Tips for creating cinematic stock footage that sells.
By SouthWorks
Want to add drama and impact to your footage? Does your current footage lack the cinematic style you are after? Even if you are just starting out with video, here are some of our top tips for transitioning from photography to video and creating that cinematic footage.
In photography, you have one frame to tell the story
With video, you have 5-60s in each clip to tell the narrative
You can use this time to lead up to the narrative or subject, so whether that’s with the use of movement or getting your subject to do an action that is going to convey the message e.g. walking from the kitchen to the table
Let us give you a few examples of how you can create cinematic footage when starting your journey from photography to video with some techniques below.
This example we were filming a car crash scene just outside a car impound. We had a tight schedule and were limited to only filming during the middle of the day. This causes several issues 1. the sun being at it’s highest/brightest meaning getting the correct exposure for video could be tricky and 2. Filming with trademarked property (Car branding) so we would need to shoot with a shallow depth of field so the trademarks would be hidden and out of focus. To solve both issues we used an ND Filter on the camera to be able to stop the light down and allow us to shoot with a fast aperture at around F2-f3.2. This also gave us a great cinematic feel to the final video.
Shallow depth of field can be a great tool in helping you create engaging shots. Using an ND to limit the light hitting your sensor, even in bright settings, will allow you to use a wider aperture and this will help draw the audience to the subject in the frame.
Filming in the correct frame rate can make a huge difference in the way your footage looks and we covered this technique in our first blog (insert link). Filming at 24 frames per second is the standard frame rate for most films - your brain is almost ‘trained’ to see this as cinematic.
Camera movements are a great way to add variety to your portfolio. You can add drama and create a narrative with a few simple camera moves/equipment just like using a gimble to create steady-cam style tracking shots or by using a slider to recreate a dolly shot. All of these can upgrade your production value and lead to potential sales.
The way you light your set has a huge impact on the tone and style of your footage. One simple and very effective technique is to shoot from the shadow side of the subject as this can really help achieve a cinematic look. We explore lighting in a different article.
Plan your shoot! This may sound like a basic step, but it can be hugely beneficial in setting you up for success. Do you have enough natural light on set? Will you need a gimble or tripod to achieve the desired look? When and where does the sun set? Will you require an ND to get that shallow depth of field? Planning for where the light will be at specific times or simply ensuring your gimble is set up for the right moments will give you the best chance of achieving creative cinematic shots. These are all easy steps towards a successful shoot.
Grading Stock Footage
You may be used to editing your images in photoshop/lightroom to make them stand out and be useable for the buyer straight away, however, when grading stock footage, the majority of the customer's needs are slightly different.
The goal when grading for stock is to keep your footage flexible for customers to buy and grade themselves. This is because they need to be able to match your footage to their other clips. So, start by doing basic color correcting on your footage (if shot in Log/flat profile), check your white balance is correct and then convert it to a rec709 color space and use a basic S-curve for contrast.
It's a balance between having a flat looking clip and having an overly graded one.
As much as you might want to create an epic cinematic teal and orange grade, this is not a commercially viable option for stock. Customers need to have the editing room to apply their own styles and grade to footage, so they can match up to existing shots, therefore, using a more basic color correction will give them this option.