Justine-Paula Robilliard: Editor in Durban, South Africa.

Any insight on migrating to Adobe after years of FCP editing? Ready to make the jump... How did it go for you?

A 2nd point I want to add to this discussion, is how hard are women working to make women succeed? I see no forums on the internet dedicated to purely women upliftment.. Certainly not on Stage 32.. The grapevine is useful for many reasons, makes grapes, wine, vinegar, and it is a metaphor for networking, of meeting up, making connections.. This simply does not occur and I would love to know why... Maybe my thinking is stinky thinking, I have been accused of wishful thinking at times.. I have no idea of the breakdown of members here, how many males to females, male managers to female managers, owners to freelancers, all I see is a system that is simply not working for me, maybe it works for others, for me over the course of my life, I simply have not been treated fairly.. What staggers me is that there are no jobs anywhere, and if they are, the requirements are simply too many, as if the job spec was written for 1 person in mind and the rest simply not good enough? Do we need full time staff or can the job be done using freelancers? Maybe back in the old film or Betacam days, jobs had to be edited on site, now with the interwebs, and the cloud, is the same old ideas of jobs valid? If the job can be done using the cloud, is gender even an issue? This is a great question.. I am not in the USA, and quite frankly do I need to be, I am far enough East to be daylight when it is night in the USA, so an overnight edit for someone on the West Coast region would be a day job for me... Airfare is so cheap now, a return flight is under $1200, so this cannot be a factor, do it long enough it becomes virtually free, airmiles are wonderful... So what is the reason there is no off shore editing occuring??

The media/film industry is male dominated, this covers broadcasting and post production. As a transgender woman, having transitioned from male to female in the broadcast segment, I have encountered severe intolerance of my transgender, "we do not want a male in the ladies loo.." to we do not want a he-she dealing with customers.." I cannot speak of natal female experience, that is simply beyond my frame of reference, there is a clear and present birthright of gender, why would I give up the birthright of the gender of my birth? Being female I am regarded as weaker and unable to shoulder the same heavy load, and that is correct to point, I am not the same person I was before I started hormones, a consequence of gender transition from male to to female is the loss of muscle mass, and the ability to carry the same weights I could before. This has zero bearing in my ability to edit, in fact as a legal female, I have found a positive aspect, that is in live tv broadcasting, I can deal with female guests in a way a male or I could not pre transition, so a benefit there for both me and the broadcaster. Talking of inequality in the workplace and being transgender, when a movie was to be shot, about being transgender, they could not find or did not want a transgender actress in the lead, the producers went for Felicity Huffman, Transamerica. This was considered a slap in the face for the upliftment of the transcommunity..I am not for 1 second saying there was no one considered, I am sure there was, how much of it was name recognition and how much was raw talent Felicity testing the best, I have no idea..Wish a transwoman was used... That being said, women universally are not united, we are as fractured as always, we do not sign from the same hymn-sheet, natal females and transfemales have different needs, we simply for the sake of peace put up with what is way too much, males get the lion's share, most often unfairly, but what can we do? If a woman makes it to the top, she is not going to help a fellow member of her sisterhood up, "If I got here on my own...so can you.." is the sort of attitude, I suspect this stems from lack of team playing in childhood, males tend to be more helpful of other males, old boy networks, the "it is who you know, not what you know" male way of doing things.. Had I been open and living as trans prior to 1997, would I have had the same lucky break I did? That I cannot answer, I suspect my lucky break might have gone to a male, I am sure that in 1997, I might have benefited from my birthright as male.. When you consider staff, what do you consider in an applicant? What is important and what is less so? Do you want a talented person that has the right work ethic, dependable, dedicated, maybe slightly underskilled, or do you want a brash recent hotshot that may be undependable, job hopping, unmotivated? Is it about talent or skill? Women have a way of viewing the world, that is very different to males.. History is great as it shows things how they were, when film was delicate, pre mechanical, it was cut/edited by rooms of women, then with the advent of mechanical cutting, this was considered a male thing, being that women could not understand or have the knowledge to fix a mechanical device and so editing became male dominated.. The same in production, heavy gear, male showed the ability to manipulate the heavy lighting and camera gear.. Today with the advent of lighting and camera gear made of ultra-lightweight materials, hand held, there is still a lag to the use of women..Why??

