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Bill Davis

Too many years producing, writing, editing, and delivering videos to remember them all.
FCP since v.1.0 (April '99)
20 years doing voiceover work, plus I wrote the Timeline column for Videomaker Magazine for a decade and still lecture on video production all around the country.
Member Since:
December 20th 2001
1678 Posts
100 posts500 posts1000 posts
Location:
Scottsdale, AZ
Friends:

Ty Ford
stingers - how small a gauge?
by Bob Cole 3 days ago
I know it's better to err on the side of caution, but I suspect that I've been carrying around extension cables that are far heavier gauge than I really need. (Result: excess baggage charges, and carr
Re: stingers - how small a gauge?
by Bill Davis 3 hours ago
John is right, but I have to say that as both color balanced fluorescents and LED units continue to improve, we may get the added benefit of being able to schlepp smaller gauge cable around. My LED un
Throughly modern multi-cam
by Bill Davis 4 hours ago
I mentioned awhile ago that I'd directed and shot a project that ended up using 14 cameras to cover a 5 piece Jazz band performance. I'm trying to shoehorn the edit for it inside other work but I thou
+1
Jari Innanen liked this 3 hours ago
Re: Throughly modern multi-cam
by Jules bowman 2 hours ago
I can't believe, after all that setting up you had to do, they only recorded two songs. We do live sessions with bands,off our own back, usually 4 dslr if only using our gear but up to 6 cams at times
Transcoded media files in FCPX--expendable?
by Claude Lyneis 1 day ago
I edited a FCPX project early on when I was using an old Mac and I chose to generate transcoded files Pro Res 422. Now with a new iMac, I no longer generate transcoded files, since the GPU can deal wi
Re: Transcoded media files in FCPX--expendable?
by Bill Davis 1 day ago
In X there are transcoded files and then there are transcoded files. If your machine is working fine with original media that's not Optimized to ProRes, then you can safely dump any ProRes files and X
Demo reels question
by George Loch 3 days ago
I am curious about the value of an assembled editor's reel vs. displaying complete projects. How does a rearranged editor's reel really communicate an editor's ability to tell a story -gl twitter: @ge
Re: Demo reels question
by Bill Davis 3 days ago
This is personal opinion only - and comes from a guy who wrote an article about Demo Reels 11 years ago for Ken Stone's fledgling FCP site - that still ranks as the single most read and commented upon
did you know roles is event specific?
by Jason Brown 4 days ago
This is extremely significant...so you can get super detailed in one project in regards to assigning roles to clips but that list simplifies when you remove that project from the event browser. Was th
Re: did you know roles is event specific?
by Bill Davis 3 days ago
Richard Herd "Watch out for Bill's comment. He might state something to the effect of "events are not the same as capture scratch." And then he might explain the databasiness." A) nothing is the same
Using adjustment layers to add spice to Premiere's bland transitions
by Greg Andonian 4 days ago
(I posted this in the Premiere Pro forum, and was curious to see what people over here thought of the idea) One of the big criticisms of Premiere Pro from the FCP switchers has been the lack of good t
Re: Using adjustment layers to add spice to Premiere's bland transitions
by Bill Davis 3 days ago
Actually saw her in the NewTek booth again this past NAB. Thankfully, some nice traditions seem to persist in life. "Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are resp
Little Blog about FCPX
by alban egger 4 days ago
I had 15000 readers last summer on my FCPX-megatest Blog. Since then FCPX has evolved and that blog is outdated. I do now collect tipps on my new site. It is not much yet (just re-launched the site 2
Re: Little Blog about FCPX
by Bill Davis 3 days ago
Maybe we should spell them Xips but still pronounce them as Tips Separate the "insiders" from the "outsiders" like the pronunciation of Gila Monster, Sault St. Marie, and bologna! "Before speaking out
Short read on the frustration over the title "editor" meaning too little
by Glen Hurd 7 days ago
knock-knock-whos-there-editor-who Regarding the notion that art can be reduced to a collection of templates, he asks "Devoting so much of your life to the art of something and suddenly realizing that
Re: Short read on the frustration over the title "editor" meaning too little
by Bill Davis 5 days ago
Sorry dude. I write my ideas down for everyone to judge. Good or bad. I don't "do" click through links to other people's ideas when I'm in a discussion. I may quote someone, but I generally prefer to
Hardware makes a huge difference with FCPX
by olof ekbergh 6 days ago
I have tried the FCPX and the MX02 with a 4 year old 8 core Mac Pro with 12GB ram and a fast internal raid 300+ MB s with pretty poor results lots of stuttering and beach balls. Now I got a top of the
Re: Hardware makes a huge difference with FCPX
by Bill Davis 5 days ago
Same experience. One of the reason's I've always been so mystified by all the problems so many people have had is that when X was first released, my MacPro system didn't have an Open CL capable card -
Source connect
by Peter Groom 2 weeks ago
Hi I was just wondering who or how many users on this forum have experience and use commercially, source connect Cheers Peter Post Production Dubbing Mixer
Re: Source connect
by Bill Davis 6 days ago
This made me smile. I used to go to studios for ISDN sessions as a voice talent. And considered for years putting ISDN into my home studio - but never felt I could make on-going telco investment pay.
