Utilizing stock footage is a wonderful way to get high quality video for your business. There are however some pitfalls to avoid. In this blog, we’ll talk about the benefits and downside to using stock footage.
For a list of royalty free stock footage services we recommend check out this blog. We are affiliated with some of them because we actually use them for our clients and in our own videos.
Full disclosure: There are some links on this page that we are affiliated with. This means, should you follow our recommendation link and buy from them, we would get a small commission of the sale. However, we would never recommend something we don’t personally use or offer our clients.
Benefits of Using Stock Footage
One of the biggest reasons that many businesses don’t have their own marketing videos is because they don’t have content. Especially when you consider that recording video can become a real headache with lighting, microphones, camera choices, etc. Hiring a videographer or production team can also run into the thousands of dollars per video when all is said and done.
But how much better when you can just buy the footage!
HD Quality Video For Free or Paid
Stock footage is typically sold as a product by companies like ShutterStock or Pond5. They are shot by videographer and cover a wide array of themes from business people to landscape shots. Most services, even Videoblocks, have 1080p or even 4k video options.
Versatile Footage
With some creativity you can produce a whole video with stock footage. Check out these videos we did with just stock footage.
One of our clients even did a video highlighting a meeting in NYC, but couldn’t get clearance to get aerial shots of he city, so we augmented their footage with our library of stock footage.
Some creators even take up the challenge of recreating popular Hollywood scenes with just stock footage.
Inexpensive Option
Most clips are around $5-$50 from the major sites. Which can be a huge money savings.
What Does Royalty Free Mean?
This means you pay once for the footage and can use it however you want commercially. The benefit of this means monetizing your videos and no copyright claims on your video.
But there are some downsides.
Downsides to Using Stock Footage
Stock Footage Is Not Exclusive
Because stock footage is typically acquired from large depositories, anyone willing to pay for it can use it. So those actors on the stock video working in an office can be used by your competitor or in another totally unrelated video. It’s not a huge deal because most people accept that stock footage is reused, but it is something to consider as you handle branding.
Sourcing the Right Footage Takes Time
Just like any other part of your business, you don’t want to be fast and loose. Poor quality stock footage can be a detractor from the brand. There are millions of clips out there, but choosing ones that tell the story accurately is important. For example, footage of a professional team around a meeting table may be wonderful, but does the team reflect your actual team? Is the skyline accurate? Are those offices reflective of your office? Or is there something else you can do to get the message you want across?
Finding the right footage takes time. If you aren’t a video editor, it would be a good idea to talk with someone who is (such as…ahem…me.) Contact us for a free consultation.
Stock Footage Can Have Limited Use
Not all video is created equal Unless you shop from a royalty free provider, it’s possible the creator has reserved it for a particular use, or wants attribution in return for free use of their footage. This particularly applies to Creative Commons video or some items from websites like such as Pixabay.
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