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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

4K Stock Libraries

Hi Mark,

I will be happy to have the stock footage company take there cut off the top and the percentage you mention sounds more then fair. The way I look at it is I don't want to spend my time running a stock footage website so if someone else does a good job of it and charges a fair amount more power to them. I will be doing a lot of mountain footage and if you are doing a good job of representing your sites I would be happy to have you represent some of my footage.
 
I have never been driven by financial gain. The fact I can live from my passion as an underwater shooter is, for me, my nirvana. I have no needs for the trappings some people desire. I'm a simple person at the end of the day with only a few needs to keep me happy.

Once I can get some kind of direction from the web site I would like to think I could look at future representation relationships with others. Time will tell. Until then, keep up the shooting, amass that footage and do some good.

Wishing you all the best,
Mark.
 
I am pretty sure I won't be shooting stock footage for stock footage's sake but I feel compelled to say a little something...

I shoot indie features, low budget things most people never see. On location, I find myself rolling footage of vistas and sunsets, moonrises, people moving about, little moments... because I am captivated by that moment. It's not for the project I'm on, it's a moment that grabs me, so I try to grab it, save it. Maybe it makes the cut, usually it doesn't. But I think as shooters we have a responsibility to capture all the beautiful - and even ugly - moments we can, because they are fleeting. They are real.

Lowkus, I share your pain at the industrialization of our world. I retch every time I fly into Denver, see those acres and acres of cookie-cutter houses creeping towards the Rockies. Every time I walk the tidepools around Big Sur there's more trash. It breaks my heart. So to me, at the very least, CamDiver will preserve the oceans as they are now. Others will preserve the mountains, forests, neighborhoods, deserts. May the gods forbid it, but it could be the final incriminating evidence of the destruction we despise... and may be the thing that helps us to stop it. Heavy and preachy, I know, but true.

Most, if not all of us, are freelancers, job to job, paycheck to paycheck. Many of us have talked about the concerns of making loan payments, etc, etc. I do not mean to diminish the necessity of making smart business decisions. But all of you, on every thread, and the RED team, are sharp, full of knowledge, unbelievable. This community is amazing and I think unprecedented... let's keep it that way: do what you love, and let the money come after.
 
If your heart is in your work, it will be reflected in the images you capture. Then if you do what you love well enough, and long enough, money will usually take care of itself...

Leave Walter Mitty as a James Thurber novel character...there's no need to dream about what you really want to do in life...get out and do it!

On the subject of environment, no doubt that the natural world is being strained by various factors. But, I still find extraordinary beauty in the natural world on a regular basis...and I document it for future generations to enjoy. In viewing a rose some will only see thorns, some will only see petals, and some will see both. I'm the third kind...I see both, but I put most of my creative energy toward recording images of the beauty in nature. I also document pollution though, so that I can donate those images to non-profits who are trying to protect the environment. I believe those of us who use the natural environment regularly, and are image-makers, have an obligation to give back to the natural environment. It’s simply good “karma”.

Beyond all its business uses, RED One will be a great new paintbrush for capturing images of nature.

The subject matter of stock footage can be almost anything. That said, if you're a "starving artist" you may want to discipline yourself to shoot a mixture of footage subjects. The kind of footage that will license well will free you up financially to have the time to shoot the kind you really love.

Bottom line: Do what you love to do…and using some business smarts can free you up to do what you really love to do.
 
CamDiver said:
I have never been driven by financial gain. The fact I can live from my passion as an underwater shooter is, for me, my nirvana. I have no needs for the trappings some people desire. I'm a simple person at the end of the day with only a few needs to keep me happy.
Click to expand...


Fovean said:
This community is amazing and I think unprecedented... let's keep it that way: do what you love, and let the money come after.
Click to expand...


Beautiful. The greatest artwork can come only from that type of thinking.
I thank you guys for all the positive energy shared...

I believe I'm not the only one who appreciates
 
G. beat me to it....

That's the n'th time you summed it up, Gibby !!! :ranting2:
 
CamDiver said:
I have never been driven by financial gain. The fact I can live from my passion as an underwater shooter is, for me, my nirvana. I have no needs for the trappings some people desire. I'm a simple person at the end of the day with only a few needs to keep me happy.

Once I can get some kind of direction from the web site I would like to think I could look at future representation relationships with others. Time will tell. Until then, keep up the shooting, amass that footage and do some good.

Wishing you all the best,
Mark.
Click to expand...

I had to jump in here....running a stock footage site is an all encompassing, beyond full-time, real job. If your desire is diving and shooting then running a stock footage site will blow that dream out of the water. It is one thing to rep your own footage but when you get hundreds of shooters involved and are dealing with tens of thousands of clips, servers, isp, web development, marketing costs which never seem to stop, well maybe you get the idea.
And where you are located seems like it would be hard to get a T1 or FIOS.
Something you will have to have to compete. And can you get a FED EX out
overnite to anywhere in the world? And what about your post set-up?
You will have to be cross-platform and be able to deliver in a multitude of formats. When a customer calls to complain or order product will you be there? Are you planning on hiring a full-time tech so you can devote 100% to sales? I think offering 4K footage to the feature film industry would be great.
I am sure some high-end corporate clients might dabble in 4K, but HD is just now getting started. I would like to see what RED shooters might think is a fair price for offering RED footage. I know a few of the larger houses are interested in offering 4K....but these are the ones that are paying 20%.....
 
