Why a Filmmaker Needs Stock Footage

Have you ever tried using stock footage yourself? If you're a filmmaker then using stock footage can be really advantageous. There are various reasons why filmmakers use stock footage. Read on to know it has always been an integral part of film making.

Stock footage is a combination of videos, photographs or both. These clips are available for download online at nominal prices. The footage falls into two licensing categories namely royalty-free and rights-managed. Royalty-free licensed footage permits a buyer to use it multiple number of times with single purchase. While rights-managed footage is more exclusive and the buyer needs to specify why and where the footage will be used.

If you're a filmmaker then there are a number of situations where using stock footage can help you. Few of them have been listed below:

Impractical shots
Movies among other visual media have long been a fan of stock footage. One of the most famous examples of usage of this footage in film industry is of the Oscar-winning motion picture "Forrest Gump". In the movie, it was modified with computer generated imagery to show the lead character socializing with historic figures such as John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and John Lennon. Filming such scene would have been practically impossible in real life.

There are also times when shots are critical to the project but impossible to shoot, for instance, getting an up and close shoot of volcanic eruption or a ravaging tornado. Capturing such shots will not only put your crew in a life threatening situation, but will also increase your budget extensively. It is then a professional quality stock footage can come to a film maker's rescue, helping him achieve amazing results.

Budget constraints
Like we know purchasing a stock footage is much cheaper, especially when compared to on-site shooting expenses. As a filmmaker it comes as a big plus. To be honest every filmmaker prefers to take the trouble of renting a quality camera, traveling to the location, setting up lights and sounds to get that perfect shot. But harsh realities of truth may be that your budget simply does not allow it. This footage on the other hand is within reach for everyone. Anyone from a filmmaker to a student can get something within their budget.

Forgotten shot
This can be one of the most frustrating experiences for any filmmaker. Imagine traveling to a distant location, doing a shoot and coming back only to realize one shot was left to complete. Instead of going through all the trouble of traveling once again to the location to get that single shot, a filmmaker can buy a suitable footage. This will save him a lot of time and money on rescheduling trips.

Out of reach locations
Stock footage can help you incorporate specific background that your project demands. This is particularly useful when you are unable to visit the location yourself due to budget constraints. For example, if your project demands a shot of The Great Wall of China but you are unable to go to China. Then buying a stock footage showing the historic monument and mixing it well with your own shot to give an authentic look will serve the purpose.

Likewise there are many other situations in which the use of stock footage is considered a smart move. As a filmmaker, you just can't escape the charm of this vital resource.

The author of this article is professionally associated with MrFootage, a leading online supplier of Wildlife, War and Disaster and Sports footage among others.

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So You Want To Be A Filmmaker

Film can be a very powerful medium, it combines both audio and visual, to tell a story. Watching movies can provide escape as well as excitement, while making a film yourself can be challenging, exciting and magical.Films have the power to affect emotions, they can make you see things from a different perspective, and discover new ideas, or simply create escape or fantasy. Film can make you laugh or cry and each film should have a purpose, whether it is to entertain or inform.

The important thing to remember about making a successful film is simple, it should tell a story.The best way to tell a story is with pictures. Film-making when broken into the components, is visual storytelling, in the shots that make up the scenes, and the scenes put together, make up the complete film.

There are so many different types of film and each serves it purpose.

Studio films are backed by film studios and usually have a hefty budget, averaging $70 million and as high as $300 million. Usually a major star will be featured. On the other end of the spectrum, are the independent films, which are often low-budget, because the money is raised by the filmmaker, without studio financing. Somewhere in between, there are independent divisions of the studio which is really a boutique, operating on smaller budgets but with backing of the studio.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both types. As an independent filmmaker, you have total control, and your film can be created exactly as you envision it, however you have no operating budget. A studio picture, with larger financial backing, and highly paid actors is determined by the studio for the best commercial success and creativity normally takes a back seat.

Your movie can be shot in many different formats. Filmmakers appreciate that the medium on which the story is set can elicit different audience reactions.Multiple choices include analog or digital video or high definition. The choice of film camera can go from super-8 which is an affordable format for beginners to 16mm which produces picture quality that may be adequate for television, or with studio production of 35mm motion picture quality, which is used for most television and feature films.

High definition usher in a new experience, with much sharper pictures, and in some instances it may seem closer to being live.

Great films are seldom made without a good story, and choosing the right material can be more important than anything else.Good ideas for films can come from almost anywhere, once allowed to germinate and blossom, a once nascent idea can develop into a full blown screenplay.

Short film making is a good way to get beginners started in the area of film making because they are easier to produce. You can learn more about the business by visiting http://film-making.biz/
Learn film making to show your creative side using a very powerful medium by visiting http://film-making.biz/

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