‘Focus’ starring Will Smith: First major studio feature edited using Apple’s Final Cut Pro X
The announcement of a feature film production seminar in Los Angeles reveals that Focus, starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, was edited using Final Cut Pro X. Final Cut is currently available to download from the Mac App Store for £230.
The event is sponsored by Apple, camera makers ARRI and workflow specialists Light Iron (a subsidiary of Panavision).
Focus is released on Friday in the US and UK. It is the first major studio film edited using Final Cut Pro since is was completely revised and renamed Final Cut Pro X in 2011. It follows on from ‘Gone Girl,’ the first studio feature film edited using Adobe Premiere Pro CC, which was released in October 2014.
Although the event description doesn’t name Focus specifically, the illustration uses its logo and the crew named as attending are the co-director, cinematographer, editor, 1st assistant editor, post supervisor and DIT of the film:
Light Iron, ARRI, and Apple invite you to explore one of the most advanced and modern workflows in today’s cinema.
The event will begin at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood with a continental breakfast, followed by a special workflow presentation featuring:
• Glenn Ficarra, Co-Director
• Xavier Grobet, ASC, Cinematographer
• Stephan Ukas-Bradley, ARRI
• Brandon Lippard, DIT
• Jan Kovac, Editor
• Mike Matzdorff, Asst. Editor
• Jeffrey Harlacker, Post Supervisor
The event will also feature a hands-on workflow area showcasing Final Cut Pro X and the Mac hardware used in the making of the film.
The event is on Saturday March 7th. Register to attend.
I’m glad to say that 1st assistant editor Mike Matzdorff engaged me to make some plugins to aid in the post workflow, two of which are currently available for free on my website: Alex4D Timecode 35mm 4-perf and Alex4D Feature Overlays.
Available soon: case studies on the Apple Final Cut Pro website and on fcp.co, the primary website for Final Cut news.
Also 1st Assistant Editor Mike Matzdorff will soon release an eBook covering the Focus workflow: Final Cut Pro X: Pro Workflow
Follow Mike on Twitter to find out more.
Follow me on Twitter for regular tweets on Final Cut Pro X and post production.