I would be more than happy to have more women on our production team but they seem to gravitate towards acting roles the most. I haven't found much serious interest. But this my own small limited experience from a micro budget production.

That is what I have been trying to say for months, someone has to see the quality of my work and say, despite the lack of SKILLS, this person has pure raw talent worthy of time and investment, there is nothing better than to tell someone you are doing a great job, and I see that if I take the time and attention, my tiny investment could multiply by a huge factor. I have tried for 17 years and no one gave me a chance, and that is simply not fair, I believe I have the talent, the raw talent to succeed and for 17 years I was happy, suddenly it ended, so where is my champion? Instead I get beaten up on forums for just asking for a break... So what is it, are there only a certain grade of person worthy of assistance to rehabilitate or is it game over for me?

I ask this question as it seems to me that many people here confuse the 2, and they are not the same thing, you have a talent for something, that is built into your DNA, and you have a skill at something, skills are taught, talent is not.... I have a talent for editing, that is not something I was taught, I discovered it, an ability to just know the write combination to edit a sequence, and this happens to be in tv news video editing, it could be applied to longer formats, I have not had the exposure in my career for this... Skills is how to edit on a system, be it imove/Avid/Final Cut from1 through X, or any other format, be it tape or computer, that ladies and gents is a skill, it is not a talent, how you use the video material to craft is the talent.. That is where I am, at this point, I am lacking in the skills department and well without work, this is impossible to overcome. I do not need to learn what is what, I know in my DNA, in my bones, without having to waste time thinking, is that right, it will be right every time, that is what I am, a talented video editor, missing a set of skills, which is the cheapest part to replace, as with the doing, comes the speed. We all at some point were talented and unskilled, some of us were lucky/fortunate to find a easy path to upskilling or reskilling, others less so, and I am less fortunate, I have great ideas about how to break this trend, I have explored and expressed this here and on other forums, so I am consistent in what I say. How hard would it be to invite someone like me, someone slightly older, more mature of age to spend some time working, editing in a 2nd assistant role, upskilling, maybe later make use of my services in a professional manner? No people here tend to suggest outdated, hurtful methods, that simply are waste of time and effort, methods that worked 25 years ago, not in the post internet cloud based world we live in now, we are only limited by bandwidth speed, time is no longer an issue, gone are the days of rooms of tape decks based in some random city that cost upwards of $1m a room, now we have macbook pro's capable of editing a blockbuster on a flight... I can be based anywhere and do the work, for lower costs, no travel into the edit suite, at home... So what are we waiting for? Some sort of engraved invitation to arrive in the mail box? As I do not get mail, mine might never arrive, I am prepared to pay my way to get somewhere to meet, to get to know people, to get work that needs doing done.. For example, does TED Talks need to be edited in New York? Can this not be edited via the interwebs so that my daylight hours are your night sleep hours? I have the tools and the talent, and soon the skills.. Need your help that is all, really how hard can it be???

I've been working on Final Cut Pro for a while now and recently upgraded to Final Cut Pro X (10.1.3) at first it seemed fine but now I get pin wheeled for the first three to four minutes of opening the program. Then when I try a playback just to make sure it meshes it takes two or three times to play it without getting a "Files dropped" message. It all works out in the end but does anyone else have that problem?

