MOVIE MATTERS USING STOCK
However, once you find a clip that matches the look you want you can then use tags from the contributor to find clips from the same shoot, so you’ll be able to source more content that has a similar aesthetic. As with Shutterstock, the facility is provided to customise stock material, to blend it with your brand or film’s look. From adding colour gradients to blurring backgrounds, there’s plenty that can be done to customise stock footage so that it suits your project’s needs. There’s green screen footage, mock-up templates, lower thirds effects, smoke and fire, and numerous other visual effects available with Storyblocks’ subscription, plus free tutorials on the company’s blog. Sell your own stock Obviously the whole issue of stock is double-edged, and just as you might look to buy in clips that would cost a fortune to produce you can also look to offset the cost of expensive shoots by selling footage from your main shoot, B-roll or personal shoots. It’s a case of getting into the right mindset: you might well already have material on file that would be of interest to others, and you simply need to get into the habit of looking this out and offering it for sale. “The first thing you need to ask is what kind of stock would you be looking for yourself,” says Kyle Trotter. “If you’ve got a niche that you specialise in then so much the better, but it’s crucial that you have great production values and that your footage is all shot at 4K if not higher. The better the quality, the more something will stand out. “The kind of subject needs to be something that someone else couldn’t easily produce, otherwise why wouldn’t they just shoot the sequence themselves? In theory, however, everything can be stock, and there will always be someone looking for something, even if it’s quite
“If you’ve got a niche then somuch the better, but it’s crucial you have great production values”
More information www.shutterstock.com RocketStock by Shutterstock www.rocketstock.com/by-shutterstock Tutorials on Shutterstock: www.shutterstock.com/blog/video- production PremiumBeat Blog www.premiumbeat.com/blog www.videoblocks.com out Videoblocks’ 2018 trends, which is full of information about what users are searching for on the site. The company also shares information about what its members want through its contributor newsletter and the creators section of its blog. Most libraries will be only too happy to share the same information since it’s very much in their interests to do so, so take a look around online and do your research, and you’ll find plenty of information that will help you produce footage that others want to buy. 30 seconds long and at least 1080p in resolution. “Authentic lifestyle clips are always in high demand, while members are also looking for high production value shots like city aerials, nature time-lapses and slowmotion. However, everyone trying to shoot the same content can saturate areas. Shoot what you’re best at or what you enjoy most, and don’t be afraid to create a niche.” Those looking for inspiration can check
obscure. Make sure that you have tied up the rights to everything you use, because if you don’t own it you can’t sell it.” At Videoblocks there has been a steady rise in the amount of 4K footage held, which currently stands at more than three million clips, and supplying material at this resolution or above helps to future-proof portfolios to an extent. “To submit material you need to sign up, upload your content, add descriptive titles and relevant keywords so that customers can find your content, and then you submit your files to our review team,” says T J Leonard. “Once the clips have been approved they’ll be available in our marketplace for customers to purchase. Clips should be around 20 to
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PRO MOVIEMAKER AUTUMN 2018
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