What is "Royalty Free" footage?
When you purchase 'royalty free' footage from The Footage Resource, you buy the footage once and can use it as many times as you like. This one-time licensing fee allows you to use the footage in a wide variety of ways and across multiple projects. Please read our terms of use policy for complete details.
Back to top
What is "Editorial" footage?
Most of our footage is royalty free; however, we do have some editorial stock footage clips on our site. Footage that is listed as editorial footage may be suitable for editorial usage, such as news, documentary or editorial productions including documentary feature films, long-form TV documentaries or other educational programs. These clips should not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. You may read our terms of use policy for complete details.
Back to top
Can I download individual video clips -- and are downloads instant?
Absolutely! All video clips are available for instant download 24/7, and all downloads are FREE. You can order as few or as many clips as you like. You do not have to purchase entire collections.
Back to top
Can I download an entire collection?
Yes, but this process is not entirely automated yet. Please call or email us and we can have an entire collection bundled for immediate download -- usually within a few hours of your request (9-5 PST U.S).
Back to top
I want to order an entire DATA DVD collection, but I need to download a clip today. Can I do this?
Yes! If you need a clip immediately, download it. We will then reimburse you the difference when you order the collection.
Back to top
So how do I go about purchasing stock footage on your site?
Very simply. First, search for footage by entering a keyword or keyword phrase in the SEARCH form. Thumbnail results will appear that should be relevant to your search criteria. If not, try a different keyword. You can click on any of the thumbnails to preview the video clips and their complete details. Once you find the footage you want, add it you your 'clip cart' by clicking 'add to clip cart'. (NOTE: Adding clips to your cart does not require you to buy them). You may preview, add or delete clips from your clip cart at any time. Once you're satisfied with your clip cart contents, click 'checkout' and you can checkout with any major credit card or you may choose to pay using your Paypal account without giving us any financial information. As soon as your payment is processed, you'll be able to download your footage instantly! Really, it's that easy!
Back to top
How many downloads do I get?
Once your order is processed, you will be able to download your footage instantly. Additionally, you can return to your 'order history' page any time to download your footage. You will be permitted to download each video clip you order from us up to three (3) times over a 48 hour period. If you're having difficulty downloading your order, feel free to contact us by phone or email and we'll gladly reset your download counter. We guarantee all purchases... so don't sweat it if you have any difficulty at all... we'll get you your order as quickly as we can!
Back to top
How much does your stock footage cost?
HD clips range from $25-$100 per clip and are as low as $10 each when purchased in some collections. $5 footage is $5 only. Also watch for sales and promotions, where footage may be marked down considerably for a short time.
Back to top
Are there any hidden costs or erroneous processing fees?
Absolutely not. We do not charge for downloads, order processing or any other erroneous costs associated with your transaction. What you pay for a video clip is the price next to the clip; what you pay for a collection is the price next to the collection. If you require shipping, you will need to pay for shipping costs, but that's it.
Back to top
Does the watermark and/or timecode appear on the footage I purchase?
No. Your purchased clips will be watermark and timecode free. Watermarks are for our producers' copyright protection online and the timecode which appears on some clips is placed there to help us verify accurate archival entries for clip lengths.
Back to top
Can I download a hi-rez comp?
Yes. Please submit a free comp download request here.
Specify the clip name and number with your request as well as your email address. You will need to register for this service to be available.
Back to top
What's the quality of your footage?
Whether it's originated from HDCAM, DVCPRO HD, P2, XDCAM HD, HDV or computer generated, we feel that the quality of our footage is exceptional. All footage is delivered digitally as high resolution HD1080 or HD720 QuickTime .mov files designed for easy implementation in your projects. Most of the footage is either AppleProRes, PhotoJPEG or MotionJPEGB.
Back to top
Where are the video clip specifications?
You'll find detailed information about each clip when you click on it's thumbnail. Not only will you be able to preview the clip in real time, you'll also be given the description, format, length and price of the clip in a gray detail box beside the live video preview.
Back to top
Can you convert the Quicktime .mov files to other formats?
Yes. We can convert all High Definition files to almost any format specification of your choice for FREE.
Back to top
What equipment do your producers use?
