production

Licensing

Understanding Archive Footage Agreements

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Understanding Archive Footage Agreements

 

When researching archive footage for use in audiovisual productions, there are a few types of legal agreement used by archive footage vendors or institutional collections that outline for content producers: a) the rights and liabilities associated with the use of archive footage, b) the costs associated with licensing material and/or obtaining hi-res copies, and c) the legal jurisdiction of the agreement. These agreements often also detail any rights not covered in the agreement and for which the licensor is liable – and thus responsible to clear on their own.

Suffice it to say that understanding these documents is primordial for anyone who wishes to use archival footage in their productions. It can be complicated and is usually best left to a specialist archive producer, but for those going it on their own, here is a quick(ish) rundown.  (more…)

Archive Researchers, Rare footage

Thinking the Future of Archive Research with Fabrice Héron

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Thinking the Future of Archive Research with Fabrice Héron

French Archive Researcher Fabrice Héron

For French iconographer and archive researcher Fabrice Héron, the job of archive researchers is “at the crossroads between [that of] historian and journalist.”

Getting his start in archival work during his studies at France’s Institut National Audiovisuel (INA) and while working at the media library at France Televisions, Héron has since built a career spanning over twenty years researching hundreds of subjects for television, feature documentary and feature fiction films from Attentats: Le visage de la terreur for France 3 to Nabil Ayouch’s Razzia, as well as consulting with publishers, museums and galleries. One of his recent projects had him researching and clearing amateur and professional footage from the 2011 protests that sparked the ongoing Syrian civil war. My Favorite Fabric directed by Gaya Jiji and produced by Gloria Films, will be presented in the Official Selection for ‘Un Certain Regard’ at the 2018 Festival de Cannes.

We caught up with Fabrice to learn about his latest work and hear his thoughts on the future of archival research in the television and film industries in France and beyond. (more…)

Licensing, The Right Footage

6 Ways to Optimize your Archive Footage Budget

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6 Ways to Optimize your Archive Footage Budget

Since creating Archive Valley we’ve spoken to hundreds of professional archive researchers as well as producers seeking to either use archive footage in their production for the first time, or to step up their archive research and footage licensing game for a particularly archive-heavy production. Budgeting is a clear concern for anyone seeking to produce unique content featuring archival material and one that can be difficult to navigate, especially for newcomers to this booming genre.

Here are six tips we’ve learned from speaking to archive researchers around the world to help you come in on budget and make it to picture lock with archive footage that brings your story to life. (more…)

Archive Valley, Licensing

Archive Industry Insight from the 2017 DMLA Conference in New York

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Archive Industry Insight from the 2017 DMLA Conference in New York

At the Digital Media Licensing Association conference we got to take the pulse of the licensing business and hear from footage research and licensing professionals about the specific challenges we face in our industry and some tips for effective licensing. Though professional archive researchers for the film and TV industry have connections with footage libraries they’ve built over the years, directors are relying more and more on YouTube links, and not all productions have access to professional researchers. A panel discussion led by FOCAL International‘s Mary Egan gave some industry pros a chance to share their thoughts.  (more…)