Things You Should Know About Stock Footage

By Author: Erik Jonason
Total Articles: 34
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The demand of stock footage in the multi-million dollar film making industry has increased in the recent years. From commercial videos to documentaries, stock footage is used everywhere. The article talks about licensing models and other things to consider before buying or selling a stock footage.

The process of audio, video, script, direction keeps evolving in the multi-million film making industry. There's a fierce competition among directors and producers to give something new to audience in every film or documentary they create.

Stock footage is extensively used in film and documentary making as producers are finding it as a cost and time saving solution.

Sometimes, it is not possible to get substantial shots of wildlife or nature and a stock footage can fill up the gaps in your video. For example, if you want to show volcanic eruption in the video, it is just not possible to capture the shot instantly and waiting for an eruption to take place is not a practical thought. At such moments, a stock footage of volcanic eruption which was taken years back can be of great help. All you have to do is select ...
... the right footage and insert it in the video.

The increasing popularity of stock footage has attracted many freelance camera persons and even amateurs to sell their video clips. From sports video footage to clippings of animals, landscapes, 3D animation, and visual effects, there are various genres in footage available to film makers.

Types of Stock Footage

Whether you are planning to buy or provide stock footage, there are certain related terms one should be aware of.

Royalty Free (RF) - It is the licensing model through which a stock footage is made available to buyers. A royalty free stock footage once bought can be used and re-used number of times without paying additional licensing fees. The intellectual property rights however remain with the videographer.

Rights Managed (RM) - In a rights managed stock footage, the licensed rights are quoted on the basis of specific usage and limited amount of time. RM can be more or less expensive than RF, depending upon how you intend to use the clip.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Stock Footage

With so many stock footage providers, it might get difficult for you to choose the most appropriate clip for your video project. There are certain things buyers should take care of:

• Choose the stock footage on the basis of delivery format of your film or documentary. NTSC or PAL, HD 1080 p or HD 720p, 320x240 or 640x480 are the formats you have to make a choice between.

• In case you aren't sure on the playback format for video, go for high definition progressive formats HD 72p or HD 1080p.

• When you are purchasing a clip to showcase elements in foreground only, consider the Alpha matte factor. Done with the help of software, Alpha matte is use of black and white image in isolating sections of the video to replace the background. The technique is used in Chroma key videos and 3D animated footages.

• Model release is getting a usage rights document signed by the person who is present in the video. This is usually required if the clip is used for commercial clips.

• When you are using a stock footage with a recognizable property to produce a commercial clip, make sure that the clip has a property release from the owner of the property.

Author of this article is associated with Stock.MrFootage.com, one of the reputed libraries for stock footage. It is the one-stop-place for wildlife, celebrities, sports, marine, aerial, and other genres of footage.