Acquiring B-roll

Are you looking for good B-roll? Well, the cheapest and easiest way to get what you need is to shoot it yourself – thus giving you ultimate control over the shots you will get.  But shooting it yourself is not always an option.  That’s when stock and archival footage come into play.  There is a lot of B-roll footage out there so here are some tips on how to get what you need.

First, figure out what type of footage will work for your project?  Do you need standard definition or high definition video?  Will you need long clips or short clips?  Are you looking for clean footage or something more graphical?   Next, consider how much time and money you are willing to spend to get the type of footage you want.

I suggest starting with internet search to pin-point the type of footage you need.  Keep in mind that it is often hard to find good footage for free.

If I am looking for footage from a particular industry, I will may search specific companies or associations for that industry to see if they have any footage available. They often do and are willing to share it at no charge.  Just look under the “media” or “press” section of their websites or give them a call.  I get a lot of good airplane and travel footage that way.

News outlets have some of the better B-roll though they can get pricey.  If you are looking for something a little more fair on the pricing side, try Gannett Video Enterprises (GVE).  They have 22 television stations in 19 markets. For a list of their markets visit http://gannett.com/web/tvstations.htm. They can fulfill many types of b-roll requests but are most commonly use as an archival resource. Their clients are usually folks who need B-roll for a specific story such as murder trials, severe weather, caught-on-tape, things like that.  Contact Jamie Romaezi at jromaezi@gannett.com or 703-854-7611. Tell them I sent you.

If you are looking to keep costs down try finding “public domain” or “royalty free” footage (meaning it is free to use)  Just take note that “public domain” or “royalty free” footage  often has a transfer or download fee.  Wikipedia has a nice list of public domain images – mostly photographs but some video footage as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Domain_Resource

A number of United States government organizations provide stock video footage that is in the public domain.  On some, like the White House website, you can download directly from the site. Others, like the Census Bureau website, require you have order the videos which they will send to you free of charge.  Here is a very small sample of what you can find on U.S. government websites:

• White House images http://www.whitehouse.gov
• People filling out forms http://2010.census.gov/mediacenter
• NASA footage http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/hd
• Medical footage http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/stockshot.html#govimage

The National Archives is a good place to look for older footage that is generally in the public domain (such as WWII, film shot by the military, Universal News reels, presidential speeches) if you are in the Washington, DC area or know someone in the DC area that can physically go search the Archives for you.  Most of the footage is free to use but there is a small transfer free. http://www.archives.gov/research/arc

I have recently stumbled upon Pond 5. It has a lot of shorter clips that individuals upload and then set the price.  They have HD footage, music and sound effects as well.  http://www.pond5.com

Here are some other recommendations that have come my way but that I haven’t tried yet.

• Public Domain comedy video has a lot of old school (black and white era) comedy video.  http://www.pdcomedy.com
• Videohive has a variety of B-roll footage and motion graphics.  http://videohive.net/
• Footagebank.com
• Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/Footage
• http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php pretty cheap video and other images
• http://www.footage.net
• http://www.thoughtequity.com
• http://www.archive.org/details/prelinger

And remember, always be clear about the cost and rights of the footage before using it.  Some footage is priced per clip while others are priced per second.  Some video may have a cheap fee for broadcast but may cost considerable more for internet use.   When in doubt, call or email the footage holder with your questions.

For more b-roll sources and information, visit the B-roll category.

Navigating the HD Revolution

High Definition has arrived in full force.  Most major American networks and distributors (and many in countries around the world) require that projects be shot and delivered in HD.  Many production companies, crews and editors are racing to figure out what is the best way to make the change over to HD.  Amateur documentarians are facing the realities of up converting or adjusting their budgets.

It is a bold and exciting new world out there… but also confusing.  As an established television producer, I often have a hard time sorting through the maze of HD options.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when deciding what type of HD format to shoot on.

1. What type of editing intake system will you be using?  There are many types of HD record options (HDCam, HDV-HD, XDcam, etc.) and there are decks to go with each.  It is important to know how your edit system will acquire the footage.  You don’t want to show up to your edit session with tapes that don’t match the tape deck in use. This is a waste of time and money.  If you don’t know where you will edit or what type of system you are using, you can consider using a camera that records onto a disk.  Later, you can then transfer the footage onto a hard drive or straight into the appropriate editing program.  Or, you can choose one type of tape format and rent the appropriate type of deck when the time comes to digitize.  This will cost a little more but it happens a lot.
2. Super important – what type of footage does your network, client or distributor accept?  Some networks won’t accept some formats or minimal footage must come from it.  For example, they may allow a given HD project to have up to 15% standard definition footage.
3. Will you be required to deliver all of the raw footage and if so, in what format?  With many cable projects, producers are must hand over the raw footage… often in duplicate.  If the client wants that footage in a certain format like HDCam, it makes sense to go ahead and shoot with that format.  If you don’t have to turn over your raw footage, consider how you will archive the footage once your project is complete.
4. What are resolution and frame rate requirements.  Most of the projects that I work on are shot at  1080i or 720p.  Will your final project been show full screen?  Do you have to down convert to standard definition and if so, will it be center cut, anamorphic or letter boxed?  You’ll want to make sure that the camera being used has the proper settings available and that the tapes and edit system can accommodate your needs.
5. Will you buy or rent a camera?  This is a big question because a lot of money will be spent either way.  It will be helpful to have an idea of what types of HD needs you may have in the future.  If you rent a camera, or hire a cameraman with his own gear, ask to see a footage test to get clear understanding of what your footage will look like.

You’ll notice that I have not listed specific types of cameras or tapes.  I don’t want to make detailed suggestions when every situation is so different and there are so many options.  It is important to talk to as many people as possible about your project until you feel comfortable making choice.  Talk to shooters, editors and distributers/networks/clients.  Sometimes there may be more than one solution to your HD needs.  But armed with the right information, you can make the best decision for your project.  Good luck and let me know if you have any other helpful hints.