The royalty free stock footage is also called ‘archive footage’ and it can mean several things. When film is shot, not all of it is used in the final product. There are bad takes, scenes they decided to cut entirely, bloopers or extra film shot because they didn’t know how much they would need. Generally, all of this film is saved and stored. This can be property of a movie studio or available for anyone to use.
This much film is needed for lots of reasons. First, filmmakers never know when they have enough, so they tend to shoot much more. It gives them lots of options to complete their artistic vision. Even after the film is completed, they like to keep all the extra around in case of the unplanned. Many movie channels also have sneak peeks at upcoming movies. This footage is used so the audience can see what is in store for a particular film without showing much of the actual film itself.
Archive royalty free stock footage is hugely important to DVD’s, since it is the bulk of a DVD’s special features section. Gag reels and cast interviews are nice for all viewers, but the hardcore fans of a movie tend to watch all of the special features to learn everything they can about the production.
Big historical moments can be considered archive footage, too, if they are video taped. Most of this is public domain or the property of the government. It makes it easy when someone wants to make a biopic; they then have all this real footage of their subject at their disposal. It adds credibility to the film because it shows the filmmaker did his or her research.
This is not just limited to public figures though. There is stock footage of almost any iconic momement, even moments from other movies. The latest trend on some playful television channels is to do movie or celebrity countdowns, where a bunch of people sit around and talk about great moments in entertainment. This is when stock footage is often used from other films – to show the audience at home exactly what the person on TV is talking about.
It doesn’t have to be a large, iconic moment, though. Much of the footage is used as background in the movie and is scarcely noticed by the audience. Many films can use the same shot of a landscape or the same background for someone driving. Thematically the footage can be good to subtly demonstrate the atmosphere of the film.
Though it does not draw attention to itself, this type of stock footage is very important to the subtext of the movie. It can tell an audience a lot. If the movie is done well, the passing footage in the background can give subtle clues to what’s going to happen or to the characters’ inner thoughts. If a movie is not carefully thought about and planned, it is easily noticed through shoddy details like background footage poorly matched to the current action.
Stock footage can also become very useful for shows with low budgets. If a similar action happens a couple of times in a film, the film makers can get away with showing the same stock video footage from an early part of the movie. Children’s shows do this constantly since kids tend not to notice.