Apple Releases OS 10.7.4 and Safari 5.1.7
by Gary Slickman 2 weeks ago
Apple has released OS X 10.7.4 and Safari. Both can be obtained via the Software Updates component of the Mac OS X Systems Preferences app. Here is a link to the MacNews Post http: www.macnews.com 201
Re: Apple Releases OS 10.7.4 - WARNING!!!
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Chris Harlan "Frankly, I don't see it as being panicky or alarmist. I think of it as being kindly and prudent." Well, as someone who was roundly and persistently trashed for SHOUTING and generally be
FCX and VIDEO PLAYBACK options...
by Shane Ross 2 weeks ago
It started here... http: forums.adobe.com thread 999865 With someone noticing that they could only play back the format their sequence was set to. Unlike in Legacy FCP, where we could choose the VIDEO
Re: FCX and VIDEO PLAYBACK options...
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Bret Williams "Interesting thread. The reason we shot 24p Because halfway into the shoot I asked the camera op "You've got it set to 30p, right " and he said no, 24p. So, the next shoot had to be 24p
10.0.4 automatically mounts disk image
by Jason Jenkins 2 weeks ago
FCPX 10.0.4 is automatically mounting the last disk image event that I worked with. The whole idea behind using disk images was only showing loading the events I want to work on. I can still open any
Re: 10.0.4 automatically mounts disk image
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
See, It's not a bug, it's a feature! Actually, now that I think about it, that's precisely correct. It's a change to the foundational OS that's going to be useful to a zillion folks who want to go "ri
Live video switching between 3 channels during playback (for a music video)
by Thoreau Bakker 2 weeks ago
Hi, So I have 3 takes I shot of a band, master, medium and close up. I have loaded the .wav as the main story line, and manually synched and stacked all 3 takes on top of the audio. I'm using the mark
Re: Live video switching between 3 channels during playback (for a music video)
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
Got it. It's traditional "pantomime" pop music video production not actual performance recording, so multicam should work great. Carry on. "Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true
Length of cuts when editing a conference
by Jonathan Vincent 2 weeks ago
I am editing a conference and there are two cameras. I do not know how long I should linger on one camera. I was always taught to cut every 5 seconds but this just does not seem the case for a simple
Re: Length of cuts when editing a conference
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
I couldn't agree with Shane more. In the early part of my career, I spent a few years as the house videographers for the National Speakers Association - taping literally hundreds of professional speak
Article: NAB 2012 is in the books, final thoughts...
by walter biscardi 4 weeks ago
NAB Expo NAB 2012 is in the books, final thoughts... Walter Biscardi went to NAB 2012 with every intention of documenting each day and sharing the vast (and often overwhelming) wealth of information
+1
Adam Kranitz liked this 4 weeks ago
Re: Article: NAB 2012 is in the books, final thoughts...
