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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
2776 Posts
100 posts500 posts1000 posts
Location:
Scottsdale, AZ
Friends:

Ty Ford
Bold Statement Warning!
by craig slattery 1 day ago
Iam cutting a 1 2hour doco for television. 12 day edit, 18 contributors, actuality, over 700 clips EVERYTHING shot 3 cameras, even the PTCs shot 3 cameras. C300, Canon 5D MKIII, DV25 (stylistic choice
Re: Bold Statement Warning!
by Bill Davis 18 hours ago
Dude, Remember the Japanese fellow discovered on that isolated island still actively engaged in World War II literally decades after everyone else got over it. Just sayin' ; ) Know someone who teaches
Exporting Issue
by Jay Craig 5 days ago
So I finished editing my project, tried to upload it but I get that damn "still referencing media on camera" pop up. So I used the "Reimporting from Camera Archive" feature but still couldn't export.
Re: Exporting Issue
by Bill Davis 4 days ago
It *might* have simply been that X was processing stuff behind the scenes and wan't done. Often with X, patience and allowing the software to calculate in peace for a while will solve issues. Honestly
FCP-X Keywording, Movieola and Me.
by Bill Davis 5 days ago
Just a heads up for any who might be interested. Last month, Movieola out in LA asked me to do one of their production related webinars: My topic is: Tagging and Keyword Strategies Inside Final Cut Pr
+2
Jeremy Garchow liked this 5 days ago
Re: FCP-X Keywording, Movieola and Me.
by Bill Davis 5 days ago
But Jeremy, if I reveal what lies behind the "cogwheel of power" then everyone will know our secrets! ; ) Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college Tell them
Crew operation procedure
by Ben Murphy 1 week ago
Hey Guys, I am a film student doing my first"professional" gig... I had a quick question that came up as I was building the crew... Who is it on the crew that traditionally picks up, checks, and retur
Re: Crew operation procedure
by Bill Davis 5 days ago
Differes a lot depending on the size of the crew. Key Grip might have the direct responsibility for seeing everything gets back on a large crew shoot. Or the production coordinator if it's an even big
Advice on Shooting Pro Bono
by Sareesh Sudhakaran 1 week ago
From time to time I get a few requests to do free work for charity. I've decided to take a few on in my free time, and am working out the legal aspects with my lawyer. I've worked for free before, but
Re: Advice on Shooting Pro Bono
by Bill Davis 6 days ago
Here's my 2 cents. In charity work. it's even more important to "qualify" your clients. Some legitimate charities have significant budgets. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do pro bono work for them, j
Off topic - Viral Video featuring Dogs - Advice needed
by Greg Ball 1 week ago
We're working on a project for a client who markets Dog products. We're looking at putting dogs into multiple business environments. One thing we would need is to show paws hitting keyboards, grabbing
Re: Off topic - Viral Video featuring Dogs - Advice needed
by Bill Davis 6 days ago
Actually, the miracle problem solver for cat bathing turned out to be relatively simple IF you're not trying to videotape the whole process from the "before" stage. In "real" grooming, you can make it
I am capturing files in FCP 7 for client who is using FCPX, will they work?
by Ben Edwards 1 week ago
Hi, I just got a frantic phone call from someone who has HDV tapes (Z1) and needs to get them into FCPX. They dont have a HDV deck, luckily I do. I have FCP 7 & Premiere but not FCP X. I am currently
Re: I am capturing files in FCP 7 for client who is using FCPX, will they work?
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
You'll be fine. X is reasonably "format agnostic" when it comes to import. There are some exceptions generally around formats that have oddball compression schemes, but if you're transcoding to ProRes
breaking news from the "Quiche Lorraine or not" debate forum.
by Aindreas Gallagher 1 week ago
Kevin Monahan suggests adobe might be considering introducing subscription tiers - they're definitely looking at it for photographers apparently. http: forums.creativecow.net readpost 378 658 he sugge
Re: breaking news from the "Quiche Lorraine or not" debate forum.
