Category Archives: Cheap Stock Footage

4 Awesome Sites for Cheap Stock Footage

There are times when it does not make sense to shoot your own video. Time and money restraints can be great reasons to get cheap stock footage instead. Stock video can be relatively inexpensive and there is an overwhelmingly amount of high quality footage in the market. There is a pretty good chance that you will find the right video to supplement your own without dropping thousands of dollars on equipment, travel and talent.

Here are 4 awesome stock sites that offer high quality but cheap stock footage:

  • Getty Images. Getty Images offers the world’s most powerful images and videos for every budget. It has custom solutions for every need. You can get creative videos and editorial videos to supplement your projects. Creative videos are composed of HD and 4K footages for your archival and contemporary needs. On the other hand, editorial footages include current and archival video clips of events, newsmakers and celebrities. All cheap stock footage are of premium quality so you will get value for your money.

  • Pond5. Pond5 has the largest library of royalty-free HD and 4K cheap stock footage. It allows creative professionals around the world to bring their vision to life without comprise. With approximately 2 million videos in its collection, you will surely find the inspiration and the right video clip to supplement your creative projects. The stock site has a huge range of pricing starting at $5 so you can power every stage of your creative process without breaking the bank. Moreover, it has a community of artists that will surely inspire you.

  • iStock. With iStock, you can explore millions of cheap stock footage at ridiculously great prices. It has flexible plans that suit every budget. By purchasing credits ahead of time, you can get better pricing on videos, images and illustrations. A video from the Signature collection costs 18 credits while one from the Essentials collection only costs 6 credits. Make sure to visit the stock site’s home page, too. It offers one free video every week.

  • Shutterstock. Shutterstock offers stunning content at straightforward prices. It includes HD and 5K cheap stock footage, including exclusive content. Video prices are based on the type of resolution, so you can get web resolution for as low as $19 and 4K for $199. If you want to save more, you can purchase a pack. The stock site’s archive is easy to use, too. With one of the largest cheap stock footage collections in the market, you will surely find what you are looking for.

Whether you are having money or time problems, it should not keep your from creating some of the most beautiful creative projects. You can always visit a stock site and purchase cheap stock footage to complement your work.     

What Makes VideoBlocks a Great Footage Source?

Videos have become one of the most important tools in marketing. More viewers are watching video content more than ever before. The move from text to visual content to videos has been fast, and it isn’t slowing down anytime. If you don’t make the transition, you will be left behind by other websites – especially your competitors.

Your website do not have to be static brochure site. No matter who your audience and what you brand mission is, videos can make a connection and build relationships with your visitors. You can use them to demonstrate a product, share your expertise, and tell your story. However, conducting your own shoot entirely can be expensive and time-consuming. This is where stock footage becomes the perfect solution.

Stock footage are ready-to-use videos at affordable prices. You don’t have to deal with releases and permits to conduct your own shoot. You can even save some money from travels and talent fees. Simply find a great stock video site and purchase the best footage to suit your production. Yes, you can mix stock footage with your own footage to make a greater impact.

Where can you download amazing stock footage?
A number of stock video sites offer footage. But, one of the cheapest deals in the market is from VideoBlocks, now known as Storyblocks. VideoBlocks by Storyblocks is a subscription service that caters to all your stock footage needs. They feature millions of studio-quality videos, After Effect templates, and more. Annual membership is only $149, which is 84% less than the monthly price. With access to their Member Library and Marketplace, you can save in many ways.

  • Media Library. Being a member of the stock site, you can download anything you want from over 115,000 studio-quality videos, motion backgrounds, After Effect templates, and more. The Media Library content is valued at over $10 million, which you can access and download for one low subscription price. Everything in the library also includes a royalty-free license, so you can keep and use them forever.
  • The Marketplace offers you an additional of over 5 million footage, which you can purchase directly from artists. As a member, you get exclusive discounts too. Up to 40% of savings are in store for you. VideoBlocks does not take a cut from the sales in the Marketplace, so the artists get 100% of the sale price.