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
Since Walter mentioned the Supermeet, I'll those who care you a bit of the "insiders" view of what happened. I actually hate to write this because I've long appreciated the position of Unions in foste
Data Rate Question
by Paul Ray 4 weeks ago
Hello, I'm in post on a festival quality short film, and my sound guy has gone AWOL. He's given me low-res MP3's to work with, which have a date rate of 15.6 K sec. The plan was once I had a picture l
Re: Data Rate Question
by Bill Davis 3 weeks ago
Paul Ray "Also, I'm editing in FCP7, and using the audio filters included at the moment. I've set the frequencies, what does "Q" stand for, and what should I set it to " It's the setting that widens
Audio setup
by Rich Rubasch 3 weeks ago
Hi guys; Want to set up a small VO record area in one of our edit rooms. We currently use a USB mic but want to put in a better mic and run it into our KONA 3 card thru a mixer. What is good VO record
Re: Audio setup
by Bill Davis 3 weeks ago
Rich Rubasch "What is good VO recording software Where you might do some preprocessing before taking to the edit We aren't loving Soundtrack Pro (all Mac shop). Anything in CS 5.5 worthwhile And as f
Make loud parts of a clip the same volume as the quiet parts and vice/versa
by eric vinyard 3 weeks ago
All my years of working with audio and I've never found a way to do this, though I'm sure there must be. I'm working with a clip of three people talking. Person number three is considerably louder tha
Re: Make loud parts of a clip the same volume as the quiet parts and vice/versa
by Bill Davis 3 weeks ago
Thirded. (Is that even a word ) Levelator is "normalizing" on steroids. Death on dynamic range in music, but for spoken content with a decent noise floor - it's a quick, easy godsend. "Before speaking
Soon.
by Mark Suszko 4 weeks ago
I can't say more just yet. But it's not a joke. A gimmick, sure, maybe, but not a joke.
Re: Soon.
by Bill Davis 3 weeks ago
I choose to believe that you've discovered a way to connect 100,000,000 first generation surplus LEDs to a solar array and are planning to project a massive Final Cut Pro X logo over the entire Midwes
Cable organization
by Rich Rubasch 4 weeks ago
Hmmm....where to post Anyone have a clever way of organizing hundreds of audio video cables in a facility We have organized them into boxes by type but it is not ideal. We have wall space but I always
Re: Cable organization
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
If someone has a comprehensive solution that they can describe, I'd be grateful as well. I keep flirting with too many partial solutions. I have Tubs (heavy guage power) Totes (misc long cables) Boxes
Article: Is the New Blackmagic Cinema Camera the HDSLR Killer?
by Marco Solorio 1 month ago
DSLR Video Is the New Blackmagic Cinema Camera the HDSLR Killer Marco Solorio of OneRiver Media dissects Blackmagic Design's new Cinema Camera to see if it is in fact, the much-anticipated HDSLR-kill
+3
Tania Freimuth liked this 3 weeks ago
Re: Is the New Blackmagic Cinema Camera the HDSLR Killer?
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
Mark Suszko "Once it is encumbered with all the rails, matte boxes, French Flags, viewfinders, cages, auxiliary grips, hoods and eyepiece shades, focus whips and assorted "stuff" that turns it into a
NAB Go Pro HD Hero2 Deal Deadline.
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
Some of you might have gone to the GoPro Booth at NAB and keyed your info into the iPads mounted at the back of the booth for the "show special" of $100 off the HD Hero 2. If so, be aware that the ema
Re: NAB Go Pro HD Hero2 Deal Deadline.
by Bob Cole 3 weeks ago
David Gagne "I'm hoping to rig it to my 11mo son and get some sweet "first steps" video, and and maybe continue to do that every month and do a "video growth chart" montage." Here's some inspiration
Thoughts on this fluorescent + LED Light setup for mostly Interviews
by David Turner 2 months ago
Hi Guys, I have done a lot of reading on here with people talking about using some of the Cool lights from "coollights.biz" for their setups. I need to invest in a small 3 light kit that I can use for
Re: Thoughts on this fluorescent + LED Light setup for mostly Interviews
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
Note that in the ad, they fail to mention that a 3 light rig like that will run one north of $5000. At some point, LED based fresnels will get realistic pricing as the competition increases and the ec
File: LED fresnel
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
jpg file Show floor photo from NAB 2012 of an LED fresnel fixture. http: f1.creativecow.net 4031 led-fresnel
Eggcrates
by Harry Bromley-Davenport 4 weeks ago
Hi there - I own three 2k Ianiro Blondes with barn doors and I'm looking for a better way to control them, so I'm looking into Egg Crates Grids. B&H sell a 1" grid and a 2" grid (about $100 each) whic
Re: Eggcrates
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
Mark, I believe it's because they're hand sewn by underage fairies who've been consecrated by the Gnome God. It's got to be something like that. Or maybe that there's no good machine approach to creat
Ideal Wireless Lav Mic for use both in Canada and UK
by Jeanette Wilkinson 4 weeks ago
Hi there, I live in Canada but will be shooting in the UK this summer and need a set of 2 wireless lavs for use on location. Have been checking out the Sennheiser EW112p series which looks great but r
Re: Ideal Wireless Lav Mic for use both in Canada and UK
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
Hi Jeannette. First off, understand that so long as the transmitter and receiver are on the same frequency, the basic function of the system isn't actually impacted by whether the frequency is "local"
One Year Later, redux: Apple, FCPX and The Perfect Roll-out
by Tim Wilson 4 weeks ago
David Roth Weiss asked me to explain my frequently stated belief that Apple's roll-out of FCPX was perfect, and the immediate EOL of FCP 7 was essential. Good question. Simply stated: There is nothing
+3
Shawn Miller liked this 4 weeks ago
Re: One Year Later, redux: Apple, FCPX and The Perfect Roll-out
by Chris Kenny 4 weeks ago
David Roth Weiss "Then, should Autodesk become the next real powerhouse, the big question will be, will schools across the country want to teach X to aspring legions of future editors And, will Apple
+4
Bill Davis liked this 4 weeks ago
$10,000 to spend on lights. Need some guidance (Kino Flo).
