I got a call today from Discovery Science with a request to use footage that I shot several years ago.

I have no problem providing them with the footage but I really have no idea how to license my footage to them or where I get any of the legal documentation to make that sort of thing official.

Also, I have no idea how much I should be charging or how I should be charging.

Any help would be most appreciated ... links to some sample legal documents would be great as well.

Thanks.

George, Do a search of stock footage libraries, see what they are charging for comparable footage and read their licensing info. Licensing rates can run from $20-$150/sec depending upon uniqueness of the footage, quality or whether it's SD or HD. $40-50/sec with a minimum 10 second buy is fairly common.

Do not send them your original tapes/media and get payment up front.

I know it sounds like a broken record, but for the legal documentation you really, REALLY need to see an intellectual property attorney who knows something about copyright and licensing. It shouldn't be a major case but it's definitely NOT a DIY type of situation.

This is an old post but i had a thought here so i wanted to share. If you already solved this, i would be very interested in hearing what avenue worked for you. I find that when I work with large reputable organizations (and their team of lawyers,) it is often helpful to request that they submit a license request form. I then take that to my attorney for preview and alteration. In my experience it yields less attorney fees because you are not starting from scratch. I also try to account for any legal fees I incurred in getting the correct documents into the rates.