First, a bit of history. Starting out in the early 1900’s simply as placards outside movie theaters listing the films being showcased within, film posters quickly began including illustrations of a film’s scenes, and with the advent of Hollywood stardom also portraits of the actors and actresses. Where the early posters were very literal representations of what the moviegoer could expect to see on screen, they later became an opportunity to tease the moviegoers by way of symbolism or suggestive imagery. The visual marketing of a film had become another creative level of the filmmaking process. And it still is. With the current need for quickly digestible promotional content on social media, the iconography of a film may be less prioritized now than it was 20 years ago, but all the more reason for you to explore and use the art of the film poster. A picture is, after all, worth a thousand words.

So what makes a great film poster? Let’s see what some of the great posters of decades past have in common.

The Clockwork Orange poster hints at the central themes of the film (good vs evil, light vs dark, danger, violence, sexuality) while much is left to the imagination. Why the triangles? Why the dagger? Why the eye? Why is Alex lurking in the shadows?

The image used for American Beauty also hints at the central themes of sexuality and desire, while the tag line suggest that not all is what it appears to be. ‘Look closer’ at what? The American dream? The rose? The naked body? Yourself?

Most of Forrest Gump unfolds as a story told by Forrest as he’s waiting for the bus, so it’s only fitting that the poster recalls the iconic bench. But the image says so much more. Many of the film’s central themes are hidden in plain sight: the loneliness, the journey, the anticipation, leaving the past behind you.

This epic poster for National Lampoon’s Vacation is all about intertextuality. The style is an homage to the film posters of yesteryear, with several of the film’s highlights depicted, but it also calls upon the viewer’s knowledge of iconic film posters like Barbarella or Conan The Barbarian to add humor and kitsch. But even with the lighthearted illustrations, the themes of the film are present: feeling powerful vs feeling inadequate, love vs lust, disaster vs triumph, patriarchy.

One of my favorite posters, the Pulp Fiction poster is as ‘meta’ as they come. The design is that of the cover of a pulp fiction novel, which Mia Wallace also happens to be reading. It’s a book in a book, that’s actually a movie. The style invokes the kind of pop-culture nostalgia that Tarantino is famed and loved for, but it’s not ‘all style no substance’ either. The image is not a still from the movie, so why is it there? It’s presenting the themes. Crime. Violence. Seduction. Pop-culture. Aah. Star Wars. An iconic poster if ever there was one. Notice a familiarity with the one for Vacation? Certain elements of the plot are hinted at, without revealing too much. Our main characters are introduced. Luke and Leia are both in white – as opposed to the darkness surrounding Darth Vader. Recognize a theme of good vs evil here? What about Luke fighting to get out of the shadow cast by his father – recurring theme in Star Wars? Oh yes. Add to that the alien landscape, the spaceships in motion and the droids trekking through the desert and you have the theme of ‘the journey’.

So there you have it, folks. Even if it’s not staring you right in the face, the best film posters will somehow hint at the themes of the film. Keep that in mind next time you sit down with your graphic designer.

But what exactly is stock footage?

Broadly speaking, stock footage is any kind of material that is edited into a project, but was not filmed for that specific project. It takes many forms such as audio files, film and television clips, news reports, interviews, and shot-specific footage, such as backgrounds that you can key in, aerials shots overs cities and time-lapse videos of the sun rising or setting.

But why would a production want to use footage that wasn’t specifically shot for their project?

The answer is as varied as the types of stock footage. One big reason can be the budget: paying for an aerial shot of a city at night is much cheaper than renting the helicopter and filming it yourself. And this isn’t exclusive to short films. Even big Hollywood films and television shows use stock footage. In fact, often in TV, the production will film exteriors that are going to be their “stock footage” for the show. The editor uses that footage by inserting it in between interior scenes when there’s a change in location.

Can you spot the stock footage in the clip specifically shot for this killer show? Hint: it’s right at the top of the scene…

Audiences are mostly used to seeing stock footage used in documentaries, particularly in historical or event documentaries. This is because documentaries that explore a moment in time will use stock footage to transport the audience back to that moment. Interviews are intercut with pictures and video to highlight and punctuate the emotion. Think about it: What would a documentary on The Beatles be like if it didn’t have footage of The Beatles arriving stateside? If it didn’t show them performing on the Ed Sullivan Show?

But let’s be clear; editing together a series of stock footage clips doesn’t make a documentary. A documentary infuses stock footage with other elements, like interviews to better tell its story.

Check out this trailer for a documentary that uses lots of stock footage to explore its story:

So now that we understand what stock footage is, let’s talk about how to use it. Because, not all stock footage is created equal. Whatever the type of stock footage you’re using, it can be divided into two categories: Public domain or copyrighted.  Public domain stock footage is free to use. Using copyrighted stock footage, found in archives or stock footage houses (companies that are devoted to stock footage), requires that a fee be paid to the copyright holder.

Where can you find public domain stock footage? The US government is actually one of the largest producers of public domain stock footage. If you’re looking for public domain movie stock footage, the National Archives and Records Administration is one of the best places to start your stock footage search. Another great source is the Internet Moving Image Archive.

Stock footage houses, like Getty, National Geographic, Shutterstock, Pond 5, just to name a few, all provide a rich and myriad selection.

When working on a project that requires a lot of stock footage, such as a documentary, I highly recommend hiring a researcher to search for the best and the cheapest stock footage. Often stock footage houses allow you download comps. Comps are smaller, low quality, watermarked download samples of the stock footage. Your editor can then edit those comps into the piece so you can see whether that specific stock footage clip is best for your project.

Once all stock footage selections have been made, a deal will then be worked out between you (and/or your company) and the stock footage house. This deal includes how long you have the rights to the clips and on which formats your film will be shown, film festivals, TV, online, all mediums, etc.

A piece of advice: Buying in bulk can make for a better deal. Buying separate clips from several sources can be more expensive than buying clips from the same house. Again, this is why it’s best to have a researcher devoted to finding you stock footage. They can work and sometimes negotiate with stock footage houses to get you a better deal.

It’s after this that you’ll be given (either via download or physical copy) a high quality version of the clips that can then replace their comp counterparts. If you’re not familiar with this process, check out this quick primer on offline vs online editing.

Working with stock footage means communication between the editor, the post coordinator, the post supervisor, the director and the producers is key. Things like what house the stock footage clip came from, the cost of the clip per second of being used and how long it’s actually being used in the film all needs to be tracked.

Google docs are a great tool that can help you keep track of all these variables. I recommend creating one google doc that tracks all incoming documents/files and another that tracks their usage in the film.

Remember: Whatever the reason for its use, stock footage is a tool, like visual effects or music, that helps elaborate and illustrate your story. Don’t use stock footage to be fancy, use stock footage to tell the best story.

To close, here’s a clip from a movie that really used stock footage in an innovative way!