Stock footage today are no longer restricted to what is being filmed. They can also be computer generated animation. Commonly known as stock animation, they can be found in web, multimedia and TV productions. They are increasingly popular as they substantially cut down the tedious process of animated productions.
One of the easiest ways to use animation footage is to juxtapose them to create new, exciting works of professional standard. Perhaps one of the most common examples will be the mixing of VJ loops in live performances, also known as VJing.
Stock animation may also be simply used as starting points to be built upon in animation projects or added as video backgrounds to enhance other creative elements.
Here is an example from one of our ME viral videos: ME Heroes Survival Guide – Two Brainer’s Overload. The server overload effect at time code 00:37 in the video is created using a motion graphic layer titled “Dance Floor” from MotionElements.
Stock footage are so commonly used we do not notice them. From news to commercials, films to television programmes, they are used everywhere in the media. Since its usage in the early twentieth century, one primary force drives its prevalence — cost effectiveness.
While this simple economic rationale continues to fuel the stock footage industry today, technology has changed its nature in terms of licensing, distribution, pricing, source and usage.
Here are five changes you should know:
1. You can use stock footage for perpetuity.
Technological advancement enables good quality reproductions of copyrighted works, and this has led to the exploration for more flexible, user-friendly forms of content licensing.
While much of archival footage are licensed as rights-managed works, stock footage can now also be bought under the royalty-free license.
The main difference between the two forms of licensing are:
1) Duration of use: Rights-managed footage are licensed for a limited amount of time; Royalty-free footage can be used for perpetuity.
2) Cost: Rights-managed footage are charged based upon various usage considerations, such as the purpose of production, the size of its audience and the duration of usage; Royalty-free footage are charged based upon the format required.
2. You can download stock footage instantly.
The advent of technology has not only enabled footage to be stored in digital format, but also created file-downsizing softwares and connected the world via high broadband speed, setting the necessary framework to buy and download stock footage online.
3. You can buy stock footage more cheaply than before.
Buying rights-managed footage are generally considered to be a cheaper and more convenient option, as compared to hiring a crew and cast to obtain the required shots.
However, royalty-free stock footage are based on an even more competitive pricing business model, making them viable options for cost-constrained projects.
4. You can make a living out of stock footage.
Traditionally, they are sourced from recycled content of previously produced works (usually news or film). Today, there are professional stock footage creators who make their living out of creating and selling stock footage.
5. You can act with dead people in your new movie.
With technological advancement, stock footage are no longer just used as establishing shots or cutaways. They can now be creatively manipulated for more interactive usage.
In the movie Forrest Gump (1994), Tom Hanks’ character Forrest meets several historical figures. Here is a video clip of Forrest Gump meeting John Lennon at The Dick Cavett Show. In the original interview, Yoko Ono was sitting beside John Lennon.
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Stock footage is commonly used as establishing shots or cutaways. However, for late cult director Ed Wood, the stock footage he took of actor Bela Lugosi (famous for playing Dracula) before the latter passed away, formed the basis for his film “Plan 9 from Outer Space”. Known for using extensive stock footage for his films, Ed Wood simply added voice-over narrative to fit the stock footage into the film’s storyline. This 1959 film was then marketed as the last film of Bela Lugosi.
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Less than 50 years later, technological advancement has enabled computer generated effects to manipulate stock footage more creatively and effectively. In “Superman Returns” (2006), Marlon Brando reprises his role as the Kryptonian father of Superman, Jor-El, two years after he has passed away. His prior footage were manipulated using computer generated effects to change his original dialogue.
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The prevalence of stock footage may have stemmed from its low cost, but they are not just used for commercial purposes.
In the 1920s, Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov assembled stock footage fragments together, as an experiment to illustrate the importance of editing in the creation of meaning in film. Known as the “Kuleshov effect”, the short film repeatedly intercut the expressionless face of Tsarist matinee idol Ivan Mozzhukhin with other stock footage, and created the misconception that Mozzhukhin had different expressions each time.
This concept of creating new meaning from assembling stock footage was further explored in “found footage films”. A sub-genre of experimental cinema that integrates previously shot film into new productions, one of the earliest “found footage films” was created by American artist Joseph Cornell. The film Rose Hobart was assembled partly from footage of East of Borneo and was titled after its leading actress.
Today, the use of stock footage is practiced more rampantly by the everyday man. The advent of video sharing websites, and cheap, layman-friendly editing softwares have spawned millions of home-made videos using recycled footage, most commonly in the forms of fanvids and mockumentary videos.