Hi Red Guy,
All points are true and valid. My current position sees me working in the tourism dive industry to supply an imaging need for visiting divers to Palau, an island nation in the western Pacific which also happens to be one of the leading dive destinations on the planet. Now whilst you would imagine there to be a plethora of similar services in such a place there are only two real shops to speak of supplying these services. Services such as camera rentals, repairs, digital downloading to CD's, filming people to prepare souvenir DVD's, merchandise sales etc etc, you get the gist. Anyway, I have been doing this for the past 12 or so years in varying locations. Whilst it pays OK and I can make good coin at the seasons peak I am now looking to move on with RED. I believe the time has come for me to take the Bull by the horns and see where I can go at the top level. This means for me a massive learning curve but at the age of 41 I am happy to make that commitment and go for it.

As such I have been thinking of relocation for the past six months or so as I realize I need to be somewhere that offers a higher degree of technological backup if I want to see my work take off. I will need faster communication with the rest of the world, overnight Fed Ex, UPS, whatever.

So far as the workload. As with any business I think it comes down to task management. I don't think its impossible to be able to continue with my work and to develop any kind of stock agency at the same time. Remember I only dive daily here to appease that demand by tourist divers. Even though in the future I plan to shoot for stock with RED that will follow the plan of stock shooting sessions at any given location with specific species, targets in mind for up to one month at a time.

I understand fully the implications of what is required to run a successful stock agency and believe myself to have that ability without any question. I will start as I mentioned, to build up my own site, and then branch out to look at further representation.

Jim is not the only one around here who likes a challenge :sarcasm:

Cheers,
Mark.
P.S I don't think there are going to be hundreds of underwater RED shooters. I will not make false promises of representation to anyone. I would only be willing to represent those with a proven track record. The select few. If they have their own representation and are happy with that then so be it but I will be looking at networking more to these individuals in the future.
 
When the time comes I'll be honored to be able to include your work.

P.S really nice musical concept regarding Seaflix. I have always made these little musical shorts which I also offer as Bonus Features on divers DVD's here in Palau. I have one, currently being shown on the Ocean Channel, called 'When Mantas Dance' which has actually generated enough cash to pay for the VX1000 system I filmed it on.

I'm also starting out on another idea of mine, musically oriented and have the backing of a musical group signed to Warner. Basically entails a Bruckheimeresque approach to editing for the pilot. Should be a blast.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
CamDiver said:
Hi Red Guy,

I understand fully the implications of what is required to run a successful stock agency and believe myself to have that ability without any question. I will start as I mentioned, to build up my own site, and then branch out to look at further representation.

Jim is not the only one around here who likes a challenge :sarcasm:

Cheers,
Mark.
P.S I don't think there are going to be hundreds of underwater RED shooters. I will not make false promises of representation to anyone. I would only be willing to represent those with a proven track record. The select few. If they have their own representation and are happy with that then so be it but I will be looking at networking more to these individuals in the future.
Click to expand...

Excellent, I know of some underwater shooters not happy with their present deals. When you are ready to "dive-in" let us know what develops!
 
Camdiver,

Cheers, thanks for the compliment on the Seaflix DVD's.

If you want a good laugh check out "Echolocation" at this link:

http://kennethcorben.com/echolocation.html
You need quicktime 7 to view the clip.

This was a concept I tested for kids that I love. Executives passed on it I think because it was not "slick enough" and has no built in toy product empire.
 
Hmm... I've been thinking it over and will concede that a central stock footage site probably will have to take a percentage of proceeds. I was thinking it would be self-sustaining by it's mass, rather than relying on marketing, but that's probably an unrealistic expectation. And since marketing costs, then I guess that money's gotta come from somewhere.
 
sharkguy said:
Camdiver,

Cheers, thanks for the compliment on the Seaflix DVD's.

If you want a good laugh check out "Echolocation" at this link:
Click to expand...

Hey Ken,
That is wild, love the puppets.

RED Guy, The stock endeavors will be for 4k footage mainly from RED, if your buddies fit that bill and are proven then no worries.

Lowkus, yep its a costly thing but if done right can be a success. Taking it slow to find the right model at the outset will be my chosen approach.

Cheers,
Mark.
 
Been following this thread and it all sounds great.

I would actually be concerned about a stock footage site that didn't charge a commission. If I'm to submit my work to be represented by someone I expect them to be out there marketing and promoting their site in order to drum up business. Otherwise I'm not going to sell much :)

A commission is essential to help cover the costs of this work and the huge back end that would be involved in getting a good stock business up and running.

Can anyone point to professional high end stock footage businesses that provide a good working example????
I'd love to have a click around and see how they work, what they charge etc
Not istockvideo but more premium material

PS - Sharkguy - that's a classic vid!!! lol - must have been fun to put together
 
Yikes!

What's with the transfer rates on their site??? I was only getting about 3KB/sec download speed and I'm on an 8Mbps connection here. I'm patient, but not that patient. Maybe I'll try again later -- that cuttlefish mating video looks promising. ;)
 
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