MOVIE MATTERS USING STOCK
filmmaker extra bang for their buck when they’re buying a clip. There are also regular ‘freebies’ to give editors a flavour of what they can achieve, including such things as space background elements, light and dust overlays, LUTs for colour grading, a wedding titles and light leak pack, and a retro realistic distorted VHS effect should you want to simulate vintage footage. It’s all part of the extra mile that stock libraries know they have to travel in order to encourage filmmakers to use their services, and it’s designed to provide the ultimate in flexibility, and to extend still further the scope of the available clips. Videoblocks, part of Storyblocks, is another big library that’s enjoying a boom as filmmakers become more ambitious in terms of what they are looking to
IMAGES Modern stock footage can often be tweaked and graded in a number of ways to suit the look of your production.
buy the right equipment, find the right operator, file the right permits, and get the right permissions to film that aerial shot of New York City at night. Think about how long it takes - all just for one shot in one scene. Your precious resources are better spent going towards the meat of your project.” Depending on the look you’re trying to match it’s possible to search certain keywords in Videoblocks’ member library to find the right footage. Something like aerial footage is obvious enough, but if you’re looking for specific lighting, that could be a little more challenging.
achieve. CEO TJ Leonard points out that it could be impossibly expensive for a small production to film such things as a skyline shot in Shanghai or underwater clips of manta rays, but other filmmakers will have just that clip and it could be very cost effective to acquire and drop in. “Stock footage allows you to save on production costs without compromising your vision,” he says. “Save your time and budget for the important custom scenes you need to pull your film together by using stock footage to fill in some of the gaps or to get some of the expensive shots. Think about howmuch it costs to rent or
“It’s designed to provide the ultimate in flexibility and extend the scope of available clips”
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PRO MOVIEMAKER AUTUMN 2018
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