Reprinted from a Videometry press release:
Videometry, Inc., (www.videometry.com) royalty-free stock footage company together with professional internet services firm Kendrick Jansen Company (www.kj.net) announce a deal to launch a compressed multi-media stock footage subscription service. The service (www.stockefootage.com) will be aimed specifically at the multimedia market and corporate presentations market, and will allow people to pay a one time fee for online downloadable access to a library of moving images, and motion graphics. Videometry’s objective with the new subscription service is to further help control the end user costs of using moving images in any multimedia, web or video CD/DVD production. The subscription model also allows stock footage owners the opportunity to showcase low resolution files of their content while still reserving the broadcast rights.
Powered by the Kendrick Jansen Company’s e-commerce and applications solutions technology, stockefootage.com will offer subscriptions on a variety of levels including monthly and yearly. Customers will also be allowed to choose a number of maximum downloads. Expected to launch on July 1 with about 5000 images, the service will be free to start for the first 30 days.
“We have accordingly built the application to allow us to make ongoing modifications with minimal disruption,” says Kendrick Jansen Company Chief Executive Officer Ken Kho. “In addition, we are confident that even at a significant level of usage, our members will enjoy quick downloads and fast navigation. With the IBM DB2 as the database backend, we expect to easily and quickly scale the application if and when necessary.”
“We have struck deals with a number of stock houses and individual producers to offer their images in compressed format on the site including US National Park footage from Steve Michelson Productions and the Select Effect series from Blackstone Stock Footage,” says Videometry President Steve Gianfermo. “The service will offer much more than just live footage but all moving imagery including motion backgrounds and animations including Flash. We will add sound effects and music in the coming months too. The subscription service is a perfect way to showcase images on a site with a search engine and if the customer needs to purchase a broadcast license they can do so through the footage owner.”
“Prior to this service offering, multimedia designers could only choose from costly licensed products or small collections of images,” says Videometry co-founder Sean Frame of Frame by Frame Productions. “With the subscription model, you can get exactly what you need, when you need it, while at the same time controlling cost.”
Images offered on the stockefootage service will be compressed at 320 by 240 at 15 fps and 160 by 120 at 15 fps. Using the Sorensen codec with variable bit rate encoding, the images are the perfect file size, frame size and frame rate for multimedia production including interactice CD or DVD or presentations graphics software such as PowerPoint.
“If you’ve been using still images and simple animations for your multimedia and web-based presentations, adding video will take your content to the next level,” says Sean Frame. “Think of each compressed file as 15 still images per second and you can really start to see the value in this service. While one designer might use the video as is for a key message, another designer might pull frames and convert them to animated gif or flash animation. When you get so many images for a flat rate, the number of possible uses is only limited by the imagination of the creative professional!”
“Broadband capabilities are available today for major corporations and many producers so the convenience of being able to download a scene in a matter of minutes is huge,” says Steve Michelson, President of Steve Michelson Productions. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in an editing room over the last 25 years and said…’we need a shot with a ……, who has it, when can we get it….and what will it cost?’ With Videometry’s subscription service producers can access material on-line and download it immediately and get a great deal on the rate. In the end…convenience wins. The creative benefit and costs savings in the editorial time is worth more than the stock footage.”
Prices for the service are expected to range from $29 to $499 depending on the level of subscription service. Customers can combine the duration for their subscription such as monthly and the number of downloads needed for any particular usage. For example, if you are working on a DVD title and know you need up to 10 images for your project over the next month, you will be able to purchase your exact subscription for your use. You can also purchase an unlimited subscription for up to one year that allows you to access to every image in the library.
