Royaltyfreestore.com Blog

November 7, 2006

Secrets of Successful TV and Film Producers
Ever wonder what it takes to create a compelling and memorable television show or feature film? Or how producers are able to come up with a vast amount of content for a one hour show or a feature length movie on a tight deadline? When you consider that most long form programming is made up of hundreds if not thousands of 3-10 second video clips to fill the time slot, it should become apparent how important it is to the producer to find quality content that is relevant to their production. And when you consider the intense deadlines most television producers face for delivering their show on time, you can just imagine the stress level they face coming up with content that supports their story.

The challenge for producers is to quickly acquire relevant content without having to hire a crew, send them out of town, pay their expenses and then wait for them to return and integrate the content into their production pipeline -- and hope they will get the shots they wanted. For those who produce quality programming for broadcast or the feature film market, in addition to having a great script, talented cast and crew, time and money concerns are the most important aspect to delivering a successful product under budget and on schedule. Failure to bring a project in within the budget parameters and on time can cost a producer his or her reputation and quite possibly their career.

Savvy producers and video editors know how to leverage the resources available to them and who the best content providers are to meet their stock footage needs so they can meet their aggressive deadlines. Their footage resource options include using either rights managed or royalty-free stock footage. The advantage of using royalty-free stock footage is that it offers rapid delivery and dramatic cost savings compared to the hassles associated with rights-managed footage which takes time to obtain clearances, negotiate extremely high fees and usage rights. The cost savings of royalty-free stock footage can save a production company hundreds of thousands of dollars on a production normally spent on rights-managed footage. Royalty-free stock footage also allows one to buy once and use as often as you like and often has broader usage rights.

Choosing a Stock Footage Provider
While there are numerous stock footage resources available online, very few offer preview clips of their content online and have content ready to be shipped immediately. Also compare the quality of the shots, are they well composed? Is the lighting and color and clarity the best quality? Does it look like second generation footage, or are the edges sharp and crisp? Also take into consideration the Web site itself, does it look like they took the time to consider your need to find what you need quickly, or do you have to stumble around the site sifting through numerous layers of overwhelming and irrevelant marketing hype and sales gimmicks that get in your way? Do they offer education and community resources that are useful to you? Are their prices a good value or at least market competitive? When you find a stock footage Web site that meets your needs, be sure to bookmark it with your browser and consider signing up for their newsletter to learn about their upcoming product offerings which can save you time.

Quality Counts
Remember, the quality of your final production has a direct impact on your career, so don't settle for less. Do not assume that the largest footage providers have the best quality footage, remember they work in volume and their quality standards are often quite surprising to the trained professional. Look for consistent quality in all of the shots they offer, then you'll really know who truly offers "premium" quality footage. If they preview clip looks bad, then don't expect the high res version to be that much better. If they have taken the time to ensure their preview clips look good and are an accurate representation of the actual product (albeit compressed for Web delivery) then you can be reasonably certain the actual product will have received the same TLC and be the high quality you expect and deserve.

Be Proactive!
Get to know your footage provider and don't be shy offering them feedback, consider them your secret partner who has your best interests in mind. Just because you don't see the exact shot you need on their Web site doesn't mean they don't have it, if you see a similar shot or it appears they were shooting at the location that interests you, they just might have it on tape.

Buy for flexibilty!
In this age of multiple broadcast channels and digital devices you might want to consider buying full HD clips which allows for downconverting to other resolutions, "economy of scale" is literally true here folks. While some clips may have only been shot in SD some footage providers may have converted to HD in the last year and still busy exporting their HD content, so again if you see something you like in SD, ask if they have it available in HD. If their SD content is letterboxed it was probably shot in HD and downconverted for the SD market. Buy the right resolution It is important that you understand the technical requirements of your target media, so do your homework and learn the differences and appropriate uses of the resolution, field rendering and frame rate. If this gets too geeky for you, ask the tech folks you are working with and leverage their knowledge to help you make the right choices.

So if you are wondering how to create a high quality video for TV or a feature film, learn from professional savvy producers and leverage the royalty-free stock footage resources available to you, such as, well us of course, ie., Royaltyfreestore.com.

Cheers!

Charmaine, Owner
Royaltyfreestore.com