All footage is shot on broadcast 3CCD High Definition cameras, including HDCAM, XDCAM HD, DVCPRO HD, P2 and HDV (basically all HD formats). Our submitting producers utilize professional tripods and support systems such as cranes and jibs, and employ professional lighting equipment for indoors and natural and/or reflected light outdoors. If you have questions about a specific shot on our site in regards to how it was originally captured, feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to provide you with that information.
Back to top
What are $5 clips and why are they so inexpensive?
$5 clips are great for those new to HD or for those on a tight budget. $5 clips may not have met our rigorous footage guidelines for content, composition or technical quality; however, in many cases, they may also be perfectly good out-takes that we chose not to sell at full price. They range from :03 to :15 seconds so that you can purchase any number of them to edit with without breaking your budget. To find all $5 clips on our site, type in promo code '555'. You can purchase $5 clips the same way you would any other clip on our site. Simply find the clip you want to download, add it to your clip bin and proceed through the quick and easy checkout process. Within minutes, you will be able to download your order. $5 clips are royalty free (unless otherwise specified) and fall under the same terms of use policy as all other clips on our site.
Back to top
About our live video previews...
The Flash video previews are optimized for web delivery and are strictly for 'preview' purposes. Occasionally, movement such as pans or tilts may appear jumpy or not very smooth on playback in some browsers. The footage you buy from us is very clean and smooth and much higher resolution. If you would like to preview a higher quality file, you may contact us for a watermarked QuickTime sample of any of our clips. Consider downloading one of our free clips or purchasing a few of our "$5 clips" so you can sample our stock footage immediately. Online previews can also be enlarged for full-screen viewing (though they will be very low quality) by clicking on the full-screen icon located on the play bar.
Back to top
Understanding our video clip icons...
Our video clips icons allow you to quickly view certain information about a video clip, and also allow for quick and easy 'related clip' searches and 'add to cart' shopping. The best way to understand the icons is to review the user image reference on the search page. Feel free to contact us with questions or suggestions on how to improve our system.
Back to top
How to achieve the best results when using our footage...
Keep in mind that High Definition video files require a computer equipped with sufficient RAM to play back properly. All stock footage is in the QuickTime .mov format, ready for quick and easy import into your NLE (non-linear editor). You may use our footage in any high definition or standard definition project by importing the QuickTime .mov file and rendering it in your timeline to meet your project specifications with any number of compression codecs. Keep in mind that the footage may not play back properly until it is fully rendered by your editing system. If you have any questions about using our footage in your projects, feel free to call or email us.
Back to top
Can I use HD footage in an SD project?
Absolutely. Most current NLEs allow you to import
the footage and convert it to an SD file. With Final Cut Pro, for instance, you can create a standard SD project with whatever settings you regularly use (such as DV/DVCAM NTSC) and simply drag and drop the footage into the timeline where it can automatically be conformed to the project settings. Typically the HD footage will be rescaled and letterboxed to 50% it's original size; however, you may choose to enlarge the image size to 100% for full frame viewing. This will allow you to pan and scan your footage so that you can alter the original framing and composition for your own stylistic and creative needs. If you don't have software that will convert HD footage for you, there are third party aps (many of which are free) that will convert the footage for you. If you are still not sure about using HD footage in an SD timeline and would like to purchase one or more of our video clips, we can convert the footage to whatever format you need.
Back to top
I'm not currently editing in HD, so why would I buy HD footage?
When you purchase a royalty-free license from us, you're purchasing both an HD and SD use license. This means you can use our footage for both editing formats without purchasing additional licenses. So what does this mean for you? HD footage can be used now and for many years to come. HD footage is the future of production footage. SD footage will eventually become obsolete. As mentioned above, another nice feature of HD footage, when used in an SD editing timeline, is it's flexibility to be cropped and resized. If there's a particular part of a shot you want to enlarge, you can zoom in on it, effectively doubling it's size, without quality loss or degradation. So for instance, if you want to make a tight shot out of a medium shot of, say, a motor boat speeding across a lake, you can very well do just that.
Back to top
Do you provide technical support for your products?
Our footage is very easy to work with; however, if you need technical assistance with a Data DVD or downloaded footage you purchase from us, feel free to contact us and we'll be glad to help!
Back to top
May I share the video I purchase from you with others?
No. The footage you purchase is for you or your company's use only. You may not share any of these video files with others under any circumstances. Anyone else wishing to use our footage must purchase a license. Please read our terms of use policy for complete details.