Why not try and help instead of how can I say this without offending, making "useful" suggestions that really are not all that applicable or helpful. Yes you are right in I should download this or that NLE, it sounds on the surface, at first blush a brilliant idea, and yes I had thought of this 100 years ago, I am not stupid, again NOT STUPID, my laptop might be, I have as you can guess a browser, and yes I have used it once or twice to go a verb called googling.. The problem is not really mine or anyone else, it is related to circumstance, let me try and explain again, circumstance is what you find yourself in, it is a factor of so many aspects, I am as a result of so many factors both within and outside of my control in a place I simply cannot get myself out of. Many of you drive on snow in winter, and I am sure there has been a time, through no fault of your own, you have needed a tow, let me understand this, you went off the road, and someone else, not you, a 3rd person, with the right tools winched your car back onto the road, you called for help and someone responded, so why are you entitled to this, you crashed, so by rights you should find the rope and haul the car yourself out of the ditch, with no access to any experts, or external help. That is what the community expects me to do, yes I had a crash, shit happens, I dealt with that, now I need help to be better, work is a way to "fix" things, self esteem issues, etc, not everyone has access to the latest or greatest technology. I have tried my very best, and I am pleading for help, but for what?? I am weeping in the wind.. So instead of tearing strips off me, berating me, stop and ask yourself, how you would react if everything you knew was taken away, you were no longer wanted, yes I have depression, bad thoughts, sorry I am of the human variety, I have emotions, dreams and needs, I love editing, all I know and been exposed to is TV news inserts, 90 seconds or less kind of editing, sorry I do not have media or show reels, local law prevents me from having copies, to have would be criminal and I am not that. That is a problem, sure, I accept that, and as a result, I am more than willing to start at the bottom again, as a junior whatever, as assistant, sure for me that is not even an issue, after all, 17 years in broadcasting, I am still regarded as a junior...Such is life. Logic tells me that there is at least one kind soul out there, of the 7 billion on this 3rd rock that has the compassion, to see past my pain, to past my lack of formal qualifications, that is willing and able to just at least talk to me, sometimes life is shitty, and we do not make the best decisions, I am guilty of that, and I live the result every day. Video editing is not a job, it is not something I chose lightly, I did it as I loved it, money be damned, I knew I was never going to be rich, that is not important, I miss it, I am exhausted from not having anything to edit, I have lost my way, thought maybe if I explained, but no, people punish me for not having Avid/Premiere, Pro-tools and 10 000 other aspects, sorry for that, I could not afford decent hardware to run such, and I do not know how to install cracked illegal software on my system. I made do with what I had, I am sorry if you hate me, I accept that, I have accepted that my career as tiny and pathetic it was, is over, who is going to hire part time, or even help a almost 40 year old part time TV news video editor from the arse end of Africa???? Do you know me, or my talents, how much is a human life? For me it is less than $2000, I do not have this, I have about $20....What a wicked waste, people waste that pissing out Starbucks coffee a year and for what???? Thanks Justine

Hi Everyone, Not everyone that enters this industry does it the same way, some through school, others through the university of hard knocks, I graduated out of university of hard knocks. I am having the hardest time trying to connect with people, it seems that I need a list of skills longer than a surgeons qualifications, FCP. Premiere, AVID, Pro-tools, DVD Studio Pro, Blender, and 10 000 other skills. I do not, for one simple reason, I did not have the funds to purchase hardware capable of running a million forms of NLE, I have 12 years television news video editing experience, here in South Africa, there are very few broadcasters, and private shops, mostly the crew are single owners using friends and loved ones as the rest of.. Recently I purchased an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, with FCP X, self taught myself, and for what, as I do not have the 10 years of experience in the 3 systems, Adobe, Avid, and Apple, and I do not have a showreel, law forbids me from having copies of my work, this haunts me. Look it is simple, I need a job, preferably in the USA, I am prepared to sell the car, and move, I have loads to offer, I am so dedicated, no question I am the best editor you would ever have, I do not wish to shoot, just edit, I love editing, I have a disability that prevents walking long distance, hence the no shooting, studio directing, studio sound, camera ops, autocue, anything and everything studio based, I have done it. Is there anyone out there that can help, I have 2 people in the US that can vouch for my skills and dedication, that will be willing to confirm I am not a weak person, I might not have had the most stellar career, I made the best out of what was on offer. Please can you help.. Justine

