In the world of
stock footage and photos, there are endless stories to be told. Miles upon miles
of film documenting the histories of people and countries all over the world can
now be accessed with the click of a mouse. Many stock footage and photography
companies can deliver all subjects while others specialize in very specific
catalogs of images and film.
So who do you go to
when you want a beautifully wrought image of sugar-dusted chocolate shavings, or
a clip that captures the power of a hurricane? Companies who specialize in
certain areas of footage or imagery are out there and can sometimes make a
producer or creative director’s hunt for the perfect clip a much faster game
when he or she has specific needs.
FoodPix is one
company that, as its name implies name, specializes in food images as well as
images of plants and flowers. Even though FoodPix is actually one
of several image collections that are a part of PictureArts, their specialized
FoodPix site, dedicated to food and botanical images, makes food finds that much
easier to come by. FoodPix even
has an entire section dedicated just to chocolate.
Type in the word
caviar and 156 images of the elite treat pop up. Interested in parsnips?
They’re there too—cooked, peeled, raw or in soups and stews. If you’re stuck and
can’t find what you’re looking for, FoodPix offers a specialty research service
that is free of charge. They also have staffers on hand to answer your food or
botanical queries—from what the ingredients in an esoteric cocktail from the
‘40s are, to the Latin name for a certain type of rare
basil.
FoodPix caters to a
host of clients including advertising agencies, graphic design firms, magazines and
book publishers, entertainment companies and corporate marketing departments.
More than 900 photographers and illustrators contribute images to the library.
Other images come from unique world-wide image
collections.
And what about those
powerful storms we mentioned earlier. If you’re making a documentary about the
evolution of nature’s wrath, StormStock, based in Arlington, Texas will probably have the footage you’ve been
searching for. Founded in 1993 by storm chaser and cinematographer Martin
Lisius, StormStock footage is used by film and TV producers for broadcast,
theatrical, advertising and corporate video production. StormStock counts
mircrobursts, giant hail, hurricanes, tornadoes and fires among their stock
subjects.
In 2004, when
Hurricane Ivan devastated the Gulf Coast, Martin Lisius was there to capture all of
its terrible glory. “Ivan was one of the most dynamic storms I’ve ever tracked,”
recalls Lisius. “The Hurricane was on a course to strike
Mobile, Alabama for hours but made a sudden turn to the
east just prior to landfall. The change in
course spared Mobile, but resulted
in significant damage for areas in the Gulf
Shores to
Pensacola,
Florida region.
Ivan was especially dynamic in that it was a significant producer of all the
elements including wind, flooding, storm surge and tornadoes."
In order to
obtain sample clips of Hurricane Ivan or any StormStock footage, clients can
view sample clips at the StormStock Web site, or from a VHS sample reel, and
then order it on a broadcast video format or 35mm film. There is a
licensing fee to use any of the material and those fees differ from project to
project depending on use, territory and term.
It seems that
these days, if you can imagine a clip or image, no matter how specific, there’s
a library out there that houses it.
www.foodpix.com
www.stormstock.com
