No Film School Feature: An Exploration into the (Surprisingly) Bright Future of Stock Footage

This article was originally featured on No Film School

The stock footage game is changing, and so should you.

What if you were told that stock footage is a cool thing that film and video professionals should check out. What is this—1999?

C’mon, most of the time, stock footage is about as exciting as filming paint drying. (This is a joke, but I seriously had to do this one time for a construction client…)

But what if we told you that just because something has always been boring, and old, and done the same way, it doesn’t always have to be that way? We learned from some of the sharp (and sincere filmmaking) minds behind Filmpac that there’s a surprisingly bright future for stock footage.

Let’s look a bit deeper into Filmpac, its founder Caleb Rexius, and where future-minded filmmakers and content creators can use these innovations for their projects and careers. We even have a free starter pack for No Film School readers!

An Original Introduction to Filmmaking

Rexius is a good example of an actual filmmaker looking to solve real problems in the industry. Rexius is quick to admit that stock footage doesn’t have the highest reputation amongst contemporary filmmakers.

However, that’s what led him to start Filmpac back in 2016 as a solution to his issues with finding high-impact, story-driven stock content for his diverse clientele.

Like many others when they first start in this field, Rexius transitioned into filmmaking after picking up an old Sony Hi8 camcorder to record some of this first video footage for his boss. From there, he found a passion and eventually built a career in film and video.

However, also like many of us, the idea of using someone else’s “stock” footage was always a bit off-putting. How could you actually trust the quality? Did the cinematography match your style? And how do you wash off that odd blandness that seems to be synonymous with this style?

Starting Filmpac to Solve These Issues in the Stock Footage Industry

Not only were there trust and quality issues to deal with, when Rexius was starting, there were also just issues with finding affordable stock footage. Both quality and quantity were in short supply.

That’s when Rexius got the idea to start Filmpac as a solution to all these problems and more. After launching in 2016, Filmpac found immediate traction as it was able to provide creators with the stock content that Rexius wished he had himself 10 years prior.

The big term for stock footage that I like, and I’m sure many creators would agree with if they knew what they were looking for, is “story-driven.” And that’s what Filmpac offers—stock footage that strives not to be generic and bland, but is meant to help you tell stories, whether that be for yourself, your clients, or your brands.

The Bright Future for Stock Footage

It’s no secret at this point that film and video are continuing to explode. For every Facebook-video false start, there are a million other new avenues in which content creators and career video professionals can pivot into like TikTok.

However, for every exciting new avenue of filmmaking, there’s still always going to be this divide between those who are looking to create content organically, and those who might need to enlist the help of others and outside sources that you can trust.

As such, the key for the future of stock footage really comes down to curation. For Filmpac, for example, the #1 goal isn’t to get more content on its platform, it’s to get the right content and to feed it to its users in an intelligent and curated fashion.

And if anything, the stock footage market has a lot of work to do in this area to keep up with this video tech revolution.

Advice for Those Starting Out

Looking back, Rexius’ founding of Filmpac might be another great example of how any aspiring creative filmmaker or budding entrepreneur should really strive to recognize an opportunity, articulate a vision, and push through the doubters.

Filmpac is what it is today thanks to Rexius and a team that isn’t just interested in getting numbers and sales, but also in solving real problems which face real filmmakers in their day-to-day careers.

The real trick for anyone doing something they love is to try to optimize your time and career around just that: doing what you love. Whether that be creating a marketing plan for a new product for your clients, or doing storyboards by hand for your upcoming music video shoot so that you know exactly what shots you want and why.

And the future of stock footage should be viewed in this same way. Try to find those brands that resonate with your own passion and styles. If you can find story-driven content that feels like it was shot with the same purposes you share with your clients and brands, then you can truly launch your career and shape your path in the industry yourself.

This article was originally featured on No Film School