Footage from the stock site has been used by over 90,000 customers, including famous companies such as History, NBC, National Geographic, and Discovery Channel. All content are organized in categories, so you can easily and quickly find what you are looking for.

With VideoBlocks, you can be under budget and over brilliant at the same time. Their collections burst with great quality, handpicked footage in various themes. They also feature an easy-to-navigate website, so you can spend more time creating and less time searching. All these are available for a one-time low subscription fee.

If you want to download professional, high quality videos without limits, visit VideoBlocks by Storyblocks. They currently offer a discounted annual membership. Seize it now, and save hundreds of dollars.

Three Types of Background Music for Videos

Depending on your film, you might select one type of background music for videos or another. But whatever you do, do not choose not to use a background music at all. The trick with music is using it judiciously. Always have a plan and pick your moments. Make sure your chosen song does not overwhelm your scene or put your video out of balance. Your music will feel more natural to your viewers when it subtly enhances their experience.

Here are three types of background music you should know about:

  • Emotion evoking – Whatever feeling you want to express, there is background music for it. If you are angry, you can make music emphasize that anger. If you are happy, something playful is perfect. Light and upbeat music in an angry scene can create dissonance in your viewers. Emotion-evoking music for videos creates a subconscious reaction so your viewers can empathize with your characters more deeply.
  • Scene setting – When creating a video, as much as possible you want establish a sense of your setting for your viewers. The music does that by giving a sense of physical place. For instance a long shot of the busy city like New York would be great with a mellow jazz background or a techno beat. The type of music you choose changes the context substantially. The tempo, volume and quality of the music for video can also hint your viewers of what’s about to happen.
  • Filler and bridge – Sometimes when you get to the editing part, your footage does not exactly turn out the way you expected it to be. If things does not go according to your plans, you can make use of music to solve your problems. Filler music fill in the gaps of your footage in the most creative way. For instance, you got a boring scene in one of the most important points of your video. Instead of playing it to play quiet, you can add music to give better flow to your film.

We hope knowing these types of background music for videos can help you choose the best music for your project.

Finding Cheap Stock Footage for Commercial Purposes

A video footage can be expensive because it is a product. Contributors have put in time, resources and expertise to create it. Since it is personal work, they can give a right price for it just as much as you have the right to buy it. But, that does not mean that you should go beyond your budget. You can also find cheap stock footage for commercial purposes. It can solve the problem you are having with expensive video footage.

finding cheap stock footage

Cheap stock footage is a really good option if you are creating a low-cost project. It helps you save time and money. Stock photo agencies already put a set of video clips on a package so you do not have to spend more money getting each clip. It also saves you time from searching for these various clips. Agencies have put them all together so you can easily integrate them in your video because they already match one another.

There is a wide range of cheap stock footage available for commercial purposes. Typically, its production standards are high so they can be integrated into high quality productions. In fact, many camera packages used for stock footage can cost more. Every single element in the footage must also be cleared for use. For instance, a video of woman shaking hands with another requires the necessary releases for both model and property, more information.

Lots of time and effort have been put into creating and marketing a cheap stock footage. It offers a great deal as it is faster and cheaper than other video footages. If it’s a good stock footage, it should cost more. If you are looking for exclusivity, you should expect to pay more than the average price you see on stock photo agencies – considering that they can only be used once. Here are some equipment and resources needed to create a good cheap stock footage:

  • Travel time and related costs to carry equipment and staff
  • Camera, lights and other equipment used to capture video
  • Models, sound guy, perhaps a director
  • Film editor
  • Post-production activities such as color grading
  • Legal and insurance fees
  • Storage costs
  • Food

If you are looking for a good stock footage, there are a number of them in stock photo agencies. They are affordable, too. Of course, they cost more than a stock photo because, well, they are video clips. Do not think about getting them illegally. Just remember the equipment and resources required to create a good footage. You do not want to rob the artists of their hard work. Besides, you can face serious legal damages if you do.

Finding a cheap stock footage for commercial purposes should not be a difficult task – as long as you get them from the right source.