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Kevin Monahan "My editor just shook her head and said, "That's not just any dime, that's a lucky dime!" Classic." In the movie version, the waitress then sidles up and stage whispers "Quiet - not so
News footage
by Bob Cole 1 week ago
I have a couple of questions about how to use news footage. First: I'm seeing clips being used extensively in broadcast and cable. Am I correct to assume that the shows which use broadcast clips from
Re: News footage
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Bob, There is a very specific exemption under copyright law for both satire and for the use of small snippits of otherwise copyright material for teaching and criticism in areas such as reviews and cl
Blue overlays in FCPX
by Tom Szymanski 1 week ago
Hey, we're new to FCPX and wondering what's up with the blue overlays we're seeing on this video. It was shot on RED, and we have the Red plugin. The video plays without the blue in both the viewer an
Re: Blue overlays in FCPX
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Not a clue. Sorry. I agree it looks like something mapping luma values to the screen via false color. I had a monitor card going bad once that did the same kinda thing, but on everything, not just sti
Sony ECM-77b low output?
by Bob Mark 3 weeks ago
My Sony lav all of a sudden has dropped it's output level by about 2 3. The connections look fine. Do you think it's the transformer Any other ideas Thanks! Bob
Re: Sony ECM-77b low output?
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Just as food for thought... The sonic profile of the ECM-77b was always extremely sensitive and quiet. As such it matched particularly well when intercut with higher end boom mics like those from Scho
Pre-editing Collaboration. Maintaining/sharing keywords, ranges, favorites and other organizational metadata
by adam chesbrough 2 weeks ago
My issue now is how to effectively collaborate and share (keywords, favorites, ranges etc). Here is my process with #4 being the issue. 1. I learned my lesson and begin a share within FCPX using dupli
Re: Pre-editing Collaboration. Maintaining/sharing keywords, ranges, favorites and other organizational metadata
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Just so you understand, I got it from this idea directly from your original post... ______ For all of these reasons I now stick to the following practices: 1. Keep all media outside of the events and
Creative Cloud and the future of the creative process
by Walter Soyka 1 week ago
With all the angst over Creative Cloud, and with the general impression that CC is just a new way to charge for CS, I think some good ideas in CC are being left out of the conversation. Have you read
Re: Creative Cloud and the future of the creative process
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Not sure if this is the thread you referenced below, Walter. But here's my take anyway. I think Adobe's announcement is a little bit their version of the Apple X announcement just 18 months later. Act
+1
Thoughts from an Apple Fanboi
by John Davidson 1 week ago
There are so many competing philosophies going on regarding the cloud issue popping up. As a relative early adopter of FCPX, Apple fanboi, etc., maybe some of you will consider these thoughts interest
+2
Jeremy Garchow liked this 1 week ago
Re: Thoughts from an Apple Fanboi
by Bill Davis 1 week ago
Andrew Kimery "This might be a stupid question but how would CC screw up her work as a top tier freelance artist and designer " As noted, my wife's the project manager in this case working with numer
Good problem to have....I must EDIT lighting package!
by Erik Anschicks 2 weeks ago
A few large networks I shoot for will be sending me on the road a lot more. Now, they are pretty reasonable. I can have around 4-5 cases checked (camera and lighting), one can be oversized overweight,
Re: Good problem to have....I must EDIT lighting package!
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
Unless I KNOW I'm walking into a CEO in his her power office situation I seldom take window gel. And when I do, it's that Rosco stuff that combines 2 stops ND with CTO in a single gel. If I'm gonna cu
Compound clip length bug or feature?
by Richard Jacana 2 weeks ago
I am breaking up my little 30 min home movie into 13 compound clips (each compound clip contains about 1.2 - 2 min of video). This is been suggest by many FCPxers here right I then created a master co
Re: Compound clip length bug or feature?
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
Richard Jacana ""Effectively, each compound clip can be considered a mini project,"" I totally understand that you're wrapping your head around new complexity. And honestly, any way you want to work
DSLR Audio setup using H4N, Sennheiser G2 LAV with a Sescom Interface
by Frank Giardina 2 weeks ago
Hi Everyone... I'm trying to improve my audio recording. I have the Sescom interface with the headphone jack. The one with the 25db pad. I'm recording 4 channels, running my G2 into one of the XLRs, a
Re: DSLR Audio setup using H4N, Sennheiser G2 LAV with a Sescom Interface
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
Frank Giardina "Hi... yes Headphone line out " But you see "headphone" level and "line" level are two completely different things. Line level is a engineering specification where the signal is inside
Bouncing Ideas Off Experienced Heads.
