Stock footage has gained unprecedented popularity in recent times, due to their immediate availability adding onto to cost saving. This trend has affected not only the buyers but sellers as well. Though we all depend on them, not many know how to make the most of them.
Stock footage essentially is small clips of videos, still images or a combination of both, available online for download. These footage are essentially licensed and can be purchased online. Over the years, we have seen stock footage being used by film-makers, in fact, they are so common that most of the time we don't even realize it was a stock footage only to confuse it for a scene in the movie, sitcom or documentary. Remember the scene that showed volcanic eruption? Remember a tourist spot brimming with people enjoying themselves? Yes, you've got it right, they both were stock footage. It have numerous advantages:
I. Cost and Time Effective: Compare cost of downloading a video clip to cost of hiring a camera, crew and travelling to and from the shoot locations. It obviously saves you a lot of money as you bypass expenses that would otherwise go in hiring camera, crew and transportation, saving you not only money but time as well.
II. Offering Substitute Scenes: Most of the motion pictures today make extensive use of stock footage. It is almost impossible for a production company to shoot scenes like natural calamity on their own while others may find incorporating special effects a bit expensive. It's then, the stock footage come to their rescue and the film makers can easily show a volcanic eruption or flooded neighbourhood, if the story demands.
III. Instant Availability: They are available for download straight away. Once downloaded depending on the need and licensing, you can modify the video to suit your need.
All these advantages are enough to get us excited. If we have a project at hand then, out of excitement we might miss on few details that can cost us the quality of our end-product. There are a few factors the buyer needs to be aware of while selecting that perfect footage. These are:
I. Footage Licensing: This is very important; not knowing the licensing and how to use it can lead you to nightmarish legal battle. Available footage are either royalty-free or rights-managed. Royalty-free clips can be purchased once and with the purchase you earn the right to use it in all media, worldwide, in perpetuity within the same film production while rights-managed clips may have limitations in regards to media, license period, and territories.
II. Quality: Quality of stock footage is very essential. The quality of stock footage should match the quality of your actual project. Imagine the horror, when two of your created clips are linked using a low pixelated footage. It will not only break the smooth flow of your clip but the audience will automatically lose their interest too.
III. Availability of Legal Guarantee: A free legal protection is provided by most of the reputed footage providers to grant you protection, should any legal problem arise on using the footage purchased through them. Most sellers allow modifications to their footage while a minority might be strict with respect to editing option. You can always cross check this when you buy the footage.
Stock footage market has estimated annual revenue of USD $282 million. It's not only cost effective for the buyers but it generates a good income for sellers as well. If you are struggling to finish your project under budget then stock footage might just be the deal for you.
The author of this article is associated with MrFootage, a leading provider of stock footage. MrFootage boasts of a massive collection of Nature & Landscape, Wildlife, Bloopers, Marine and Sports footages among others.
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