By Martin Sitter

Michael Wohl is a pioneer of desktop video, and a man of true vision. This was obvious to me the first time I read his seminal book, "Editing Techniques with Final Cut Pro" ... a book that sat center stage on my desk for a long time and one I feel no video editor should be without. Michael knows Final Cut Pro like few others!

Indeed, if you want to know the true history of Final Cut Pro, ask Michael Wohl. Michael was one of the original designers of Final Cut Pro, when Macromedia started developing the application in 1995 (long before Apple purchased the program). Instrumental to the development and design of this awesome video editing application, Michael was involved in all aspects of its design until several years after Apple acquired the software, at which point he left to pursue his other passion as a film director.

These days, Michael is better known as a respected, award-winning editor and filmmaker with more than fifteen years of experience telling visual stories across a wide range of genres and styles. He is currently producing a documentary for the Gates Foundation about Ethiopia's 5-year plan to overhaul their agricultural system. His 2006 comedy, Artistic License, played at more than 30 film festivals, winning awards at 12 of them, including Best Comedy at Austin Film Festival, Sedona Film Festival, the New York Television Festival and others.

Prior to that, Wohl wrote, produced, directed, and edited WANT, an edgy, stylized, and thought provoking feature film about dot-com mania and sex addiction set during the internet boom of 1999. The film played at festivals including Cinequest, Newport Beach Film Festival, IFP Central Standard, Victoria Independent Film Festival and several others.

For the past six years, Michael has served as a visiting professor at UCLA's school of Theater, Film & Television and has also taught filmmaking and editing classes at many institutions including the American Film Institute, San Francisco State University, New York Film Academy, and others. He has authored eleven books on editing and storytelling, including volumes in the Apple Pro Training Series. He has also taught scores of seminars at tradeshows (NAB, IBC, DV Expo, Macworld, etc.), and been invited to speak at many film festivals (Sundance, SXSW, Cinequest, Victoria, etc).

There is no doubt in my mind that Michael is one of the most talented editors and educators around, and I'm extremely pleased to present his Final Cut Pro tutorials here at macProVideo.com!


Michael Wohl

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