Avid2FCP has a fantastic article up that talks about how Final Cut Pro can be used to share media and projects in a very effective way that dispels some of the media management criticism from Avid editors (which is not to suggest that some of that vitriol isn’t warranted). It’s an interesting approach that requires you to slightly re-think how you approach project files.

“When an Avid editor says, “But FCP can’t share projects”, in my mind it really means that they have not taken the time to truly explore the differences between these two systems and realize that there are many ways to skin a cat. Project sharing with FCP really comes down to media sharing, and that can easily be accomplished by passing timelines back and forth. A carefully thought out file naming structure goes a long way towards keeping everything organized and is the key to making this work.

It is interesting to note that Avid’s Interplay uses this global approach to referencing media. My understanding of this product indicates that Avid is moving away from their inherent project-centric workflow and experimenting with more of a file-based organization similar to FCP.

There is no reason that you can’t duplicate the workgroup environment of Avid/Unity using FCP/Xsan. I’ve been doing it for the past four years and haven’t missed an air date yet. Good luck!”