by Travis Detweiler 1 month ago
So, I currently have four Arri 650's. I also have some crappy fluorescent, but I am sick of those after just a few uses. I have a big job coming up in which I will be doing some green screen work, a l
Re: $10,000 to spend on lights. Need some guidance (Kino Flo).
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
I largely agree with Bob above. The key is to decide what you, individually want to become. I know its fashionable to think we can all train ourselves to become a modern "do it all myself" kind of pro
Drop Frame vs Non Drop when editing a 30-minute program
by Stacy Lincoln 1 month ago
I need advice regarding editing 30 minute programs. I have spent most of my 27 year career in news creative services and production. Most of it producing and editing content under 10 minutes in length
Re: Drop Frame vs Non Drop when editing a 30-minute program
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
Chris, Very nice decryption well written. This should help a lot of folks understand the terms. Nice post. "Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful an
Protecting Myself as a Freelance Video Editor
by Gaby Houston 1 month ago
Hello! I'm a freelance video editor with a growing client list and incoming work. A few questions: 1. What are the must-have legal protections I need to make sure I work legitimately Do I need to set
Re: Protecting Myself as a Freelance Video Editor
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
Jonathan Ziegler "A corporation or LLC (limited liability company) limit your personal exposure to liability created by doing business - if someone sues you, they won't get to come after your house a
Lighting Control vs Lighting Fixtures
by Jon Frost 1 month ago
Having read some of the recent postings, I thought it might be nice to offer some guidance to those beginning to acquire their fledgling G&E kits. It seems that some folks get stuck on "what lights sh
Re: Lighting Control vs Lighting Fixtures
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
Oops, double post.
Audio Woes
by Mark Welch 2 months ago
I've been podcasting for several years doing at times three shows. I have always experienced poor audio recordings from my mic system. Here is the setup: Heil PR 40 mic going thru either a Symetrix 52
Re: Audio Woes
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Mark Welch "Here is the setup: Heil PR 40 mic going thru either a Symetrix 528e voice processor or a Golden Gate Pre 73 pre amp. Signal then goes out to an Allen & Heath 24 channel mixer then via USB
My class needs footage for practice...
by Ian Campbell 2 months ago
I'm teaching a little editing at the tail end of our intro film production class and I am finding a hard time locating any footage I can use for my students to work with. I don't really have enough ti
Re: My class needs footage for practice...
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Fred Jodry "I've been looking for a simple scene with dialogue that includes a master shot and a couple different angles and perhaps some cutaways. Most of the footage I find packaged for this purpos
Attaching a Sony ECM-55b under clothing
by Michael West 2 months ago
Good time-of-day-wherever-you-are: Just got my first lav, a Sony ECM-55b. I plan on using it to produce trailers for live theater, shooting selected scenes from various angles (vs. shooting the whole
Re: Attaching a Sony ECM-55b under clothing
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
The classic "sticky triangle" process used to be described step by step with photos on the Location Audio web site years back. It might still be there. "Before speaking out ask yourself whether your w
How to light subject (interior shot) and expose for background through window (exterior)?
by Steven Belcher 2 months ago
We're shooting a series of interviews inside a building but want to expose for the city exterior through the window. I was going to cover the window with ND... but is there a better way to do this We'
Re: How to light subject (interior shot) and expose for background through window (exterior)?
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Steven Belcher "Unfortunately I think I'm stuck with correcting the tungsten." THis is trivial and minor, but might be useful as you approach this. Don't think in terms of "correcting" the light when


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