How to Turn Your Footage Into Money - by Mark Schulze

Image by cleopatra69 via Flickr

Today I wanted to inspire you to put your video footage to good use. If you have shot any interesting, unusual, rare or awesome clips, there could be a market for them.

My wife, Patty Mooney, and I started our stock-footage library, New & Unique Videos, back in 1994, when we returned from a journey around the world, during which we collected dozens of hours of stock footage for our mountain bike documentary, the award-winning "Full Cycle: A World Odyssey." It won kudos, multiple honors and lots of reviews in publications around the world, but was never broadcast on television.

We have never lost hope that it would some day be broadcast, because we do a lot of broadcast television work, and we know this is a stellar show. However, where we seemed to get ROI (Return on our Investment) was via stock-footage sales. We have sold clips shot for "World Odyssey" to all kinds of programs and corporate projects. Clients have bought our Tasmanian devil, boxing kangaroos, underwater mountain bikers, Canadian waterfalls, and many other clips.

The way that you, too, can pocket a little cash from your videographic passion is this.

First, invest in a tripod. There's a market for what I call "shaky-cam" but the traditional smooth work done with a tripod will always be desired.

Second, make sure that you gather three versions of your shot: a wide (establishing) shot, a medium shot and a close up.

Third, log your footage. Make sure you are as detailed as possible, even down to transcribing what people say. You just never know what a client is going to want. If you have it, and you logged it, it's going to be a lot easier to find it when you need it.

Fourth, if your work is professional enough, or at least engaging or sensational enough, then approach some stock-footage libraries and let them know you have footage available. Be prepared to send digital clips (with your watermark) so they can see what you have.

This is just one way to help support your addiction to videography. You may sell a clip here or there. You may even decide you want to get fully engaged in the arena of stock footage. How deeply you venture into the profession is up to you. The way technology keeps advancing, and because the appetite for video content is seemingly unquenchable, you may be able to carve a niche for yourself that will keep you nicely involved in all kinds of amazing adventures. That's how it happened for us. The sky is really the limit for today's videographer.

How I Got Started in the Video Profession - by Mark Schulze

Many students and young professionals approach me wondering how I got started in the industry of video production. I've been involved in the profession so long now (nearly 30 years) that my story is almost mythological. I started my own company, Crystal Pyramid Productions, in 1981, after graduating from UCSD. I had reached my decision to go into video production after leafing page-by-page through a copy of the Yellow Pages. Most young people may not know exactly what this is because you can now find everything you need on the Internet.

Anyway, when I had reached the "V's" I knew that Video was truly the career for me. The way I got started was to intern while a student in college. Then, when I had become a businessman - which entails a bunch of paperwork and official certification - I began offering my services to nonprofit companies at reduced rates. I also placed small ads in local publications. I gave up my weekends to shoot lots of weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and other special family events.

Eventually I began making a name for myself. I collected testimonials from people and created demo reels from clips off of finished videos. Little by little my company rose, along with the help of my partner, Patty Mooney, whom I met in 1982, to the place where we are now - a high-echelon, award-winning broadcast and corporate video production company.

Looking back, I realize that my rewards were not the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but that they were embedded in my path from the very beginning. To those bright and shiny students who want to enter the realm of video production, I say, make sure that video production makes you happy. It's the kind of work that requires a lot of manual labor, responsibility, constant decision-making and sometimes long hours. It also pays in the dividends of meeting all kinds of great people, seldom working in the same location twice, and the pride of creating art that will probably outlive you.

In the above photo you'll see a production still from one of my very first productions, "Get Smart About Toxins." It was a video for the Environmental Health Coalition about the dangers of toxic waste (paints, varnish, battery acid, etc.) to waste collectors. I had a chance to direct waste collection personnel, Paramedics and representatives from the Fire Department. To my knowledge, the EHC is still using that video today.

Outdoor Video Production Can Be Tricky - by Mark Schulze

Over my nearly three decades as a video producer, Director of Photography and videographer, I have participated in both inside and outdoors shooting. The outdoor shoots can be a bit trickier because of several factors. Rather than working in a controlled indoor environment, when you are outside, the sun - your main source of lighting - will shift. The savvy camera operator needs to constantly be aware of where the sun is and how it is affecting your shot. You may have to white-balance the camera more than once, particularly if a series of clouds passes over the sun.

The above photo was taken at an Animal Planet shoot for their series "Baby Animals." We chose to set up under the shade of a tree with the morning sun at our backs. We sat our talent down in a spot that had consistent shade (not mottled). We used a reflector (a big round fabric disc that is shinier on one side than the other) to direct more lighting to her face. You want to avoid backlighting in which the subject is almost a silhouette and the background is blown out.

There is a fine tightrope you walk when you are working outdoors, not only when it comes to lighting but when it comes to sound. San Diego is notorious for its military bases and with military bases come big toys such as F-16s, helicopters and transport planes. These all crisscross the sky just when the talent has finally perfected their sound bite after the 20th take. You can check it out for yourself. Your location will be eerily quiet as you set up your camera, tripod and all the ancillary equipment. Just as you are pulling the trigger on your camera, you will be accosted by crows, and then the leaf-blowing gardener will get started fifty feet away.

Just joking. Not really.

If you really want to include outdoor shooting in your production, and you are a perfectionist like me, just budget a little more time than you think it will take to capture beautiful shots with clean audio.