How can you optimize the use of stock footage to save on visual effects costs in film production?

There is no single answer to this question. And what should guide your choice is, above all, Your Project. You must then take into consideration your budget, the time you have to devote to your research and finally the type of license you are looking for. There are different types of Stock Footage platforms. First the big ones, the ones that everyone knows: Adobe stock, Shutterstock, Pond5 and Getty, offering millions of clips. And there are those who offer premium Stock Footage, the haute couture of stock footage if you prefer, the quality is higher but the choice is less. We can cite in this category: Filmsupply, Footage.film or even Rawfilm. There are no good or bad stock footage platforms, just the ones that meets your needs or not.

Try to avoid overused materials and work out which stock you plan to use in preproduction. This way you can set the tone of your filmed material to what fits naturally, instead of trying to make stock footage fit with what you already have.

Choosing the right stock footage is crucial to achieve good and realistic looking VFX. Consider your workflow and tool of choice (I.e. after effects) and keep in mind that your chosen stock has to ideallly match the style, resolution and lighting of your raw material.

Choosing the right stock footage can help hugely with time and cost. Whenever we implement stock footage- especially historic footage in a project, it’s always a process of cleaning up, up scaling and grading. This often takes a lot of trial and error to get the footage to match seamlessly with the scenes/shots filmed with our digital cameras. But the end results can really help elevate a project. I always love the challenges of working and mixing different mediums to tell a story.

Stock footage is a great resource for anyone wanting to add a little more production value if they're on a tight budget. A good example from my own experience was the use of a stock drone footage that I used as an establishing shot over Hong Kong for my film 'Shadow Warriors'. Even though I still had to color correct and grade to match the footage it worked a treat, IMHO. Cost? An on screen credit to the drone pilot.

This brings us back to your initial choice. If you shot in 8K with a RED camera for a TV commercial and you purchased a shot shot in HD with a GoPro, the exercise of integrating the shot will prove complicated. The lower the quality of the shot, whatever your project, the more difficult it will be to “reworked”. You will have less room to maneuver for color grading, adjusting lights, you may have to resize the shot which will degrade the quality even more. I repeat: it all lies in your initial choice. Choose from the start a clip that will offer you the maximum possibilities and comfort for working.

The second step to optimize the use of stock footage is to adjust it to blend seamlessly with your film. You can use various editing tools and techniques, such as cropping, scaling, masking, color grading, and compositing, to match the stock footage with your footage. You should also pay attention to the continuity and consistency of the stock footage, and avoid any elements that might contradict or distract from your film's logic and realism. For example, if you are using stock footage of a cityscape as a background, you should remove any signs or landmarks that are not relevant to your film's setting or period.

Once the footage is ready to be used in your film: meaning that it fits perfectly with the look & feel of the film, you can integrate the VFX. It is the VFX that must be adapted according to the footage and not the other way around. VFX will help you, if done well, to integrate the shot even better into your editing and the narration of the film. If the VFX are botched, the shot will fit poorly into the film.

The third step to optimize the use of stock footage is to add it to your film in a way that enhances your VFX and your storytelling. You can use stock footage as a base layer, a filler layer, or a transition layer, depending on your creative vision and needs. A base layer is a stock footage that serves as a background or a setting for your film, such as a landscape, a sky, or a space. A filler layer is a stock footage that adds details or effects to your film, such as smoke, fire, rain, or explosions.

A transition layer is a stock footage that connects or transitions between your scenes, such as a flash, a wipe, or a dissolve. You should experiment with different combinations and placements of stock footage to create dynamic and engaging VFX for your film.

Incorpora el material de archivo editado en tu proyecto cinematográfico de manera coherente y orgánica. Asegúrate de integrar el contenido de manera que se mezcle de manera natural con el metraje original y contribuya a la narrativa de la película.

The fourth step to optimize the use of stock footage is to review it and make sure it works well with your film. You should watch your film several times, from different perspectives and devices, and look for any issues or errors that might affect the quality or coherence of your VFX. You should also ask for feedback from other filmmakers, colleagues, or friends, and see how they react to your use of stock footage. You should be open to criticism and suggestions, and be ready to make changes or improvements to your stock footage if needed.

Of course you understood that it is not at this stage that you must check that you have the right license for your project/film. Licensing, like price or quality, is part of your decision-making process in choosing the platform from which you purchase the clip/footage you need. From one platform to another you will find that the rules vary: some require credit, others do not. Some have a License that covers all media, worldwide and timeless, others will charge you for license extensions at a much higher price for TV, cinema or streaming platforms such as Netflix. Be careful before buying and control your budget.

No dejes que la falta de información o poca investigación destruya la viabilidad de tu proyecto. Si no tienes experiencia en temas legales y además cuentas con poco tiempo, lo mejor es asesorarse con profesionales. Invertir en este proceso puede definir el futuro de tu proyecto.

The fifth step to optimize the use of stock footage is to follow the legal guidelines and respect the rights and licenses of the stock footage providers. You should read and understand the terms and conditions of the stock footage platforms, and choose the appropriate license for your film's purpose and distribution. You should also credit the stock footage sources and creators, and obtain any necessary permissions or clearances for the use of the stock footage. You should avoid using any stock footage that is copyrighted, trademarked, or protected by privacy or publicity rights, unless you have the proper authorization.

Existen ejemplos destacados de usos ingeniosos del material de archivo en la industria cinematográfica. "Forrest Gump" y "Bowling for Columbine" son dos de mis favoritos, a pesar de ser filmes muy diferentes en cuanto a contenido y narrativa, así como en género cinematográfico. Sin embargo, ambos casos son ejemplos de gran éxito en la utilización creativa del material de archivo." Y en la taquilla también.

In many situations I don’t use stock footage I use stills, much less expensive. Add a little movement to the frame, a slow pan right, plonk in (cg) some birds, or a wind blown tree branch, maybe dirty the shot with an actor this all distracts the viewers from realising it’s just a photo.

I'm not going to hide myself: I'm a producer/director (therefore a client of Stock Footage), I'm also a contributor on some of these platforms and even a shareholder of a Stock Footage platform. On a corporate or promotional film for the web or internal use, I have no problem using one of the 4 large stock footage, often I find a shot that corresponds to what I am looking for in terms of quality (the requirement is less), the choice is huge. On the other hand, for a TV commercial or documentary film for a streaming platform, I always favor premium stock footage, which certainly offers me less choice, but collections are better organized, the clips are shot by professional filmmakers only, I waste less time looking for a high quality shot.

If possible, get LOG material instead of already graded 709 Material. Not all stock video vendors are providing this. Also make sure you get the least compressed material in the highest resolution possible.

After years of dealing with stock footage, you recognize which footage is stock material. Perhaps even discerning viewers notice it too. However, using stock footage as VFX elements can be a highly effective asset. Explosions and muzzle flashes, in particular, are versatile for VFX. However, achieving realism requires preparation, such as considering lighting, angles, and the suitability of explosion footage, before shooting. Especially for student films or low-budget projects, integrating stock VFX footage seamlessly into the final product can elevate its overall quality and garner higher ratings.