Bizvid Communications is a leading video production company located in San Diego California. When a client has a limited budget, we will sometimes incorporate stock video scenes, still photographs or even pre-created animations to take the finished product to a higher level for a minimum expenditure. We’ll sometimes recommend stock footage, even if budget is not a key consideration, since it may not be timely or convenient to shoot the footage ourselves.
BizVid uses three main sources for our stock footage: Shutterstock, IStock Photos, and VideoBlocks. Stills may begin at around $20 or so while video scenes, usually lasting several seconds or so may be just be under a hundred dollars and upward, depending on the clip and the stock video resource. With just a little research, you may even find special packages where you can stockpile credits to save on clips in the future.
The process is simple. First, if you think you may want to include stock scenes, do a little advance search to see what is out there, then write your script to include your selected stock visuals. If you are talking about a product’s benefits or a birthday, a holiday invitation, or special event, you may be able to find a perfect scene that sets the stage or brings a fitting conclusion for your message. Simply enter the topic or item or theme in the stock footage website search engine, designating whether you are looking for footage or photography (or sometimes a sound effect or special music, for that matter). Then, choose from the options presented to you.
When selecting a scene, be sure it is available in the same format in which you are videotaping. For example, a 16:9 format, 4:3 format, HD or standard definition. You want to find stock footage or photos that match all your other scenes.
As an added benefit, most stock companies will let you select a lower resolution, watermarked sample at no charge to place in your production to get a feeling for how it will look and to use this to get any preliminary approvals before investing in the footage or photo.
One more remarkable option for those having Adobe After Effects software, some stock companies will even offer animated or computer generated scenes that you simply go into and customize with your logo or other text that suits your purpose. The end result will be a highly polished visual with a huge “wow” factor.
In summary, it may only take a small investment in stock footage or photography to make your video highly memorable and impactful… making you look like a pro.