Free Stock Footage
Film is a great medium in that you can create almost anything in front of the camera, and for those things you can’t DIY, there’s stock footage to fill in the gaps. While there are hundreds of sometimes hokey stock footage sites out there for you to purchase media for use in your projects, there are also some really great, safe, stock footage sites that offer their footage completely for free! So, we’ve compiled a list for your next Austin Youth Film Festival and Housebound Film Competition projects!
Internet Archive AKA Archive.org
The internet archive is jam-packed with everything from presidential speeches to classic cartoons and tv shows. It is worth noting that not all of their footage is license-free (which means that while you can download it, it still technically belongs to someone else and can cause some copyright infringement if you use it in a project), but a good bit of it is. This could be a prime source for footage to be playing in the background on TV OR sampling for your next experimental piece.
NASA Image and Video Library
Yeah, that’s right NASA! NASA keeps an extensive library of videos online that are free for download and use in everything from documentary work through SciFi space epics. Sure, they are known for traveling to the outer reaches, but their footage is also gorgeous. There are great time-lapses of phases of the moon, interviews with astronauts, labs, and models of equipment. Let’s just say it’s a *blackhole of footage worthwhile to take a journey through.
*probably not actually scientifically accurate.
Pexels
Our 2019 logo contest winner pointed us at Pexels last year, and we love it. There’s tons of great free images and video for download and use in projects. We really like their search feature as it sometimes has brought up things that we didn’t even know would be options. This video database holds some great cut-in footage, and much of their pieces have people in the shot (yay! free extras!). They say “all photos and videos are free to use. Attribution is not required. Giving credit to the photographer or Pexels is not necessary but always appreciated.” So, have at it!
Dareful
When you visit Dareful, once called Stock footage 4 Free, they immediately attack the question of “what’s the catch here” by saying “YES! 100% free. Download whatever you want, use it in all types of projects (including commercial!), forever. We never ask for a credit card. Just sign up and start downloading.” So, that’s really cool. Their site seems to be packed with some really great looking landscapes and drone footage that could be really helpful if you’re in need of an establishing shot.
• • •
While we’ve run across TONS of free stock footage sites during our research, we’re only including ones that we’ve personally vetted so far. Do you have a website that you like using that didn’t make this list? Contact us! We’d love to hear about the pros and cons to other software you’ve used! Do you have some amazing online resources that all filmmakers should know about?! Contact us! Maybe we’ll credit you and add it to a compilation of more recommendations on a future post!