Lock, Stock, and Barrel taking aim at the Stock Footage industry.
Stock footage is an indispensable tool for filmmakers, content creators, and video professionals, offering a broad range of creative possibilities and practical advantages. From its humble beginnings as a cost-effective solution for news broadcasts and documentaries, stock footage has evolved into a thriving industry, catering to the diverse needs of modern storytellers. With a vast library of high-quality footage, spanning from nature landscapes to cityscapes and everything in between, the possibilities are endless. It enables creators to elevate their visual storytelling without the hassle of on-location filming. In recent years stock has evolved from archive footage and generic scenarios to complex scenes and 3D-created elements and environments. Take for example one of our favorite providers, FilmPac, who brought the option of multi-scene scenarios to the stock market, offering ways for companies and individuals to tell a story in support of their creative narrative.
Unleashing Creativity and Flexibility
One of the primary benefits of stock footage is the creative freedom it provides. Filmmakers can seamlessly incorporate stunning visuals, breathtaking landscapes, and unique scenarios into their projects without the logistical and financial constraints of on-location shooting. This flexibility allows for a broader canvas of storytelling, enabling creators to transport their audiences to far-flung destinations or depict events that would otherwise be impossible or prohibitively expensive to capture.
The best stock footage libraries offer an array of specialized content, from aerial shots and time-lapses to macro videography and slow-motion sequences. We have relied on these elements more than once to craft a compelling pitch as well as fill in complex shots of locations the budget wouldn’t afford us to get. It is this diversity of content that empowers filmmakers to elevate their productions with visually captivating elements, adding depth and dynamism to their content.
Authenticity Through Archival Footage
In addition to its creative potential, stock footage plays a crucial role in lending authenticity to historical or period-based projects. Archival footage from reputable sources (Getty and Pond5 are two of our go-to sources) provides a window into the past, allowing filmmakers to accurately depict events, cultures, and environments from the good old days. This invaluable resource not only enhances the realism of a production but also serves as a powerful tool for the education and preservation of historical narratives.
The State of the Art: 3D and AI in Stock Footage
As technology continues to advance, the stock footage industry is embracing new frontiers. The advent of 3D rendering and animation has opened up a realm of possibilities, enabling the creation of highly realistic and customizable stock footage. From virtual environments and product visualizations to complex simulations and motion graphics, 3D stock footage offers a level of flexibility and control that was once unimaginable.
Furthermore, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the stock footage landscape. AI-powered tools can analyze and categorize vast libraries of footage, making it easier for creators to find the perfect clip for their projects. Additionally, AI-assisted editing and enhancement techniques are streamlining post-production workflows, allowing for seamless integration of stock footage into final productions.
Top Stock Footage Providers
To help you navigate the vast landscape of stock footage providers, here are some of the best options available:
Getty Images – One of the largest and most well-known stock media providers, Getty has an extensive library of over 20 million videos. Known for premium, high-quality footage from top cinematographers. Pricing is on the higher end, with HD clips starting around $499 (they offer a lower why would you license this option too).
Shutterstock – A leading global provider with over 19 million royalty-free stock videos. Offers a vast selection across many genres at various price points, from $79 for HD to $179 for 4K videos.
Pond5 – Established in 2006, Pond5 has a diverse collection of over 30 million videos from contributors worldwide. They have a great news and archival selection and offer flexible pricing models like pay-per-clip or annual subscriptions starting at $999/year.
VideoHive – Part of Envato Market, VideoHive is a popular source for affordable stock videos, motion graphics, and video templates. Prices range from $3 to $63 per video clip. They are definitely worth a bookmark on your browser.
Adobe Stock – Integrated with Adobe’s creative tools, Adobe Stock provides over 11 million HD and 4K videos. Offers affordable subscription plans starting at $29.99/month for teams.
Storyblocks – They have been around forever! A leading provider of royalty-free videos, images, audio, and more. Storyblocks offers a vast library of over 1 million videos through affordable subscription plans for unlimited downloads. Like most of the suppliers they offer HD and 4K, we don’t know who uses HD at this point, but the option is there. We have used them a number of times to help on a project, in their early days the offering was horrible. Poorly shot and acted, it was more laughable than useable, but over the past two years (well, since their rebrand) they have vastly improved in quality.
FilmSupply – Known for cinematic, high-end footage from top filmmakers. Film Supply offers curated collections and individual clips priced from $109 to $219 based on resolution and licensing. Extended use rights come at a premium however. We admit we love their collection, and have entered their yearly competition, but we have been priced out on some of our corporate projects and found relative quality on some of the other suppliers listed here..
Artgrid – Specializes in providing premium footage from professional cinematographers. Offers affordable monthly subscriptions starting at $239.90 up to $599.00 a year for unlimited downloads. Need custom usage or a dedicated account manager? They offer that too, at the Enterprise level. The site explains that all plans include: Lifetime use, Coverage for all platforms worldwide, and YouTube monetization.
Dissolve – Focuses on cinematic, narrative-driven stock videos from renowned filmmakers. Offers both individual clip purchases from $49 HD or $69 4K up to $399 a clip. They offer three licensing options of which we have primarily used the plus and extended options. These typically give you better usage and indemnification coverage.
Videvo – A free stock footage site with over 110,000 high-quality video clips along with motion graphics templates, music and SFX. It is important to note that video clips that carry the Creative Commons 3.0 license must be attributed to the original author. Also offers affordable premium plans from $24.99/month.
Filmpac – A leading provider of high-quality stock footage, offering a diverse collection of over 2 million video clips across various genres and resolutions. Filmpac is known for its user-friendly platform and flexible licensing options. Prices average about $129 a clip with a $799 all-in yearly option . We have been using Film/Pac since the start and still have the original media drive they shipped before moving to a fully online system. Be sure to look at the footage licensing which varies based on the project.
Artlist.io – We are big fans of Artlist’s music library, so when they added Stock Footage to their offering we jumped in. They offer an all-in package at $39.99 mo, based on an annual subscription. What is great about this is the professional license to use the content.
This is just a short list of stock footage suppliers available to creators like you. Each of these providers offers unique strengths, from extensive libraries and affordable pricing models to specialized content and industry recognition. It is important to do your homework when sourcing and pick the right provider and license. We have found the same footage across a few of the above-mentioned sources and in some cases we found variations of the same footage on different providers which helped fill out a scene in a more realistic way. Film Supply and Film/Pac content is exclusive to their respective creative networks, but we have found the same footage across sites like Dissolve, Storyblocks, and Envato.
No matter how you cut it.
No matter how you cut it, stock footage has become an essential tool for creators, empowering them to bring their visions to life with unparalleled creativity, flexibility, and authenticity. As the industry continues to evolve, embracing cutting-edge technologies like 3D rendering and AI, the possibilities for storytelling through stock footage are as endless as your imagination.
