Creating impressive and beautiful stock footage isn’t easy – or at least, it shouldn’t be. There’s no reason you shouldn’t put as much care and effort into a stock shoot as you would into a feature film. After all – your clip could even end up in one. Here are five tips to remember when producing stock footage.
1. Collaboration
Filmmaking has always been a collaborative effort and it makes a lot of sense. You may be incredible at cinematography, directing, editing and everything else – but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to give each job 100% of your attention at the same time. Find a producer who will spot visible trademarks in the background. Find an experienced cameraman so you can focus on directing (or vice versa). Hire professional models and not just your friends! Get an extra pair of hands on-set who will constantly bring you coffee.
2. Organization
You may be planning a shoot using only three models, but that doesn’t mean that, on a manic set where the day is already off schedule and props are being lost, you’ll remember Liza is meant to arrive at 11.30 and not 10am. Have call sheets! Put all the information on them – address, location contact, wardrobe, phone numbers, email addresses and shotlists. It’s impossible to remember all of that on the go, and if you’re busy, your producer or PA needs to have access to that information.
3. Creative Preparation
Know exactly what you want from the shoot before on-set conflict arises. Go see your location, snap pictures of it, know where your blocking will be. Create a shotlist or storyboard with your camera crew beforehand so you don’t end up squabbling about angles in front of your models. A director who knows exactly what they’re doing will look more professional, and people will remember how great you were to work with.
4. Improvisation
So you’ve followed the above rule and you’re going to stick to a tight regime, right? No! Yes, you should know what you want, but keep an open mind. Some of the funniest, sharpest ideas that have made it into my work came from my cast playing and improvising, rather than from a script I’d written six months before. Your camera guy may have a cool technique up his sleeve that you didn’t know existed. It’s a team effort, and if you’re working with the right people, they will only want to assist in making your vision come true.
5. Attention
By now you’ve successfully directed a well-organized shoot and flourished creatively. The right side of your brain may have now checked out. However, the work isn’t over. Your edits are as important as the shoot itself – let the curator in you pick out the model’s best expressions, the best looking lighting set-ups and remember to keep your clips under sixty seconds long. Put as much care into cutting, sorting and storing your footage as you did shooting it. And filmmaker, please, back-up all your work. Then send it to Shutterstock!