Sometimes during an initial discussion about a legacy video, I just know that I am going to propose to my potential client that they embed stock footage. Perhaps the storyteller’s life was intertwined with some seminal events in history that the old newscasts can help visualize. Perhaps the family has few visual elements, such as photos and memories, and I know that I can use stock images to give context, interest, and “entertainment value” to the stories that are told.
My most recent legacy video was a case in point. During our initial phone call, my client described the life of her 95-year-old father-in-law, whose stories we would be documenting: Shanghai arrived from New Orleans at age eleven and was forced to shovel coal in a steamer. for months; jumping freight trains during the Great Depression; joined the Army as a minor when he was fifteen, then joined the Merchant Marine after Pearl Harbor; survive being torpedoed; landing at Utah Beach on D-Day; hitchhiking with Bedouins to visit Cairo, Egypt, the list was endless. I knew that stock footage could really make this video sing.
Stock footage in a personal video bio, could you ask? Isn’t that kind of thing reserved for big budget productions? Where would I find the injections I need? How can I afford it? All good questions and I’ll address them here.
WHAT IS ARCHIVAL STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY?
We’re on the same page, I’m talking about movies and videos from years past: newscasts, documentaries, government propaganda and training movies, commercials, cartoons, TV shows, etc. There are a ton of great old movies and videos available. The trick is figuring out what you need, finding the right source, and then getting the license and yes, paying for it.
SO WHAT DO YOU NEED?
Before beginning your search, it helps to get an idea of what you are looking for and how much execution time it might take. Let’s say you need footage of the D-Day landings in France. At first, if you have not yet screened or filmed your familiar narrator, you may have to estimate the number of takes / seconds of footage that you think might meet your needs. If you already have an interview, you can project, or even a preliminary cut of the sequence where you would like to insert the archive shots, you can use them to get more precise times for the amount of footage you want.
Make a “wish list” of topics and estimated run times and use it and start exploring.
WHO HAS THE ASSETS?
There are many companies that offer footage. Here are three to get you started:
- Purchase footage
- Periscope film
- WPA movie library
Companies differ when it comes to prices and end products. Some provide pre-cut clips for a fixed cost. Others charge per second and require minimum orders. Offers may be royalty-free or licensed for a production. You may be able to choose the crop, frame rate, and codec you want, or you may just need to take what is provided.
FIND THE RIGHT THINGS
Finding the perfect clips can take some time, but it’s also fun. Fortunately, most of the stock footage providers have preview clips online. So it’s a matter of going to a site, entering search terms, and seeing what comes up.
When you find something you like, make notes about it: site, clip number, and timecode (most clips have a visible timecode, allowing you to pick in and out points, crucial for determining timing execution and cost). Many sites also allow you to store lists of your searches, if you create an account first, or of course.
Consider downloading filtered or preview clips, if possible. They can be low resolution versions of the clips, or even high resolution, but with watermarks to prevent theft. Import clips into your editing timeline for precise In and Out points; even edit them in your program to see if they meet your needs. You’ll also get a better idea of the quality (which can vary widely) from a larger preview file than from online postage stamp-size clips.
Feel free to contact a company directly if you don’t see what you are looking for on their site. They may be able to direct you to some hidden nugget that did not appear in your search.
PAYING THE PIPER
Stock footage companies generally have different pricing tiers. For example, purchased footage for a big-budget television documentary is going to cost more than the same footage for a legacy video production that might have an audience of a handful. Productions such as personal video biographies can generally qualify for lower-cost “personal use” pricing. It’s best to get an idea of what a business charges when you first visit their site, so you don’t waste time looking through images that you later find you can’t pay.
TAKING YOUR FINAL CHOICES
Seconds (and therefore their cost) can add up quickly, so do your best to order only the number of images you think you can use, and maybe just a pinch more. I always ask for just a few more seconds here and there, just to know I’m covered (and I almost always use it), but not enough to break the budget.
One final note: be careful with duplication! It is not unusual to find the same shots reused in various newscasts and documentaries, and sometimes even modified a bit within the same film to make them look different. I once made the mistake of buying two different shots from a WWII submarine by launching a torpedo, one from the right side of the sub and the other from the left, only to find that they were the same shot, only they were flipped horizontally. . So some wasted money but a lesson learned.
Ordering images online is pretty easy. Some clips are available for immediate download, while others may take longer to transfer to the format you need and then upload.
WOW
Your family and clients will be amazed when they see your stories dramatically enhanced with historical archive footage, perhaps complemented by music and / or sound effects. If you think that your archival footage is permanently out of reach, please try again. With a little research, you may find that you can incorporate some of those great vintage scenes into your next family video.