Will be willing to help in anyway possible to help you reach your vision as artist. Check out my company Maxima Vision Film's site at www.maximavisionsproductions.com

I keep seeing postings like this on Craigslist (I know, it's Craigslist, but even so): http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cwg/4445532399.html Essentially, they need someone to chop a couple of short videos together, and they need it done in a couple of days, and they need someone who's really a PRO (they use that construct a lot), and the job pays $100 a day. I guess what I'm wondering is, if you're a pro, what's a reasonable day rate? I know what the ACE demands for its members, but for those of us not in that rarefied air - what's acceptable?

Hi All, I have Final Cut Pro X 10.1.1, I cannot at this point afford to purchase the ebook, and I do not want to pirate it off the internet, could someone sponsor a copy of the 2014 version by Brendan Boykin, for FCP 10.1.1. It would help so much get a handle on FCP X, hopefully get up to speed soon to start looking for work, I tend to suffer from lack of self confidence, and I feel I am not ready to work professionally, please consider my request!! Thanks. Justine-Paula

While reading Final Cut Pro X: Advanced Editing these two sentences stood out to me as a big ol 'what the truck?' aka o.O moment... "Make no mistake: It's the editor who chooses how an actor's performance plays in each scene. This is why smart actors befriend the editor on their films." As an actor and editor I can honestly say I do not know any actor who has actively done this. Directors, casting directors, producers, writers - yea. But, editors? Have you experienced this 'befriending' at all? Maybe the author thought no actors, who also edit, would read this book.

Down here in the beautiful New Forest region of South Coast UK, I make TV documentaries about military history - so, mainly archive footage, stills, and graphics. Sometimes I get the chance to include some 'talking heads' (military historians). Budgets are low, but the programmes sell reasonably well around the world. I have several higher 'production value' projects that I need to find proper funding for - not an easy task in todays financial climate! Apart from Voice Over, I do everything 'In-House'. Got FCP and Adobe Premiere - but prefer using my AVID systems. If turn-over increases - I will probably be looking for some extra 'pairs of hands' in terms of Research, Writing, Editing, Graphics, Audio Finishing and Colourist (or more appropriately - 'B&W-ist').

Sponsorship Plea!! Hi everyone, I am hoping that there is a kind soul that could possibly sponsor a copy of the Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro X 10.1: Professional Post-Production book, By Brendan Boykin that was published in 2014 by Peachpit Press, I cannot afford to purchase this, and I need to update my skills! Can anyone help? Thanks Justine

This is just terrible. http://bit.ly/P36Zq5

Hi, I'm Lainee Glick, my past is in journalism my present and future in novel and screen writing. I am always interested in collaborating, writing with someone can be fun and rewarding. My favoured genre is comedy.

Training for overseas based editors??? Hi everyone, it would be so wonderful to spend a few weeks, on a training course, due to circumstances beyond my control, I am unable to afford decent training costs, and as I am freelancer, I do not qualify for company sponsored training. I am sure that there are places in the US, that has space for 1 more person, that could be sweet talked into helping with costs, look it sounds a lot, not sure on how much in total, airfare is close on $1600 return for me. Why not help? Sometimes it is a small thing that can make a huge difference in another person's career. For me, it would make me employable if after a month, I was able to produce a showreel of work I had done whilst abroad, show a new range of skills, current and have a new way of thinking. I do not have exposure to Avid, or Premiere, all I have is FCP X. I have no idea on how SAN's work, I am alone at home, with the mac laptop. Surely there is merit in clubbing together, putting heads together, seeing what is available locally where you live, maybe the local university can be talked into taking on an exchange student for a semester, please please, I am begging, on bended knee, pleading.... Enough of download trials, work does not operate like that, it is hands on, observing, doing the job, as a pilot would..For a year supply of Java, it would change my life in a million different ways. Lets show that Stage32 is the best, that is recognizes a genuine need and rallies around...Please please!!!