Stock Footage 101
Buyer's Guide (page 2)

One of the major ingredients of a professional video production is good quality sound effects. Whether it be simple swooshing sounds as text flies by, that doorbell chime or clock tick you can't recreate, or complex swells to announce the unveiling of a company logo, sound effects go a long way to helping "sell" the viewer. And since good sound effects usually require expensive sound equipment and a fair amount of skill, stock sound effects become a very attractive option.

Sound effects range in price, from free to quite expensive, and in quality, from poor to movie grade. Most major movie studios now offer producers the use of sound effects from actual feature films — check www.sound-ideas.com. More affordable and high quality options can be found in larger sound effects libraries.

Probably the most popular flavor of stock content, and definitely the most plentiful, stock photos may not play a huge part in video production, but they still have their uses nonetheless. You may need a still of a sunset as a title shot, or a series of diet-themed photos for a health awareness ad or just a simple background for a DVD menu.

Unlike stock video and music, stock photography has been around since the 1920s. For the most part, stock photography was made up of outtakes from actual commercial shoots and was only available with bundled libraries through pricey subscriptions. But recently, thanks again to the micro stock agencies, stock photos have become affordable and attainable for almost anyone. There are almost endless sources for stock images, most offering unlimited usage for as little as $1.

Besides buying it, now you can make money making stock shots. The growing world of stock footage has opened up many doors and opportunities for both video professionals and amateurs to throw their hat into the ring and actually sell their own content. Companies like iStockvideo.com or Shutterstock.com give producers the opportunity to upload and sell their content while still maintaining ownership rights. In fact, some videographers actually make quite a decent living simply by selling specific video content.

Once your content is uploaded, it makes money even while you sleep. So you could wake up to a commercial featuring that video you took of your kids playing in the pool. How exciting is that?!

Having a good stock library on hand is almost a must for any videographer hoping to compete in today's market. Even the most high profile video production agencies using stock footage as an affordable, time-saving solution. So don't be afraid to go out there and take advantage of all the quality work already available to you!

Brent Holland produces stock footage, is a wedding/event video producer and owner of a video production company.,

To download PDF of Manufacturer's list, CLICK HERE.

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