Welcome to Danita’s stock footage resource and distribution network.

As we become a more visually oriented society thanks to TV, movies, and the Internet, there is an increasing demand for video imagery.  In long pieces like movies and TV shows, there are lots of short filler sequences that are needed to transition from one scene to the next, establish the location, or just add variety.  On websites, small short pieces are needed for the same reasons and the rapid adoption of broadband is increasing the demand rapidly.  Traditional print users like newspapers and textbooks are demanding video to supplement their traditional products.  While we are not expecting traditional still photographers to dump their SLRs and switch to becoming videographers, we do see an opportunity to take advantage of the unique talents and opportunities that professional travel and nature shooters possess to make their trips and shoots more productive by “double shooting”, in other words, capturing both stills and videos during the same shoot.

As still and video camera technologies continue to converge we may someday see the demise of one or both types of cameras and the emergence of hybrid devices that serve both purposes equally well.  In the meantime, we feel it is best to begin creating stock footage clips using the tools now available and setting up a worldwide distribution network before the market becomes saturated.  By learning the basics of stock footage now, both Danita and her photographers will be positioned for what is to come.

So, in order to assist our 300 photographers with creating and selling footage, we have created a special section on our website devoted to footage.  We hope that by combining the resources of our photographers and our staff that we will be able to help the photographers get off to a quicker start and have a community that will keep the latest information about gear, technique, and markets at your fingertips.  Instead of 300 individuals starting from scratch, we plan to offer a single stop to give you the latest information and other resources to delve as deeply into video as you desire.

It will take some time to create the world’s finest resource.  In fact, we are just starting.  However, we have created many useful repositories of information on the site and will be adding to them a lot in the next few months.  Once the framework has been completed, and with your help and feedback, we will keep them updated with the latest info so that as you move into new areas, we can give you a great place to start.

It’s not the image, it’s the story!:

With still imagery it’s all about the capturing of a special moment in time in the best possible light (so to speak).  With footage, it’s all about story telling.  You need to think differently about how footage will be used to communicate.  Stories have a beginning, middle, and end.  When shooting footage, it is essential to create pieces that can be used in as many ways as possible.

How?  By making sure that you have enough of a lead in and lead out to allow the editor to fit the clip into his video product.  Most stock footage clips are about 10 to 20 seconds long.  At least half of that time might be needed for the lead-in and out.  And most of the time, the editor will only use a few seconds of the clip.  Next time you watch a TV show or a movie, count the number of seconds between scenes.  You will be surprised how often the scene or angle changes.

Many of the transitions and short takes are called the “B roll” material, which compliments the narrative or storyline.  Your footage will not be the main subject in most cases and is used to amplify or add to the story.

While you are waiting for that supreme moment when the light is just right, take a few short footage pieces.  Try several angles, and get wide, medium, and tight shots in every situation.  Shoot and move around.  Come back to your still shot when the light is just right.

The Gear:

If you are like many of our photographers, you have or about to buy a Canon 5D Mark ll or Nikon D90.  These cameras can shoot wonderful footage if used within their limitations.  We’ve found lots of resources to help.  Need the 5D firmware update to allow manual control?  Try our 5D page. Need a small video camera to add to your bag or the latest info on fluid ball heads?  Check out gear page and go to the section that you need.

Shooting Tips:

First and foremost, always use a tripod if you can.  Panning and zooming are hard to do right without the right equipment.  A fluid ball head allows smooth pans.  A regular one will be jerky.  Don’t pan unless the story calls for following the subject.

With hybrid SLRs, set up so that the subject moves past the camera.  Turn off the auto focus whenever you can.  And again, shoot wide, medium and tight – close-ups are great!  Instead of zooming, just move closer between clips.

Getting both an action and the corresponding reaction is fantastic.

Finally, let the camera roll!  With digital there is no film cost and you never know what might happen.  If something interesting walks in front of the camera, send in the 10-30 second portion that makes a good clip.

We know that there are enough differences between shooting stills and video that you might want some training.  We have compiled a list of seminars, workshops, books, and videos that can help you.   And we hope you will give us feedback and what you have tried and how it worked to share with our other shooters.  Remember, we are all in this together!  If Danita offers up the highest quality collection, it helps all of us.

Bad sound doesn’t sell:

Great sound is also extremely important.  While great video and great audio make a great production, great video and poor audio makes a poor production.  Unless you can capture high quality audio, don’t worry about it.  Just concentrate on the video.

Why?  The vast majority of stock footage does not contain audio.  The audio is added during the creation of the video product and is usually dubbed in from other sources.  You can do just fine by forgetting about audio completely, which is a good thing because the microphones that come with the cameras are not good enough to capture high quality audio.  Built in microphones suffer from being in the wrong location – at the viewer’s perspective rather than at the subject.  They are also prone to picking up camera noise.  They have a limited frequency response and are subject to wind noise, ambient noise, and the noise you create from behind the camera.  They were really included on SLR hybrids to capture voice notes to document your stills.  You can use them as intended and make a voice recording of the information about the footage clip and add that to the keywords and metadata later.

Whenever the audio is an integral part of the video, such as a person speaking, an animal making a unique cry, or perhaps a natural eruption, knowing how to capture the audio with high quality microphones and recorders is necessary.  If you frequently find yourself with opportunities to capture cool audio sounds, by all means be prepared!  And multimedia packages that include HD footage, high quality audio, and great stills can command a premium in the market.

We have collected enough information on audio gear to give you a good place to start if you need help selecting gear and learning how to use it.  We have found several small and lightweight rigs that offer stellar performance at reasonable prices.

Creating saleable clips:

The first question most of you ask is “What should I shoot?”  The best answer is anything you see that you feel is interesting and will look great.  Beyond that, Danita will keep a running list of things she gets requests for here.

The next step is preparing your clips for distribution.  We have developed submission guidelines here that will streamline the task of editing your work and transmitting it to us.  The more closely you can follow the guidelines the sooner your clips can be put on the site and distributed.

You may need help with selecting the right hardware and software to edit your work.  We have created a list of the most commonly used tools and reviews of them here.

Marketing your Footage:

There are literally hundreds of companies and websites that sell stock footage, both here and internationally.  We plan to establish a worldwide distribution network of high integrity outlets for your work.  We have researched the most universally accepted video formats for distribution and will sell the clips on our own website as well.  Our goal is find the best combination of distribution that will cover the globe but will not dilute the brand and will not split the royalties through sub-agencies.  With one submission, you will get world-wide exposure.  Our target is to have the network in place by June of 2010.  If you have any preferences or knowledge about both good and terrible footage outlets, please email us and let us know.

In Closing:

We hope you find these blogs informative and entertaining and this site a valuable resource.  It is going to be a work in progress forever and its value will to a large degree depend on your contributions and feedback.  We are attempting to build a community around our blog and use your existing social networking sites to keep the communication lines flowing between us.

Are you in Prague and need subject tips?  Give us a Tweet.  Having trouble with your 5D?  Let us know.  New software has just come out for video editing?  Tip off our videomeister.

And remember, we are all in this together.  Let’s make it fun and profitable!

Dave and Danita