Tips To Select A Quality Stock Footage

By Author: Erik Jonason
Total Articles: 34
Comment this article

Stock footage plays an important role of adding realism to the film or documentary. Most importantly, it saves the efforts, time, and money of the filmmaker. Nowadays, there is a huge demand of video footage in the market. This article will tell you about the things that you should keep in mind before purchasing the footage online.

Stock footage, also known as archive footage has a number of benefits. It not only saves the time and money but also provides realism. It can be used in films, documentaries, commercials, news, and projects, etc. There are several categories of stock footage such as sports, nature, war and disaster, technology, business, industry, wildlife, people, and health, etc. Video footage is mostly used by the filmmakers in their films as shooting the scenes will be very expensive and time consuming for them and most importantly, people will easily judge that the scenes of the film are not real. And one thing you should remember that nobody can produce something better than the real. So, prefer to go for a stock footage.

Now-a-days, there are a number of websites selling stock footage at reasonable ...
... prices and most of them don't ask for royalty. But it does not mean that all the footage possess the consistent quality. There are certain things that you should keep in mind while purchasing the stock footage:

Resolution: Resolution of a stock footage is really important to judge its quality. There are a number of delivery resolutions and video formats such as SD, PAL, and HD, etc. Choose the resolution and format of the stock footage that can be easily added or mixed in between the video that you have shot.

Composition: Composition of a video means how a particular subject is placed in the frame. The subject should not look awkward and most of the times standard composition is preferred where the subject is place in the centre of the frame.

Motion: If you are looking for a quality video footage, the movement of both; the subject and the camera is very important. It will enhance the charm and drama of the scene.
Focal Length: Focal Length is one of the most important factors while looking out for a stock footage online. It ensures that whether the length of the lens for shooting a particular shot is correct. Videos having short focal length and long focal length should be avoided.

Lighting: Lighting can either enhance or degrade the quality of the footage. Make sure that there is appropriate lighting, whether it is a natural light, artificial light or a combination of both.

Compression and Delivery: As different companies offer several compression codec, you have to be sure about your requirement. Choosing a wrong compression video can waste all your hardwork.

Authenticity: If you talk about authenticity, it is all about realism. The stock footage you select should look authentic and “do not beat around the bush”. It can enhance the impact of your film or documentary.

Location: Last but not the least, the location where the scene has been shot should be relevant to each other; else it can affect the other factors such as authenticity, composition, lighting, and camera movement.

Now-a-days finding a quality stock footage is very easy as there are several websites available. You can search a number of videos online and select the best one which can be incorporated in the final project. But before purchasing any video footage, you should check whether the particular website is authentic and has good reputation in the market.

The author of this article is associated with MrFootage, a leading online distributor of stock footage.