Expert: Andre Hickman - 1/29/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi and thank you for your time , I'm a 41 years old man and my passion is everything that have to do with video editing and post production , I used to work in television as a producer 20 years ago and now I'm planning to go back but doing what I love , of course everything have changed a lot since then and I understand that I have to get the right training for it , since pretty much everybody uses Avid I have been trying to get info about it and where to get training , since I think is to late for me to try to get a college degree , I found places that give intensive training like two or three days courses but I dont know if this is enough time to get what I need to star again , please let me know what you think , thank you very much.

ANSWER: Hey Rafael,

I don't think that it is EVER too late! Especially if it is your passion.  Matter of fact, when I talk to people about graphics, etc.  I tell them to find that one thing that they love to do, that if they never got paid for it (as long as they had the necessities of life) that it would wake them up every morning charged to do it!

I don't have a formal education in graphics.(and I'm not speaking against formal education in the field)  My formal education is Mechanical Engineering.  My passion is EVERYTHING that deals with visual communication!

GO FOR IT! But before you do, look at what everyone is using now, and whether you are trying to get linear training or non-linear.  Yes things have changed since you were doing this stuff.  Quite honestly, I'm not sure that you want to jump into a bunch of Avid training.  If I were you, I'd be looking at softwares like Final Cut Pro(mac), Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects.  The way compositions are created is much more advanced than 20 years ago, and in my opinion, Avid systems are not the industry standard like they used to be.  There are incredible new hardware systems, like the stuff from Autodesk (which used to be from Discreet, like Smoke, Inferno, Combustion, etc.)  and of course ALL of Adobe's software, which is definitely holding the industry fabric together.

I'm not sure if you have ever done non-linear before, but I personally think that researching Adobe courses, Autodesk courses, or a Final Cut Pro course would be the best way to go.

Feel free to ask anything!

Cheers,
Andre

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your complete and quick response ,please tell me what do you think about this intensive courses (two , three days) that you can get in places like Future Media Concepts , since they give training in all those you mentioned.
Also my concern about Avid is that I have a chance to star working in a tv station but i have to know Avid since this is what they use and I dont know if this short courses will be enough.
Once again , thank you very much.

Answer
I think that if you have an understanding of Non-Linear Editing, and how to edit in general, it is really just a matter of learning the toolset, and where to find the tools you need in the AVID system.  I Think that a course like that would be fine to get you acclimated to the new toolset.

Now if you don't understand the editing process that you will be required to work through, then that is a totally different story.  But if you do, I think you will be fine.  No you won't be incredibly proficient at first, and will have to go off of notes and ask questions, but you know that the job will be quality cut, and professionally done when you finish.

I think you have to go with your gut, and know when you are in over your head.  But I think you'll be fine.  The toolset may have changed, but what you use the tools for is pretty much the same, and that is "to edit." If they offer you a job, and you want it, TAKE IT!!!  Just see it as God opening a door for you, in the midst of this crazy economy where more people are losing jobs than getting them!

Cheers,
Andre