Stock footage is an umbrella term for short ready-made video clips that you can use in your projects with standard editing techniques. While that might sound like cheating, it's both perfectly legal if you purchase properly licensed footage, for example, from Artgrid. Basically, it's an awesome hack for filmmakers and an economical and effective way to create the content you want and need. If time, budget or geography means that you can't shoot a piece of footage yourself, the chances are someone else has and has made it available for use as stock footage.
Don't believe us? Stock footage is used in content made by big brands, production companies and news agencies. So to show you just how flexible stock footage can be, here are some examples of videos created by big brands that included Artgrid stock. It enabled them to produce precisely the content they needed. You can see why they've opted for stock in these instances but remember: if you can't shoot it yourself, there will be Artgrid stock footage that will fill your need.
From complexity to simplicity
There are occasions when you just don't have the capacity to shoot the footage you need. Here are a few reasons for that:
- It is too complicated to set up
- It takes more time than you have available.
- It's outside of your experience or comfort zone to manage.
A perfect example of this is the clip of the adorable puppies featured in this Samsung advertisement for its The Terrace TV.
Having a litter of puppies on-hand just when you need them for filming is tricky enough to manage. But add on top of that the degree of puppy-wrangling needed and the time it would take to film them, and you have an impractical undertaking on your hands. And since the guys at Feelm Stock already went to all that trouble to deliver the cutest puppy footage ever, it would be foolish not to license it on Artgrid and use it in your videos, right?. That's just what Samsung did. And you can, too.
Whether it's a litter of puppies, a crowd scene or divers exploring a shipwreck, if it's something that you really want but can't accomplish yourself, Artgrid has you covered.
Making the expensive affordable
Some types of footage can be very expensive to produce, for example, lifestyle content that demands costly wardrobe, props and locations. So if you only require a short clip, it's far more economical to search Artgrid using its filters to find the content that you need for your project.
This Netflix documentary, Coded Bias, required some lifestyle footage to help tell its story effectively. However, filming that kind of content specifically for the documentary would not have been a practical or acceptable use of its budget. Artgrid had exactly what was needed, though.
It doesn't have to be beautiful sailboat footage, of course. It can be anything from a large wedding to a dawn yoga session at a wellness retreat. If you don't have the budget to shoot it yourself, search Artgrid.
Setting the tone
There might be occasions when you need to use a cutaway shot to convey a feeling or emotion to your audience. But if setting out to shoot an evocative few seconds of footage isn't at all practical, then have a look through Artgrid's catalog. Whatever you are trying to express, there will be appropriate content just waiting for you to integrate seamlessly into your project and complete it.
Have a look at this video from Hyundai
The producers wanted to include notions of hope and expectation in the film, and to do that included this clip, among others, from Artgrid:
It might be freedom, despair, excitement or unbridled joy; if you need the perfect few seconds of video to express it, Artgrid will have it for you. And remember, if a company as big as Hyundai can use stock footage, so can you!
From far away to at your fingertips
When you're shooting something that's mostly interiors but set in a different state or foreign country, you don't have to fly across the world to shoot footage that gives you a sense of place. Search Artgrid for an appropriate clip for your establishing shot. All you need is a cutaway to the Sydney Opera House or Harbour Bridge to suggest Sydney rather than London. It's quicker, cheaper and better for the environment.
If you need to compile a sequence of clips from across nations and cultures, the most authentic, effective way is to use stock footage. This is what the producers of Netflix's Don't Look Up did for the film's wonderful closing scene, showing people and nature from all over the globe.
And it included this clip from Artgrid:
The scale and depth of this sequence lend themselves to making the most of stock footage, and it means that you can accomplish something equally beautiful and meaningful on your budget.
While this is extremely helpful for footage showing somewhere far from your location, it applies just as easily to weather conditions. If you have brilliant summer sunshine but need to suggest a snowy winter, search Artgrid and select an appropriate clip. Different locations and times of year are at your fingertips.
Wrap up
Using stock footage is simple, affordable and creatively effective. You can use it in any type of video, for any purpose from continuity editing to scene-setting, so that you can tell the exact story that you want to without compromising on the quality of the content. Artgrid's stock footage subscription is cost-effective and the license includes commercial use. You don't have to worry about copyright infringement or rights issues. Join the slew of well known, international brands that have integrated Artgrid footage into their post-production workflow and unleash your creative potential.