by Simon Roughan 2 weeks ago
Hello Everybody. As I have stated in past, I produce TV Spots here in Germany. Often I must act as an agency as well as a producer, and because our sales department aren't exactly the most creative gr
Re: Bouncing Ideas Off Experienced Heads.
by Bill Davis 2 weeks ago
Back up. You've created scripts for what appear to be BRAND RECOGNITION spots. This type of advertising can certainly build brand awareness, but it's typically NOT designed to drive potential customer
+1
Demo Reel Guidlines Copyrights
by Ian Zainea 3 weeks ago
Hello all, I am currently working for a video production company. We produce a TV show and several commercials. I was under the impression I could use clips from the projects I was heavily involved in
Re: Demo Reel Guidlines Copyrights
by Bill Davis 3 weeks ago
It's always been standard practice in the industry for creatives who directly work on projects to use examples of their contributions for self-promotion. It's a good reflection on the shop itself, tha
Shotgun mics and motorsport
by Cal Thorley 4 weeks ago
Hi, Just after some advice please. Once or twice a year I shoot a bit of drag racing and when shooting near the start line (ie. the noisy place!) I'm getting distortion. Levels are ok so would I be ri
Re: Shotgun mics and motorsport
by Bill Davis 4 weeks ago
In situations where I've had to record in high sound pressure levels, I typically reach for mics that are designed to do kick drum recording. I grab one of my venerable Sennheiser MD-421Us usually, bu
Has anyone used backups for Final Cut Pro software?
by Ignacio Holiday 4 weeks ago
I'm looking for a way to set up my system to make hourly backups of my FCP projects, like Time Machine does with my hard drive. Has anyone used this "Backup for Final Cut Pro" software https: itunes.a
Re: Has anyone used backups for Final Cut Pro software?
by Neil Sadwelkar 4 weeks ago
Carbon Copy Cloner can do hourly backups. And copy only modified files. And, archive whatever it's overwriting. ----------------------------------- Neil Sadwelkar neilsadwelkar.blogspot.com twitter: f
+1
Bill Davis liked this 4 weeks ago
File: MS Booth at NAB 2013
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
jpg file The Microsoft Booth at NAB 2013 http: f1.creativecow.net 5868 ms-booth-at-nab-2013
green lamps for chroma key lighting
by Bob Cole 1 month ago
I am curious as to why Kino Flo sells green tubes for lighting chroma key screens. Good idea, bad, or neutral I have never used them, but I would think they are a bad idea and wonder what they are goo
Re: green lamps for chroma key lighting
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
You aren't missing anything, Bob. They're a particular tool to solve particular probems. With green screen lit traditionally, there might be issues on the keying surface or an inability to generate an
+1
TWO shotgun mics - ONE location?
by Friedrich Popusismi 1 month ago
Hi all, I will be filming a product video featuring two people behind a desk talking. I am a one-man-band and I only own shotgun microphones. I do have a Zoom H4n that is capable to record stereo with
Re: TWO shotgun mics - ONE location?
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
Those plots are for stereo recording. What you're trying to do is dual mono. You want each voice separated into it's own channel with as little bleed as practical between the two signal paths. The pro
Self-recording stick mic?
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Was preparing for NAB where I'm going to have to do some live stand-up interviews over the week. Thinking about gear, It suddenly struck me as kinda weird that none of the major Mic manufacturers seem
Re: Self-recording stick mic?
by Bill Davis 1 month ago
Thanks all for the help. $1200 plus US Yikes. No wonder it didn't catch on. Seems like something that could be done for a couple of hundred bucks easily. Thanks for the tips, Ty. I'll check those out.
Where's the modern era stick mic?