Back to top
Do I get a discount if I buy more than one clip?
Yes! When you purchase any of our collections, the price per clip may average as low as $25 (or even less when collections are on sale). For large quantity purchases, we will offer reasonable discounts at our discretion, so do not hesistate to ask. From time to time we run specials, so check back frequently for new offers.
Back to top
If I choose to get a DVD collection, how long can I expect to wait before getting my order?
Very quickly depending upon your method of delivery. For download: All clips are available immediately after your payment is processed -- literally, within minutes. The time it takes to download the footage depends on your internet connection speed. You will need a high speed connection to begin with such as DSL, Cable, T1 or Fiber. For mail: That will depend on your shipping preferences. Please read about our shipping methods below.
Back to top
What if I don't have time to search for the footage I need - and can you shoot something for me?Submit a free footage research request and, if we can find what you're looking for, we'll email you back with selections from our library. We can also shoot custom footage per your request.
Back to top
What's your return policy?
Due to the nature of the product, all sales are final. We cannot accept returns on downloads or DVDs, and do not give refunds, except in the case of media with material defects (Data-DVDs), which will be replaced at our expense. All stock footage clips are analyzed during processing and transcoding; however, because we do this manually, it is possible for an encoding glitch to have escaped us. If this is the case, we will review the clip(s) in question and replace them with a new version of the same clips(s).
Back to top
Do you accept Paypal?
Yes. We also accept all major credit cards for online purchases. Please feel free to send us your feedback regarding your checkout experience with us.
Back to top
How do I search for stock footage?
Click on the search link at the top of the page and you'll then have the option
to search all clips in our library using a keyword search -- or you can browse collections. If you're looking for a specific shot, you're best bet is to search clips since we have many clips in our library that are not available in our collections. For more information on how to conduct a more advanced search, click on the question mark next to the search box.
Back to top
Are all payment transactions secure?
Yes. All transactions -- as well as any personal information you provide -- are protected with up to 256-bit Secure Sockets Layer encryption. When you're on a secure page, you'll notice that you've been directed to our secure 'https' server. This would include all checkout and payment pages.
Back to top
Do you sell internationally?
Yes; however, if you're ordering a data-DVD collection, please contact us via email with your shipping address before placing your order so as to determine the best shipping method.
Back to top
How does your shipping work?
Currently, we use UPS as our shipping carrier. When you choose to have your order shipped to you, the default shipping method we have in our system is "ground" since this tends to be the most popular and cost effective for our customers. If this works for you, simply place your order, check the 'shipping' checkbox on the checkout page, and enter your shipping address. Once we approve your order, we'll ship it out UPS ground -- you need do nothing further. If you prefer expedited shipping, please contact us before placing your order.
Back to top
Do your video clips have sound?
Most footage is shot without NAT (or ambient) sound, unless we feel a certain sound will help enhance the quality of the footage. We've found that better sound can often be achieved in the post-production process and that's why we provide free sound effects to our clients.
Back to top
Can you recommend other resources for video and film professionals?
Absolutely! If you visit our resources page, you'll find some helpful resources like online forums, directories, job postings, tutorials, and other excellent information for video and film professionals.
Back to top
I'm a videographer and I would like to sell my stock footage. Can you represent me?
Yes! All footage must originate on a 3 CCD HD (or better) video camera and meet our guidelines. Our sales department is looking for footage that has exceptional compositional quality and creative content that we feel will be useful to our customers. We currently do a 50/50 split for all sales and do payouts via Paypal.
Back to top
How do I get my footage to you?
You can upload your footage (about 10 clips at a time) or send it to us on DVDs or a hardrive. You can choose to enter the clip details yourself or we can do it for you. All footage that will be indexed in our system will require necessary tagging information, including name, description, length, format/resolution, keywords, source and location. Model and property releases will need to be on file for any royalty free footage that includes subjects or private locations. If this applies to your footage, you can upload digital copies of your release forms in jpeg or pdf formats. If you're interested in submitting footage, you will be required to read and agree to our user submission agreement. You must be a registered user to sell footage on our site. Feel free to contact us for any additional information.
Back to top
How do I get FREE footage?
Easy. Simply register for a new account or login if you already have an account and download the video clip by clicking on the download link that appears after you sign in. You can preview the FREE footage from the homepage, but it will show it's current price (which you will not pay if you have a free account with us).
Back to top
