[MacDV] FCP - right tool for this job?

[Erica Sadun]

>Looks like I may get my first gig that may earn some $$.  Local sensei
>at the Karate studio here has bought a Sony Digital 8 camcorder, and we
>figure that we can set up his camcorder and my DVCam on tripods and
>have both cameras tape him while he goes through the whole set of
>katas.  I figure merging different shots from different angles may well
>tax the meager abilities of iMovie and iDVD.  Especially if he later
>comes in to dub audio voiceover explaining the different moves, and
>perhaps even running some footage in slow motion.
>
>So I'm thinking that since I can get FCP at the Education price of
>$300, I should just go ahead and take the plunge and dive in to the
>project with both feet.  My hardware should easily support the software
>- - Dual 867 w/ Combo and Superdrive.  Will I be able to put such a
>project together and burn it to a DVD using iDVD, or will I need to get
>DVD Studio Pro or Cleaner 6 (another $200!) to write in a variety of
>other formats?  Or could I get by with the mpeg2 add-on for QT6?

It all depends on what you really need to do... I think you can
do pretty much all of this with what you already have (iDVD,
iMovie, Superdrive, etc). Voiceovers are simple in iMovie and
the slow-mo can be done with the built-in stuff or with the
StupendousSoftware plug-in.

Just be aware, boys and girls, that DVD-R is not the best
distribution medium. It's incompatible with tons of (particularly
older) DVD players. Honestly, sensei'd do a lot better with
VHS.

>Suggestions anyone, though I'm sure Erica would be happy to sell me a
>book on how to manage this with what I have - in which case I can just
>look forward to getting an iPod for myself :-)

Next book is on DVD Studio Pro and should be like the iMovie
book in that I'm planning to focus on actual solutions rather than
provide a "manual".

Of course, I've got to deliver this baby first, but whose
counting? -- Erica