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Was preparing for NAB where I'm going to have to do some live stand-up interviews over the week. Thinking about gear, It suddenly struck me as kinda weird that none of the major Mic manufacturers seem
Re: Where's the modern era stick mic?
by Mike Smith 1 month ago
Maybe http: cheesycam.com rode-introduces-two-new-microphones-built-in-digital-recorder http: gadgets.itwriting.com 2006-review-olympus-ls-14-2496-audio-recorder.html http: www.boughen.com.au broadcas
How to achieve: Even TV lighting & black (void) limbo lighting
by Corey Protin 2 months ago
Hello everyone! I've currently been brought on to LD a TV show of a full choir in studio. The Producers have for the show to be lit in black (or void) limbo lighting where the background falls off int
Re: How to achieve: Even TV lighting & black (void) limbo lighting
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Corey Protin "Well with proper falloff, the background would be black do to a lack of light. Hence the initial question of finding the proper lights that will allow for a sudden fallout off, but stil
NPR Audio Gear Auction NOW!
by Ty Ford 2 months ago
http: rasmuscatalog.com cgi-bin mnlist.cgi rasmus1544 category ALL Regards, Ty Ford Cow Audio Forum Leader Want better production audio : Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford's B
Re: NPR Audio Gear Auction NOW!
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Wow. Memory lane. If ever there was confirmation that the industry is in a whole new era, this is it. Sic transit technology. Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school o
+1
Shooting for Screen Replacement (Compositing in Post)
by Chris Uy 2 months ago
Hey all, I've got a project that's got a couple of tricky guidelines caveats to it. The basic gist is - we need to shoot a large touchscreen monitor with talent interacting with it. Obviously the moir
Re: Shooting for Compositing in Post
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Oops double post
In-house editing....in a cubicle?
by Joe Knapp 2 months ago
Okay, there is a subtle push to put everyone (including me) into a cubicle structure. Yeah... I know of no video creative that edits in this manner. The closest I've seen was a motion graphics animati
Re: In-house editing....in a cubicle?
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Strategy: "Boss, that's GREAT! I'm really tired of being stuck in an isolated room alone having my brain turned to mush by the loudspeakers and being the ONLY one who can see and hear all the companie
+1
Basic PA & mixer suggestions
by Jesse Gibson 2 months ago
I want to purchase a small, affordable mixer to run a couple of mics into a small amp and speaker for all staff meetings at my work. As I want to record the speakers on our Sony FS100 camcorder, I als
Re: Basic PA & mixer suggestions
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Just to amplify (HA!) what Rob said... The physical connection isn't really important. What's important in balanced audio is that you maintain all THREE connections through the audio chain. Whether a
Fee for handing over all footage?
by Grant Wilber 2 months ago
I'm getting to the point where I'm bringing in some bigger jobs. In the past I've always been happy to turn over any footage the client wants at the end of a project just to keep relationships going.
Re: Fee for handing over all footage?
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
The higher up the ladder you go, the less you'll find ownership rights a subject that you can do anything about. With small clients it wasn't important because they didn't ever have the money to pay f
Top 7 pro editing applications?
by Daniel Peterson 3 months ago
Ok I've been searching around a little, and as far as I can tell these are the 7 most popular professional editing applications (no order) Do you agree Avid Media Composer Final Cut X Final Cut 7 Prem
Re: Top 7 pro editing applications?
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
I respect the analogy, Stephen. But I hope you've missed the current commercial featuring the plumber working under the sink who turns out to be the same guy who did the family taxes at the local "tax
Solutions for capturing Annotated slides and graphics? (computer telestrator)
by Alex Smith 2 months ago
Greetings folks! I'm looking for a good way to capture annotations made to ppt slides and graphics. I'm seeing this more and more in online learning modules. I'm hoping for a non-time intensive (not m
Re: Solutions for capturing Annotated slides and graphics? (computer telestrator)
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
IIRC, there's a PC Package called Fingerworks that does exactly this. Touchpad annotation over PowerPoint. Never used it so don't have an opinion about it. But maybe worth a look Know someone who teac
Lighting Interiors for Video
by Michael Asgian 3 months ago
I am a photographer that is just about to step into Video. I need some advice from you guys Video experts. Most of the times when I'm shooting Interiors, I'm lighting them with flash. Sometimes when s
Re: Lighting Interiors for Video
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
This is a fabulous capability for sure. I just worry about the hassle of perfecting 13 moving mattes to "re- light" in post. Reminds me of 3D modeling. Everyone loves it. But nobody outside Blockbuste
Portable lighting solution??
by Paul Dombrovskis 2 months ago
Hi guys, anyone knows has experience with good portable lighting solution. We are planning to have a shoot with couple of models on the local mountain with RED Scarlet and trying to figure out what wo
Re: Portable lighting solution??
