Macbook buying guide

At some stage when doing Media Studies you may be tempted to get yourself a Mac, which would be a great idea to boost your ability to edit not just main productions, but also vodcasts and Evaluation question videos too (and other non-school work/projects!).

As the school has asked me to put together a briefing on possibly purchasing two Macbooks, I'll gather some of the main resources I've used to research this here; if you are looking at doing this these might help.

a few quick general points, then the resources/notes will be below the 'read more' line...

1. Final Cut Pro X - still only £230 (you may not think so, but that really is a bargain), seems to be a pay-once deal with free upgrades for 'life'. The upgrades since its launch have almost made it into a new programme by now. You can read Apple's guide here.
2. Its recommended by Apple that you also purchase Motion 5 (for customised titles and FX) and Compressor 4 (for advanced encoding options) too; both also linked here (scroll to the bottom).
3. Students (and educators) can get a significant discount on Apple computers, and some software but only at the time you purchase the computer. Visit their UK education page.
4. Macs are extremely expensive to upgrade after purchase; you should give serious consideration to the hard drive and RAM in particular. Look carefully at the minimum system requirements for using FCPX; few things push a computer as hard as video editing.
5. You have options: the Mac-Mini (provide your own monitor); Mac Pro; iMac (with varying screen sizes); Macbook Pro and Air. You can use Apple's comparison table to review your options.
6. Apple have been phasing out DVD drives, so you may need to consider buying a USB DVD drive.
7. You will definitely need a large-capacity external hard drive for back up. You have multiple format options (USB3, Thunderbolt etc). I'd suggest a minimum of 1TB (= 1000GB); you can get portable 1TB USB drives from around £40.
8. Unless you're going second-hand, which can be a smart move - there are many bargain older but very capable Macs on eBay etc - then you really should ...
9. Visit an Apple shop/retailer, get hands on, and speak to experts. I bought mine from KCRS in Leeds, who have been great as regards service; there is also a new Apple store in the new Trinity Centre.

FCPX will be very slow with anything less than this!!!

Sample of Vids for Initial Cs and Cs Analysis

NB: Some highly controversial videos are listed, including 'explicit' versions; some descriptions also contain some strong language.

As I've discussed analysed a great many videos, the list below is partial. The initial order reflects the order from the video below, with the 1st 20 selected to highlight some of the very, very many themes when considering not just conventions of but also reception for music videos. Most can be found in a playlist too - a great way to expose yourself to a wider range of videos than you are likely to be familiar with!!!

More details after the list, but the 20 videos featured in the video (several times more in the playlist) are:

1. Morbid Angel - Existo Vulgore (2012) 
2. Sepultura - Ratamahatta (1996) 
3. PIXIES - Velouria (1990) 
4. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares to You (1990) 
5. Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball (Terry Richardson, 2013)
6. Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball (ChatRoulette, 2013)
7. Baauer - Harlem Shake (2012) [this is a '10 best of' montage] 
8. Depeche Mode - It's No Good (Anton Corbijn, 1997)
9. Weezer - Buddy Holly (Spike Jonze, 1994)
10. Guns n'Roses - November Rain (1992)
11. Bjork - Crystalline (Anton Corbijn, 2013)
12. Sepultura - Refuse, Resist (1994)
13. Megadeth - Wake Up Dead (1986)
14. Pixies - Bagboy (Lamar + Nik, 2013) 
15. Daft Punk - Da Funk (Spike Jonze, 1995)
16. Rihanna - Pour It Up (Vincent Haycock, 2013) (EXPLICIT tag)
17. Fragma - You Are Alive (2001)
18. Guns n'Roses - Welcome to the Jungle (1987)
19. Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines (Diane Martel, 2013) [parody]
20. Lily Allen - Hard Out Here (Christopher Sweeney, 2013) 

Morbid Angel - Existo Vulgore (2012) [post]
You do need to know the conventions ... but there is much more scope to challenge them than with, say, film, as videos like this, and the following Sepultura example, demonstrate. Rammstein and Rage Against the Machine have also produced examples I've blogged on, bringing Snow White and the Beach Boys into the extreme metal genre.


Sepultura - Ratamahatta (1996) [animated] [post]
A great example of turning conventions and expectations on their heads, this is an animated video by the Brazilian hardcore thrashers! You should also take from this that inspiration can come from anywhere, including music genres (and other media, as with Morbid Angel) you may not be a fan of! [Wiki]

PIXIES - Velouria (1990) (one-take video) See Wiki and my posts on this.