Just so you know I'm thinking out loud with this thread. We made a production that had a scene in America, obviousley we couldn't actually go to America so we did the scene in scotland with American accents and American newspapers etc etc.

This got me to thinking other people must be having the same problem, then I thought it would be great if there were a system where by you could post a request for a city or landmark here in dvinfo and if there were anyone near that city or landmark you could do a little swap of stock footage......for example I could swap Edinburgh stock for some New York stock and so on.

This brings up the obvious question of NTSC, PAL, SEACAM conversions. I personnaly have never tried to use other regions so I don't know how it would work, wether it is a simple conversion that most NLE's can do or not. Someone with more experience in that field could give the details as to how complicated it would be.

Anyway as I said I'm just thinking out loud and I thought it would be worth a post.

Andy.

I think that's a great idea. With all the members here, and all the cameras available, it could be a good way to save money.

Instead of traveling to a remote part of the world, we just get someone colser to shoot what we need, and buy the footage. Straight swaps might not always be easy to do, because the needs might not always match up, but maybe a credit system?

Someone could create a little site just for meeting up for footage swaps. Each time you give out footage, you get credit, each time you get footage you spend credit. Then we just don't allow anyone to mooch too much free footage off us.

There would be tons of issues to iron out though. Who owns the footage after a swap? What cameras were used? Formats etc...

Of course this would not work for anything that requires acting, unless you want to get really technical and attempt inserting your actors using chromakey.

Your idea has some potential Andy.

Let's see if anyone wants to add to this discussion. If there's enough interest I might consider trying to create a site. It would take some fun database work....

This has been discussed in several different threads, and I think it has been sort of tossed into a dark corner of the Helping Hands forum. In fact, I'm still waiting to get some African footage... hint, hint ;)

As far as credits, I'm thinking the videographer would be listed as B Camera op, and own the footage rights. They would give you rights to use it, whether it be full exclusive rights, or for a specific work. If I shoot some beach footage for Andy, just generic background stuff, why shouldn't I be able to use it myself, or give it to whoever? That is what Stock footage is about :)

Now, if you need particular people, dialogue, etc., it would become a Second Unit thing.

The only technical problem I can see is the region diffirence. As for ownership the person that filmed the footage would still own the footage.

I reckon the best thing to do would be to have a release form template you can download where the owner of the footage can fill in the name of the recipient giving them rights to use the footage which would be signed and sent with the tape.

you could request what type of shots you are looking for......static, lots of pans and tilts, hand held, from a car, of a particular monument or place etc (things like airports would be usefull...Edinburgh or LAX or Sydnee).

To keep cost of tapes and p&p out of the equasion it would be more like a trade i.e one 20 min tape for another 20min tape or one 5 min tape for another 5 min tape and each of you take care of tape cost and p&p at your own end. You email each other your home address and stick it in the post.

Justin If you worked out a system and made a website I would join up.

Andy.