Using cheap stock video footage to set a scene is a convenient and cheap alternative to conducting your own video shoot. It does not require special equipment, special permits, time and money. The contributors around the world already have the talent to create high quality videos, and it’s nice for them to share it to the creative community for affordable prices. All you have to do is visit your preferred stock media site and find what you are looking for.
- Finding Cheap Stock Video Footage. Numerous stock sites offer licensing of stock footage for a price. Many of them are available as royalty-free, so you do not have to pay an additional fee everytime you use the video. Some are rights-managed, which means the payment is based on how you want to use the video and how long you are going to use it. Depending on resolution, you can get a stock footage between $15 and $300. Stock footage for web purposes are cheaper compared to higher resolution clips such as Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD). The most expensive video clips come with 4K quality, which can cost a minimum of hundred dollars.
- Common Uses. Cheap stock video footage can be used in many ways. You can use it when shooting on a location can be very expensive and time-consuming or if original footage is not necessary for your intentions. For instance, you are creating a film about cattle farming. Since all cows look similar, you can use your own footage and stock footage interchangeably. In order to be faithful to the scene, select a video clip carefully. If you are portraying a corporate farm, choose a clip applicable to that scene.
- Understand the Drawbacks. Using cheap stock video footage is not all positive. There are also some cons that you need to understand and work into. If it looks different from the rest of your video, your production will appear cheap. That is one thing you do not want to happen if you wish to make your clients happy and attract visitors to your site. Fortunately, there are ways to compensate for this. You can edit the clips post-production to bring it the lighting closer to the original. Also, make sure that the stock video does not look noticeably grainy.
Cheap stock video footage can be used in a humorous way too. For instance, you are portraying the pain a person suffers when he accidentally stubs his toe. You can use NASA’s footage of the earth followed by the character’s screams to depict the kind of pain he experiences. A humorous approach will win over your audience, because it is something they won’t easily forget. Of course, this works best if your piece has a light-hearted tone.
