Anyone tried selling stock footage?

TheDudester

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Anyone here tried selling stock footage to either stock footage companies or production companies like ITN Source?

Considering how much stock footage I keep seeing on the news, I was thinking about trying to make a little extra CA$H on the side :devil:
 
I've never sold but I've bought an awful lot.

So do you have proper broadcast hd kit, the skill to use it, a unique / never before seen item to film & the time to film it?

Remember also that most news stock footage is Reuters
 
Well, I'm thinking about getting it...
This is why I was thinking of shooting some stock footage, first to offset the cost, then hopefully to make some dollar from the hobby.
 
Proper broadcast kit is a bit of a laugh how would they know what kit was used,considering some of the pq put out in the various news stations,i remember filming a local fire where sadly there was a death about 16 years ago with an svhsc cam i had at the time,pq no comparison to my current cameras ! at the time news stations were mad for it.

EDIT remembered it was with my first mini dv cam
 
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chrishull3 said:
Proper broadcast kit is a bit of a laugh how would they know what kit was used,considering some of the pq put out in the various news stations

well firstly they'll ask you, secondly they'll be able to see on the broadcast monitors and scopes, thirdly they can check the metadata, and fourth they can put it through an HD analyzer (which any handycam will 100% fail).

chrishull3 said:
i remember filming a local fire where sadly there was a death about 16 years ago with an svhsc cam i had at the time,pq no comparison to my current cameras ! at the time news stations were mad for it.

Exactly, thats the key. As I said above, If you have a unique event to film (like that fire) and you are the only person to have filmed it, then it doesn't matter so much about quality. Problem is finding such an event and being the only one filming... Remember we all have cameras in our pockets now, something that may not have been around when you filmed that fire.

Out if interest, how much did you sell it for?

That then leaves you with the kind of stock footage that I thought you were talking about... The out of focus school children on stories about schools, film of a blocked motorway, shots of kids in hoods on the street, etc. And for all that tat, you need proper kit. Remember they've already got all those shots, so why would they need to pay for yours?
 
well firstly they'll ask you, secondly they'll be able to see on the broadcast monitors and scopes, thirdly they can check the metadata, and fourth they can put it through an HD analyzer (which any handycam will 100% fail).



Exactly, thats the key. As I said above, If you have a unique event to film (like that fire) and you are the only person to have filmed it, then it doesn't matter so much about quality. Problem is finding such an event and being the only one filming... Remember we all have cameras in our pockets now, something that may not have been around when you filmed that fire.

Out if interest, how much did you sell it for?

That then leaves you with the kind of stock footage that I thought you were talking about... The out of focus school children on stories about schools, film of a blocked motorway, shots of kids in hoods on the street, etc. And for all that tat, you need proper kit. Remember they've already got all those shots, so why would they need to pay for yours?

£100 back then,and my current hd footage looks pretty good compared to most tv hd.
 
For stock footage I understand your camera needs to be 4:2:2 which puts it into the £2k5 price range as a start, then there is the expensice pro-menory, batteries etc..and a fairly hefty tripod to rest it on.

I suspect OP will need to budget rather close to £5k to have all the necessary and as with so many things it's knowing the right people as well.

The reason for having the overkill quality is because of the various conversions the stuff goes through - forget about "digitial means perfect copies" - the issue is to do with conversion so it meets the necessary formats used by their Editors, etc and then back again to suit broadcast. Pro camcorder shops will put OP right on this, if in doubt.
 
Chrishull3, can't argue with that. "...if it's something outstanding..." -but OP has no means of getting such footage any more than anyone else, e.g. with a mobile phone.
If OP want to offset the cost of gear with so-called stock-footage then he needs to offer items that are "moderately interesting" and then the quality will help clinch the sale. The problem is however, (As I suggested), he's competing with experienced pros who already have a good knowledge of Markets, Places and People.
Royalty-free stock footage rather points to there being enough also-ran stuff about. + Some is pretty impressive from around the World.
OP might consider a quality 3D camcorder, so as to build up historical footage (in a few years), but even this means he may not get paid for a while...
I hardly think it's worth the bother; unless he gets lucky!
There, that's my take.
 
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Chrishull3, can't argue with that. "...if it's something outstanding..." -but OP has no means of getting such footage any more than anyone else, e.g. with a mobile phone.
If OP want to offset the cost of gear with so-called stock-footage then he needs to offer items that are "moderately interesting" and then the quality will help clinch the sale. The problem is however, (As I suggested), he's competing with experienced pros who already have a good knowledge of Markets, Places and People.
Royalty-free stock footage rather points to there being enough also-ran stuff about. + Some is pretty impressive from around the World.
OP might consider a quality 3D camcorder, so as to build up historical footage (in a few years), but even this means he may not get paid for a while...
I hardly think it's worth the bother; unless he gets lucky!
There, that's my take.

Thank you, exactly the point I was trying to make.
 
Well i am staying by my point,you dont need to spend a large amount on gear for collecting stock footage,i probobly have £6000 plus worth of filming gear but would not need half that for what the op wants.
 
I tried for a while, still receiving $100 every other month with about 100 videos on micro stocks sites. is a good way to start to get some confidence and motivation.
 
that was 3-4 years ago I started with the 5D MKII. at the beginning was a bit hard almost every footage I sent was rejected by different reason but after a while you stick with the guidelines (Every microstock site is different) and you are OK to go. Advice need to be creative and original on what you send. and for example if you want to sell xmas stuff this is the time to start shotting :smashin:
 

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