We have prepared for you a short selection of films from this year’s edition of HotDocs that we expect to showcase some of the best work in the field of archive research in 2018. With the full line-up published, it was easy to spot the productions that rely on the meticulous research of both personal and external archive sources. Some of the productions will have their World/North American premieres making the festival a truly special moment for the filmmakers and researchers behind them. The selected films come from very different places, periods, each with a unique personal narrative making a great complete watching experience if you want to see all of them (something that we definitely will).
Stock and Archive Footage: What’s the Difference?
We’ve all encountered stock footage whether in advertisements, or even in documentary films: ready-made footage that is used by a creator to illustrate part of a narrative or to create a certain aesthetic. However, though archive footage technically serves the same role, there are some fundamental differences between stock and archive footage that are important when trying to understand pricing, and the rights required to use the footage.
In other words, when producing a program for film or television, when am I searching for “stock,” and when is it seeking out “archive footage?” (more…)
3 Tips for Uncovering Amazing Archive Footage
More and more archive footage is becoming readily available to license from massive commercial film and photo licensing companies like Getty, Adobe, and many others, every day. Despite this, there are worlds of unseen footage out there, and fast-growing documentary audiences crave new ways to experience the past. Today more than ever, it is extremely important for content creators and archive researchers to diversify their sources to set their productions and storytelling apart.
Here are a few ways to uncover incredible footage for your productions that will set your production apart. (more…)
MIPDoc 2018: 5 Events to Look Forward to
Showcasing 1,600 programmes and projects to over 400 buyers and commissioners, MIPDoc is the world’s largest platform for documentary and factual content. At this year’s edition, Archive Valley will be organizing and moderating a special panel dedicated to the topic of archive footage and research: “ARCHIVES & STORYTELLING: UNEARTHING UNIQUE FOOTAGE AT A GLOBAL SCALE“. Our CEO and co-founder Melanie Rozencwajg will be moderating a 45 min talk session with James Hunt, archive researcher & director and Thorsten Pollfuss, CEO of Epoche Media. The session will be an outstanding platform to discuss the challenges filmmakers face in delving into hours of footage and the creative process that ultimately lead to remarkable films.
We are excited to be part of such an important conference and share a stage with so many key industry executives. With the help of Amandine Cassi, Executive Producer MIP Conferences, Archive Valley has prepared for you a short selection with some of the highlights of this year conference and events program:
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Licensing Archive Footage 101: 5 terms you need to know
At first glance, the process of licensing copyright-protected footage from archive sources is not very different from reaching any other legally-binding arrangement. However, negotiating and setting the terms of a licensing deal always requires a full understanding of all the rights, obligations, and details concerning the use of the archive footage on both sides of the agreement. The following examples of licensing terminology can be found in almost every license negotiation between an archive footage provider and a content creator.