Can the stupid NLE wars be over now over? Thank you Jinmo Yang.
On my other personal blog, I frequently write about provocative topics like politics, race, and faith.
But not even a vapid internet tête-à-tête about Trump can match some of the hateful and nasty rhetoric I’ve seen creative professionals throw at one another in defense of their favorite tools.
It’s all the usual suspects:
- Canon vs. Nikon
- RED vs. Arri
- Mac vs PC
- Marvel vs. DC
And one of the nastiest of them all: the NLE wars (i.e. Premiere Pro vs Avid; DaVinci Resolve vs. Avid; FCP X vs. everybody.)
The “cut” heard ’round the world
In my last job as managing editor for the Frame.io blog, we made an effort to cover as much as possible each of the popular NLEs. But every time we published an objective review or commentary about FCP X, we’d frequently get railed on by small groups of people who are still up in their feelings about Final Cut Pro’s horrible switch from FCP 7 to FCP X.
As far back as some of the earlier videography forums over 15 years ago, I can remember battles over which NLE was best and why.
Every now and then, someone like myself would chime in and implore people to focus on the talent not the tools.
Ahhh. I was so naive, it was almost adorable. It reminds me of the time as a kid I was trying to break up two dogs fighting (one of them was mine) and my hand got mauled in the process!
But lately, an event of such profound impact on the state of the industry has occurred that I think it’s equivalent to “the shot heard ’round the world.”
What was that event pray tell?
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Bong Joon-Ho’s, PARASITE.
A new rallying cry
“Why does this movie have such a profound impact on the NLE wars?” you ask. Because in addition to being the first foreign language film to win the Oscar for best picture; and in addition to the editor Jinmo Yang winning the ACE Eddie for best editing; you may also know that Yang edited that film on, wait for it, Final Cut Pro 7.
Final Cut Pro 7 was discontinued NINE FREAKING YEARS AGO!
I’m one of the biggest proponents of preaching the importance of talent over tools. But even I was like: DAMN! HE BE CRAZY!
Regardless of how you feel about it, truth is truth. There is no hiding it. No sweeping it under the rug. One of the most celebrated films of the decade was edited on a discontinued, disgraced, and deprecated software program.
The good news is that this means that ALL DEBATES ABOUT WHICH NLE TO USE ARE RENDERED USELESS (well, almost all). In fact, all such debates can be castrated with one simple term: JINMO YANG BE-YATCH.
If you share the fact that you like to edit on Final Cut Pro X and you get jumped on by fellow “professionals”? Just hold up your hand to anyone who would throw shade at you and say “JINMO YANG BE-YATCH!”
Shot a corporate event using a refurbished Sony PD 150 and the fellas in the local videographer association start making fun of you? Just say “JINMO YANG BE-YATCH!”
Shooting a fancy fashion magazine spread with a Canon T2i and that stuck-up commercial photographer with the Hasselblad gives you a wise-ass comment at the next networking mixer? You know what to do. Go right up to his face. Set your drink down. Look him in the eye, and with all the passion and attitude you can muster, say…
“JINMO YANG BE-YATCH!!”
If you’re really bold, give him a big fat kiss on the lips a la Michael Corleone to Fredo before (or after) saying it. Then pick your drink back up, turn around, and go about your business.
I would like to give my sincerest thanks to Mr. Yang Jinmo for giving us a new rallying cry that will forever remind creatives the world over that at the end of the day, it IS about the talent, not just the tools.
