competition.
“It’s for my dad,” said writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. His late father, he said, was the one who encouraged him to pursue filmmaking.
Audiences also get to vote on their own awards, where James Sweeney’s “Twinless,” about the bromance between two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, triumphed in the U.S. dramatic category. O’Brien also won a special jury award for his acting.
The U.S. documentary audience award went to “André is an Idiot,” a life-affirming film about dying of colon cancer. Other audience picks were “Prime Minister,” about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and “DJ Ahmet,” a coming-of-age film about a 15-year-old boy in North Macedonia.
Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning Associated Press journalist, won the world cinema documentary directing award for his latest dispatch from Ukraine, “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a joint production between the AP and PBS Frontline.
“Here’s to all... Read More