Using HD Stock Footage Should Be Important For Movies

Stock footage can be called many things and used for many reasons. It is most commonly called archive footage. When movies are made, not all of the film used in the making of the movie becomes part of the final product. There are mistakes, bad takes or a myriad other things to account for literally miles of film shot. This extra film is stored in giant warehouses until it is one day needed.

This much film is needed for lots of reasons. First, filmmakers never know when they have enough, so they tend to shoot much more. It gives them lots of options to complete their artistic vision. Even after the film is completed, they like to keep all the extra around in case of the unplanned. Many movie channels also have sneak peeks at upcoming movies. This footage is used so the audience can see what is in store for a particular film without showing much of the actual film itself.

Since the birth of the DVD, stock footage makes for nice special features. Bloopers are a great way to get to know the cast and footage can let the audience know how certain stunts or big moments were really done. It can give clues to the what it might be like to be on the set. Many fans of movies watch these special features religiously and would do anything to get their hands on all of the stock footage from a film.

Big historical moments can be considered archive footage, too, if they are video taped. Most of this is public domain or the property of the government. It makes it easy when someone wants to make a biopic; they then have all this real footage of their subject at their disposal. It adds credibility to the film because it shows the filmmaker did his or her research.

All iconic moments are subject to being archive footage – even scenes from other movies. In fact, one might say that classic movies are especially qualified to be stock footage. Some shows are comprised of people sitting around and discussing famous movies, making lists and countdowns, and showing clips. This allows the audience at home to see what they are talking about if the audience member hasn’t seen that particular movie.

Not all footage is very interesting. It is most commonly seen in movies when characters are driving or walking somewhere. Someone in real life video taped out of the back or side windows of a car and then had the images put on film outside the actor’s car, so it looks like they were really going somewhere, not just sitting in a studio.

Though this is not as provocative as other behind-the-scenes looks, the type of footage outside the car window can give clues to the quality of the movie or important scenes in the film. The small details of the footage can make or break a movie.

The stock footage library can also become very useful for shows with low budgets. If a similar action happens a couple of times in a film, the film makers can get away with showing the same HD stock footage from an early part of the movie. Children’s shows do this constantly since kids tend not to notice.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply