FilmHERO is a new online platform with royalty-free premium footage for licensing. The subscription service offers unlimited access to a curated catalog of over 12,000 4K+ clips for $29 US per month (with 6-month subscription period). Now for a limited time even for $25 US per month.
Example of stock footage. Source: FilmHERO
The stock footage licensing business is starting to be quite dense. There are already many online marketplaces offering stock footage for licensing and many of them have chosen the subscription-based model, where users are getting access to the whole catalog for a certain flat fee. This was the case with recently launched Artgrid and it is also the case with FilmHERO.
The FilmHERO platform was launched in April 2019 by cinematographers David Baumber and Helen Fields. The platform describes itself as a global content marketplace and it offers a curated catalog of over 12,000 “cinema-quality” video clips in 4K or higher resolution. I am not sure what exactly they mean by cinema-quality, but the creators claim all the clips have been shot on RED Digital Cinema cameras.
The clips are available at ProRes, DNxHD and H264 formats both graded and ungraded (Log gamma curves). The footage is completely royalty-free and licensed for all uses. The clips are sorted in packs – every pack features different angles of the same subject (or the same topic) and has different amounts of clips (usually between 5 and 20 clips).
The platform creators are promising their catalog will be constantly growing at a rate of hundreds of clips per week at no additional cost to subscribers. They also encourage their subscribers to let them know about their specific footage needs, which they will consider when adding new clips.
Example of stock footage. Source: FilmHERO
The interesting aspect of FilmHERO is the pricing, which is very competitive, in my opinion. Unlimited access to all the footage is available immediately for $29 per month (with a 6-month subscription period). Because the platform just launched, there is now 15% discount on the subscription plan – which means it costs $25 US per month ($179 US for 6-months period). If you are only looking for one specific pack of clips, there is also an option to buy only one pack for $79 US.
Where that leaves the content creators creating the content for this platform is a whole other matter. But we have seen pricing for stock photos and then music come down significantly over the last couple of years, it seems now that stock video has its turn for a massive overall price drop. Good for media creators relying on stock footage, difficult for stock footage creators relying on that source of income to make a living.
Example of stock footage. Source: FilmHERO
FilmHERO subscriptions are currently available for purchase in more than 150 countries. More information about the licensing can be found in their FAQ section.
Do you regularly use stock footage for your work? Do you prefer paying-per-piece or subscription-based model? What do you think about FilmHERO? Let us know in the comment section down below.
