Video/Motion
In early March
Selling-Stock reported that many of iStockphoto’s most experienced videographers were very upset with the proposed royalty share for iStock new Vetta collection. At least 25 of the most productive contributors with a combined total of about 45,000 clips decided not to participate in Vetta. Most concluded they were likely to earn more if their clips were licensed at the lower Exclusive prices because they would continue to receive a higher royalty rate. It is also expected that clips available at the lower Exclusive prices will sell more frequently than those at the higher Vetta prices. Illustrators who produce Vector art were faced with the same problem.
PhotoShelter and
Agency Access have just released a free ebook entitled “
What Buyers Want From Photographers.” The information resulted from a 35 question survey sent to Agency Access’ global database of 55,000 photography buyers. 500 responded to the survey.
In an IBISWorld market research report author Toon Van Beeck has identified the
10 Fasted Dying Industries in the United States. While every industry has a lifecycle – growth, maturity and decline – the fastest dying “standouts” include:
Photofinishing, #4 on the list,
Newspaper Publishing ,#7 and
Video Postproduction, #10. IBIS has a database of 700 industries and studied 200 that were in decline to determine which were in the worst shape.
In the past two years Corey Rich has directed and shot more than 15 video profiles for Apple. The stories have generally centered around small business and enterprise companies that have integrated iPhone and iPad for greater efficiency and, in many cases, a positive effect on their bottom line. His two minute
iPad in Business profile of Eric Jackson and Jackson Kayaks may give you an idea of new business opportunities that are opening up for still photographers turned videographers and producers.
Two companies have announced new video offerings.
age fotostock is promoting its
THP Photo & Video Services (Technological Hosting Platform) that consolidates imagery from many suppliers and hosts it for distributors around the world. Stock Footage Online (
www.stockfootageonline.com) has launched a new site with links to 80 leading stock footage specialist libraries.
At ASMP’s recent Strictly Business 3 education weekend in Philadelphia
four photographers explained how they had reinvented their businesses in
the current challenging business environment. Here are their stories. There will be more success stories at the last Strictly Business 3 conference in 2011 which takes place in Chicago April 1st through 3rd.
iStockphoto has announced plans to introduce a new higher priced Vetta
collection of video clips. Video producers are rebelling over the
proposed royalty split for this higher priced product. Clips in this
collection will be handpicked for their art direction, conceptual
execution and rarity and will be made available at higher prices than
other exclusive content.
If you license rights to your photos for textbook use then here are a few articles you should read.
The Association of Stock Image Licensors and Thriving Archives have launched
the ACSIL Global Survey of Stock Footage Companies 2,
a comprehensive review of the stock footage business. The survey will
assess overall business conditions within the stock footage industry and
provide strategic, action-oriented information and insights to industry
leaders. Participants who complete the online survey will be eligible
to receive a complimentary summary report of the results and a 50%
discount on the purchase of the final report.
Have an idea for a photo project but short of money to get if off the ground? Try Kickstarter.
Most still photographers say their best pictures tell stories. To a limited degree, this is true. But photographers need to start thinking about more complete and complex stories, not just the best story they can tell in a single frame. This is where the opportunities lie.
Based on some recent discussions with producers of video stock John Lund offers some thoughts on the possibilities, and limitations, of motion stock and how stock footage might fit into a photographer’s future.
“Our contention is that the iPad version of a magazine is part of the
rate base of that magazine,” said Condé Nast vice president of editorial
operations Richard Levine at the recent conference of the Picture
Archive Council of America. “A new strategy for acquiring content is
needed because it will be impossible to anticipate how imagery initially
acquired primarily for print use might be repurposed,” he continued.
This is not unique to Condé Nast issue, but rather a position other
publishers have already taken or will need to take in the near future.
In his biography,
The Age of Turbulence, Alan Greenspan said, “The presumption of individual property ownership and the
legality of its transfer must be
deeply embedded in the culture of a society
(emphasis mine) for free market economies to function effectively. In
the West, the moral validity of property rights is accepted, or at least
acquiesced in, by virtually the whole of the population.” I was
struck by how this relates to the photography business today. The concept of individual property ownership is no
longer deeply embedded in the culture of our society. A large segment of
the population believes that certain property should be free to all and
that the creators have no rights once the property is shown to anyone.
Using the creative works of others without permission or compensation is
becoming the morally accepted standard.
In theory there should be a major growth in demand in the near future
for video. However, people have been making that prediction for more
than a decade and the demand still doesn’t seem to be taking off. In
fact, videographers who were among the leading sellers of video clips a
decade ago are now reporting that their sales are down 50% from what
they were just three or four years ago.
If you are in the stock imagery business and want to stay current with
worldwide industry trends, the annual CEPIC congress is a must-attend
event. Held every year in early June—this year in Dublin, Ireland, at
the brand new Aviva Stadium—the congress provides an opportunity to
meet industry leaders and exchange ideas.
The traditional market for single images is under intense pressure. However, the demand for imagery that hangs together as a story is increasing in both editorial and commercial arenas.
I
had already been a still photographer for over 20 years when I started
exploring digital video and the motion medium ten years ago. I had
built a successful career shooting editorially for magazines like
National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, Travel & Leisure to name
a few, as well as producing annual reports for major corporations.
When digital video hit the scene in the late ‘90’s, I was already
starting to feel a slight frustration in trying to tell certain stories
with a still camera. I was beginning to think and see in terms of
movement and sound. At the same time, technology was making it
possible and affordable with digital video cameras and non-linear
editing software for me to use this medium to tell my stories. The new
tools were a means to an end.
One of the leading producers of short form business profiles (videos of 45 to 75 seconds) is
TurnHere.com. The company has a network of over 8,000 freelance videographers
working in over 70 countries. It has produced more than 27,000 short
videos (7,000 within the last 6 months) for local business around the
world.
For those who think that the use of photography in education will remain the same, here are some numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.
More and more still photographers are getting into video because of the
appeal of the hybrid still cameras that also shoot video.
Photographers love the visual coming out of these big chip cameras –
what’s not to love? But they quickly find out that if they aren’t just
going to be laying visuals down to a music track, they will need to
start thinking about their audio – specifically a narrative track or
one driven by sound bites from interviews. I work in the corporate
sector, as well as create documentaries, so I do a lot of interviews.
The interviews, along with a scripted voiceover comprise my audio track
and drive the story.
I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and stopped by
Zacuto.
Zacuto
is a business that has made outfitting DSLR cameras for video a
specialty. They have cleverly engineered an assortment of their party
add-ons that take these cameras to a higher level. They have also
provided solutions to overcome some of these cameras shortcomings.
Depending on the genre you are working in, documentary work, corporate,
indie films or photojournalism will ultimately determine which way
you’ll need to “trick” these cameras out.
After great success at producing and selling traditional rights-managed and royalty-free imagery for more than 25 years, Ron Chapple started producing microstock in 2006. By 2008, he went looking for new opportunities, and in 2009 -- the year when many other photographers struggled to survive -- he doubled his income compared to the previous year.
While the transition from still photographer to television commercial producer is difficult, David Scott Smith's odyssey illustrates that an image creator and storyteller can find satisfaction in shooting and producing video.
Getty Images has promoted Roxanne Motamedi to the post of vice president of entertainment for North America. The former executive director of entertainment has led the division since 2001. Motamedi is responsible for the North American entertainment divisions of Getty Images, WireImage, Film Magic and Getty Images/WireImage Video, as well as their worldwide activities, such as assignments, distribution and production.