Stock Footage Uses: What & how do you use it?

Stock footage uses can be a great asset when incorporated in your production properly. So, what is stock footage exactly? What are its many uses? And how have we at Keywest Video been integrating it into our larger video offerings? Those are the questions that we want to answer for you through this week’s video blog.

Stock footage simply put, is footage that can be used in multiple videos. When a production company shoots a video for a client, that footage is most often used for the sole purpose of that video. But sometimes, when the time or money is not available, producers will utilize footage that was shot previously, not with their specific project in mind. This footage, is stock footage.

Stock footage is therefore mostly of general things, with no specific branding, so it can be utilized in various productions. Things like nature, landscapes, and general office settings are very common.

Stock footage uses is beneficial, because it can save on the resources required to film certain shots. For example, the costs involved in filming an aerial shot of the CN tower can be quite substantial. So you can save on these costs by purchasing from an online library, where the price would be more affordable.

At Keywest, over the past year we have been actively filming, and building up our own library of stock footage. The reason for this being, it will aid our clients in cutting down costs for their own video projects. We usually film with a theme in mind, and have now done several shoots focusing on getting nice shots of downtown Toronto, nature, wildlife, and even some shots of our film and office equipment. Then, when we see a need in one of our client’s videos, we will be able to utilize footage that we have already shot, thereby saving time and money for our client.

This is just one of the avenues Keywest is actively pursuing in order to make sure our clients are getting the most for their money!