Compositing is the ability to combine multiple layers of video on a single screen and have them interact with each other. This capability really adds depth to FCP. I confess I love compositing and wish I had opportunity to do more of it. Compositing often allows you to create a montage of images and graphics that can explain some esoteric point more clearly than some piece of wallpaper footage. Good compositing work can raise the perceived quality of a production. Be warned, though, that compositing and graphics animation is not quick and easy to do, which is why it s so often contracted out. All animation requires patience, skill, and hard work. With more and more small production companies having to do projects entirely on their own, it becomes more important for every producer to have a working knowledge of motion graphics. Fortunately, this ability has become accessible through tools such as After Effects and now Final Cut Pro, with its ability to access AE plugins such as Boris RED. Though FCP is not a full-bore compositing application such as After Effects, Commotion, or Combustion, it does have excellent tools to do some simple work.