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
On reading this it kinda seems to me that most of your experience might come from reading and talking about production rather than from actually doing a whole lot of field shooting I might be wrong, b
Foot candle for infinite white cyc
by Mike Jeffs 2 months ago
I am experimenting with a cyc wall painted white to achive the apple infinite white that is really popular now. But I'm trying to fiugre what the right foot candle or at least a ratio for lighting the
Re: Foot candle for infinite white cyc
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
Just as an aside, one of the things that makes this a whole lot easier is the trend for quality LCD small monitor manufacturers to build in "false color" algorithms. I haven't used a scope for setting
Fresnel lens on canon 5d mk ii
by Paul Wright 2 months ago
Hi all, hope everyone is well. My first time posting in this particular forum, but just wanted some advice. I love the look that Terry Gilliam gets on films like 12 monkeys and Brazil. I've read that
Re: Fresnel lens on canon 5d mk ii
by Bill Davis 2 months ago
A fresnel lense is NOT something you use on a camera. It's something you use on a lighting instrument. It uses a quirk of physics to soften the shadow rendering characteristics of a beam that can be p
ADR software option
by Danor Gerald 3 months ago
I just setup a studio in our corporate office with a nice soundbooth from Whisperroom. We often have to record other languages and dub over the original video. We have soundtrack pro and adobe auditio
Re: ADR software option
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
If you find you can work in FCP-X this is another task that's INSANELY easy. Import your video into the Event Brower and into a storyline. Go to the Window Menu and you'll find Record Audio as a choic
+1
Studio drapes/curtain seams in post
by Mike Little 3 months ago
Hi! I have been directed to set up a small studio at my work. The use will be mostly for "talking head" interviews and such. Seated. To add some versatility to the space, and since I can't paint it, w
Re: Studio drapes/curtain seams in post
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
Just FYI... Paper rolls are great. But... curtains can do double duty. They provide backdrops AND they provide significant sound dampening if used properly. Visual people often don't "think" in sound
Taking Care Of Yourself
by Dan Asselin 3 months ago
Just thought I'd let my friends know at this forum, that after many months of searching, I have finally found eyedrops which work that don't sting when i put them in. Brand new (I think) Visine Multi-
Re: Taking Care Of Yourself
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
Jason Jenkins "You do know it's OK to blink while editing, right ;)" Actually, if you don't blink - you can't really know where to edit. At least according Mr. Murchs famous theory. So there would be
Waving copyright
by Nick Patten 3 months ago
hi i never came accross a agency asking me to wave all my copyright and intelectual propertry on my footage i filmed, all the files i generate be it animation, graphics and video edits. i m not sure a
Re: Waiving copyright
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
Mark Suszko "The client is asking you to contract as a work for hire, meaning you WAIVE your rights to anything to do with the footage once you've been paid: all ownership becomes the client's. This
An idea for a new reality show - "Bandits" !
by George Holt III 3 months ago
We have a world famous club called, "The Bandit Trans Am Club", that's been around since the early 90's. It's full of Trans Am owners from around the world that buy, restore, sell, show off, and just
Re: An idea for a new reality show - "Bandits" !
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
I still believe you're thinking too narrowly. Why Trans Ams It's like 000.1% of car nuts. You have a whole world out there of people who fetishize their cars. THATS your show. Fine, start with Team Tr
who makes the treatment and script?
by clyde villegas 3 months ago
In general, who creates the treatment, script, and or storyboard: the advertising agency or the video production company Thanks a lot! ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus
Re: who makes the treatment and script?
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
clyde villegas "What is actually done in the real world, or at least in the U.S. " There's not a single answer to this. The Agency typically has a variety of jobs. (often VERY dependent on their oper
What's your percentage?
by Sareesh Sudhakaran 3 months ago
Hi, I am slowly transitioning my video business. Currently I shoot talking heads and I tend to quote 200% of expenses. E.g., if a day's work costs me about $500, I quote $1,000. The scope of my work,
Re: What's your percentage?
by Bill Davis 3 months ago
100% markup on below the line expenses will rapidly price you out of a competitive range. Take a clue from the film world tradition of "above the line" and "below the line" quoting. Essentially, above


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