After analyzing the statistics regarding the cameras and lenses that used to shoot Oscar 2020 Best Picture and Cinematography nominees, now it’s the time to explore the NLEs behind the Best Film Editing Nominees. Spoiler: You will be surprised.

Avid is (still) the king, but….

Avid is recognized as the preferred editing tool of the industry’s most acclaimed editors, and thus it’s the NLE (Non-Linear Editor) of choice of Hollywood films. However, when we examine the other Best Film Editing nominees of the 92nd Academy Awards, we reveal some interesting facts. Check out the featured image high-level chart in this article, plus the more detailed chart below to explore the facts. 

Lightworks was used to cut The Irishman

Many of us have never heard the name of this powerful NLE.  Lightworks has been in development since 1989 and won the 2017 EMMY Award for pioneering digital nonlinear editing. Furthermore, Lightworks has about four million downloads and registrations worldwide due to the software being available across three platforms in Windows, Mac, and Linux. Famous films that were edited on Lightworks are Pulp Fiction (1994), Moulin Rouge (1997), and Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which has teamed up with well-known editor Thelma Schoonmaker to cut The Irishman. Thelma Schoonmaker is a three-time Academy Award winner and has received a career achievement award from the American Cinema Editors (ACE). Schoonmaker has worked alongside Martin Scorsese for almost 50 years as Scorsese’s go-to editor and key collaborator throughout many projects. Lightworks is her weapon of choice to cut award-winning movies. Schoonmaker claims that Lightworks is characterized by its speed and intuitiveness. In case you are curious, you can download Lightworks to try for yourself by pressing this link.

Final Cut Pro 7

On the other hand, Final Cut Pro is a well-known editor, that has been used extensively by professionals. Final Cut Pro has undergone a decent amount of product cycles. In 2007 Final Cut Pro made up 49% of the United States professional editing market, with Avid at 22%. A published survey in 2008 by the American Cinema Editors Guild placed their users at 21% Final Cut Pro (and growing from previous studies of this group), while all others were on an Avid system of some kind. Final Cut Pro 7 was released in 2009. About 50 Hollywood films were edited on FCP 7. For instance: 300 (2007), The Simpsons Movie (2007) and X-men Origins: Wolverine (2009). In 2011, Final Cut Pro X was announced, and the table has turned. 

The reason why I use it (FCP 7) is that I’m used to it

Parasite editor- Jinmo Yang

FCP 7 (Final Cut Pro 7) was used to cut Parasite by editor Jinmo Yang, who said that: “The reason why I use it (FCP 7) is that I’m used to it. I used Final Cut Pro from the very beginning of my career. For now — regarding sound mix and the work ow — it’s really simple to use”. Yang also said that he hadn’t been updated his OS for four years, so FCP 7 can run flawlessly on his system. Yang adds that: “Despite FCP 7’s age, it was more than capable of handling ProRes HD proxies of the Alexa 65 masters, with After Effects alongside for timing and pre-visualization of the numerous invisible VFX shots”. According to Yang, more than a third of the movie contains some VFX. “The whole film is only about 960 cuts, which seems like more because of all the camera movement,” Yang claimed that there are numerous Hollywood editors that would be eager to edit on FCP 7 as an alternative to Premiere and Avid since it’s sturdy and intuitive. 

Oscar 2020 – NLE Chart

Explore the chart below that demonstrates the dominant NLEs for 92nd Academy Awards Best Film Editing Nominees. Copyright: Y.M.Cinema Magazine. 

Final thoughts

NLE is just a tool, and the cut is a cut. Here we have solid proof that even ancient NLEs are powerful enough to edit complex VFX sequences paired with complicated timeline packed with massive media. Those award-winning editors chose the NLE that they knew the best, and the results speak for themselves.