On the other hand there are probaly 20-30 times more people editing with
Premiere than will ever edit with an Avid. That high end broadcast market
is somewhat less than 15% of the total production market. sometimes when
that's your world, it's hard to see there are other tools suited for other
situations.
nothing against Avid's at all. They're great tools and serve an important
function.
But for the price of an Express you could have Premiere running on every
machine on your network. Use a capture card (at the high end Media 100qx
is the Media 100 hardware with Premiere 5, down to the low priced, but
problematic - even on Macs- Miro DC30+) and more students have more access
to the interface.
20 students can have (for example) 5 hours a week on 10 setups, or half an
hour a week on one. The basic metaphors between Premiere and Avid's
systems (and Media 100) are very similar as are even the keyboard
equivalents.
Personally, I like the Media 100 interface, but would happily concede that
Premiere has greater capability (although at a time and IMHO productivity
penalty). But for the time rich and cash poor Premiere is a great
solution. For the cash rich and time poor then Xpress or Media 100 or
Media Composer or DVision or =8A are great solutions.
One idea you might consider is removable hard drives and pick up some cheap
2 G drives for each student to work through their project in low resolution
and (if batch capture can be made available) one system is set up for high
res finishing work.
To keep above board, - I'm co-authoring Premiere 5 with a Passion for
January release which will not only cover the operation but provide a rich
feast of creative ideas. Heaps even for those who have purchased the
earlier book. I've also written about using Media 100 and am a consistent
lurker on the Avid-l as well. It's a pity the Promax solution won't work
for you because, above all else, I'll bet almost anything that DV will be
the format of choice for all but the most critical work. It will also
democratise the industry in ways it's never seen and thoroughly shake it on
it's head.
Philip Hodgetts philipmh@learndynamicmedia.com
Dynamic Media Evangelist & Educator
*Above all, I reserve the right to be wrong*
Media 100 Editor's Companion
If you Use a M100, you need an Editor's Companion
http://www.learndynamicmedia.com
New Articles: Alpha Channels DeMystified,
Why I'm Passionate about Premiere 5
President Media 100 WWUG Forum http://www.wwug.com