Is Final Cut Pro X going to do to video what Gutenberg did with printing?

fcp.co by Robert Buller

We think we are right in the middle of a revolution in media. This exclusive article from Robert Buller asks is history repeating itself? Essential reading for anybody who works in the media, thought provoking stuff indeed.

In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented a printing press process that, with refinements and increased mechanisation, remained the principal means of printing today. The inventor's method of printing using movable type, including the use of metal molds and alloys, a special press, and oil-based inks, allowed for the first time the mass production of printed books.

His work suddenly revolutionised the building of content, and disrupted the status quo on the desemination of content. Suddenly overnight (well relatively) huge numbers of Monks and Scribes suddenly met the end of the way that they had worked. Suddenly the skills that had kept them in the roles that they had had for centuries started to change. They had to “retrain” and become proficient in the new technologies of their business.

Suddenly key skills changed and new areas of specialisation grew. From Ink, fonts and typefaces, alloys and moulding and all the way through to paper manufacturing all created new competitors new business models and even new technical terms like uppercase and lowercase and instead of Quills. They now had printers trays and struggled with different inks and papers types. This was obviously before the legendary TLA (Three Letter Acronym) read more...