Stock Marketing

Historically, most stock footage acquisitions have involved licensing. Clips are usually the intellectual property of the person that filmed the shots, or of his or her assignees. They are loaned or licensed to end users for a fee. The deal usually designates how, where and for how long the clips are to be used; such details all factor into the price. Despite the costs associated with using stock-footage agencies, licensing is, by far, the most popular choice for producers seeking specific footage. But it's not their only option.

Peter Kleinman Sekani "Between us, we have 800 years of experience."

Stock-footage suppliers have begun acquiring, producing and selling their wares royalty-free. For a single price of purchase, footage can be used as much and-generally speaking-in as many circumstances as the purchaser chooses.

There is a third option as well: public-domain footage, which, essentially, is legally orphaned. It has no owner, per se, and can be used freely. Footage falls into the public domain if the copyright has lapsed-although there are some important caveats here-or, in the United States, if it was produced by the government using taxpayers' money.

Prices among the three types of footage can range from exorbitant to virtually free, but each has its advantages, disadvantages and catches. The questions producers must ask themselves are: What do you want? What do you want to use it for? How much money can you spend on it? And how much time can you spend searching for it?

License to Fill

"Between us, we have 800 years of experience," jokes Peter Kleinman, referring to the personnel and expertise at the New York City stock-footage licensing company, Sekani, where he is senior vice president of marketing. Starting as Second Line Search in 1986 before changing to its current name last year, Sekani has several brands in its media-licensing division, including Action Sports Adventure; Hot Shots Cool Cuts; Film Bank; and Second Line Search. The company handles licensing for millions of feet of stock footage, with subjects that run the gamut from B-movies to sports, science, landscapes and special effects.

With such a selection, "the more specific your need, the more likely you'll find it among licensed footage," says Susan Jennings, Sekani's vice president of sales and business development. Kleinman and Jennings also believe that the technical and aesthetic qualities of licensed footage tend to be better than those of free footage.

"Some royalty-free footage is material that acquisition people can no longer collect licenses for, which can mean lesser quality or greater age," says Gina Ragusa, manager of Second Line Search. On the flip-side, Kleinman says it's "far more likely" to find up-to-date material among licensed footage. This is a logical conclusion because higher-paid acquisition professionals are more likely to want a premium for their latest and greatest shots.

A shot's uniqueness can be crucial to producers. Although it might not matter if an over-used shot appears in a training video for a local business, producers may want something more distinctive for product demos or projects for public display. "Sometimes, with royalty-free footage, the same shots are used over and over by everyone," says Jennings. "With licensed footage, it's far less likely that, on a trade-show floor, someone else will be using the same shot."

Another key advantage to using a licensed-footage facility is that its experts can help you find just the shot you need. "I work with you, within your specified budget, to search for the footage you want," Ragusa says. "You give me the budget and I work within the confines of that cost."

And what about that cost? Although fees vary, and package deals bring discounts, I asked what a 10-second shot in DVC format might run. The research fee would be $150, but license costs vary depending on usage: for Web use, $750 to $1,000 per cut for one year; for an internal training tape, $500 to $750 per cut for a one-time use or $1,000 to $1,500 per cut for one year; and for trade-show presentations, $750 to $1,000 per cut for one week, or $1,500 to $2,000 per cut for one year.

Continue to Part 2