Selling Stock Video Footage.

[Bob Safay]

Has anyone had any success selling stock footage? I tried selling stock photos years ago and had no luck. I saw Doug Jensen's trailer on how to make money selling stock footage and it sounds very interesting. Below is the link to his trailer. I have taken a few tutorials from Doug and they were all helpful. I would like to know if these companies charge an upfront fee, what type of footage do they want and what type of equipment I would need. Also, does anyone know if they are paying different rates for HD vs. 4K? Are they even accepting HD anymore? One last question, if I shoot a painter painting a wall, and I shoot him from behind, do I still need a model release? Any help would be appreciated. I do intend to try Doug's course but I was looking for a little feedback first. Thank you, Bob

https://vimeo.com/groups/canonxf/videos/323480465

[Mark Williams]

No up front fee at Shutterstock and Pond5 where I have been selling for a couple of years. I was invited to join both based on content on my Vimeo channel. They want 4k and they make an HD version available at a lower price. Payout is 50%. On clips that contain unidentified people they still want a release unless the clip is for editorial use only. I have received emails from European advertising firms offering to purchase parts of my videos. I did that once and receiving payment was a long and grueling process. Now I refer them to my clips on Shutterstock and Pond5 and will not sell outright. Payment from both stock sites is thru Paypal and I have never had a problem. I don't have a large portfolio but the revenue helps me replace my gear.

[Bob Safay]

Mark, thank you. This is the kind of information I was hoping to get. It sounds like you have had success selling video clips. I'm sure you sell a lot of your nature footage. Bob

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Bob Safay

Has anyone had any success selling stock footage? I tried selling stock photos years ago and had no luck. I saw Doug Jensen's trailer on how to make money selling stock footage and it sounds very interesting. Below is the link to his trailer. I have taken a few tutorials from Doug and they were all helpful. I would like to know if these companies charge an upfront fee, what type of footage do they want and what type of equipment I would need. Also, does anyone know if they are paying different rates for HD vs. 4K? Are they even accepting HD anymore? One last question, if I shoot a painter painting a wall, and I shoot him from behind, do I still need a model release? Any help would be appreciated. I do intend to try Doug's course but I was looking for a little feedback first. Thank you, Bob

https://vimeo.com/groups/canonxf/videos/323480465

Hey Bob, thanks for your interest in my Stock Footage master class. As I say in my trailer, I can't believe every video professional isn't doing stock footage already. My math says I'm making about $279/hour. Hard to beat that kind of income any other way in this business.

Please use the promo code "DVINFO" to save 20%.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sellingstockfootage

I cover all your questions in the workshop, but I'll try to answer them here as well.

1) No, there is no charge to sign up with any of the big stock footage sites, and those are really the only ones you want to bother with anyway.

2) The commissions/royalties paid are a fixed percentage of the sales price and the percentage is the same for 4K, HD, commercial, editorial, etc. In other words, the percentage is always the same but the dollar figure may be different depending how much the customer pays.

3) HD is still accepted and outsells 4K by a wide margin. If you have it in the can, upload it. But it would be short sighted to continue shooting HD.

4) A good rule of thumb is that if someone could recognize themselves, then you need a release.

I hope you decide to sign up for the course. I'd love to hear what you think.

[Bob Safay]

Doug, thanks for the response. It all seems easy enough. And thanks for the promocode. I will definitely use it. Is this offer good for anyone? I will start looking through my clips to see what might qualify. Do you include a sample of the model release that you use?

[Doug Jensen]

Hi Bob,

Yeah, that promo code can be used by any DVINFO member who wants to get a head start shooting stock.

I include a a link in the workshop to download several documents in a ZIP file including model release and property release templates. But as I talk about in the workshop my preferred method of handling releases is with an app on my iPad and phone called "Easy Release".

I've decided to cut back on other work and focus more on stock. My earnings so far this month are at $1554.18 and I'm uploading 124 new clips today. I want to keep adding fuel to the fire.

Be sure to let me know how you like the workshop if you decide to take the plunge.

[Doug Jensen]

My stock footage sales for today are already at $315 just at Shutterstock alone. $1869 for the month so far and we still have 12 days to go. I just can't understand why everyone with a pro camera and some shooting skills isn't doing stock.

[Bob Safay]

Doug, that sounds great. I just clicked on the promocode and signed up. Wish me luck! Bob

[Doug Jensen]

Bob, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the workshop whenever you have feedback.

[Steven Digges]

I just purchased this series. It is exactly what I need. Some time ago I dabbled in stock with a few test clips. Sold a few but realized most of my clips never received a single view. I'm looking forward to Doug's advice.

Thanks for the promo code Doug!

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Doug Jensen

My stock footage sales for today are already at $315 just at Shutterstock alone. $1869 for the month so far and we still have 12 days to go. I just can't understand why everyone with a pro camera and some shooting skills isn't doing stock.

Is that how much the end consumer has purchased for your stock footage, or you will personally be receiving a check or deposit into your account for $1869+ at the end of the month?

How much did you personally receive in sales in February?

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

I just purchased this series.

Thanks, Steve. I wish you great success.

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Gary Huff

Is that how much the end consumer has purchased for your stock footage, or you will personally be receiving a check or deposit into your account for $1869+ at the end of the month? How much did you personally receive in sales in February?

I never bother thinking about what the customer has paid for the clips. None of my business, really. I am only concerned with my share of the proceeds. It's difficult to crunch the numbers for all the places I am selling my footage, but Shutterstock is the major one so I will give you those figures:

January: $2481 is what I was paid by check.
February: $1931 is was I was paid.
March: $2190 -- already with 7 days left to go in the month.

In 2018 I averaged $2200/mo. at Shutterstock and $2700/mo. if you add in the other agencies.

But almost as important as how much I am earning is how little time I spend working on it. There's no point in wasting time on something that pays minimum wage. Fortunately, I average about 4-5 hours per week processing footage for uploading. And as of December, I've already earned $279/hour for the time and effort I have put into processing my portfolio of clips -- and those clips continue to sell. But I'm adding new ones all the time so my total earnings are going up. I have set a goal to make $30K just from Shutterstock in 2019 and $40K in 2020. I see no reason why I won't hit those targets.

If you're interested in more detail, I further crunch the number in this video:

TRAILER for WORKSHOP: HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK FOOTAGE on Vimeo

[Gary Huff]

How many total clips have you uploaded to Shutterstock to date?

[Doug Jensen]

4900 clips as of December. Then I added 2000 more in Jan.-Feb. but they have not had a chance to start generating revenue. So if you want to judge performance, it should be based on 4900 clips. But because those 4900 clips have generated an average of $24 each, then the 2000 new clips should also generate an average of $24 each over the coming years. Some clips will sell over and over again, and some clips will never sell, but on average, I figure each clip will generate a minimum of $24 in profit over it's lifetime. Probably more, but I can't say for sure how much my average clip will earn because all of them are still earning more and more so I can't put a number on it. All I can say is that it is at least $24 because they have already surpassed that figure.

BTW, all of your questions (and more) are answered in this video that you can watch for free.

TRAILER for WORKSHOP: HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK FOOTAGE on Vimeo