HD Video being sold for 17-22 bucks a sec!! WTF?!

[Scott Weberpal]

Guys, take it from someone who has done this for over 6 years now. Supply and demand does not apply to stock footage.

The more videos there are out there of a specific event, the less like they are to pick yours to use. 5-10 years ago if you had great video of an event, you were one of a half dozen or less that did. Because of that fact, often they wanted your video and they wanted a LOT of it. Yes, today they'll still want your video if its fantastic, but odds are, they aren't going to buy as much because 10 other people will have similar shots.

 

[Shane Adams]

The fact of the matter is, it's America and capitalism has a backlash = the low-baller. As long as there are people willing to give video away, there's not much anyone can do about it. You can get angry about it, but it's nobody's responsibility to personally keep the "market" where chasers want it. The market is where ever people who sell video put it, and if low-ballers make it 17-22/s than that's what it is. Media will sniff out these people when they see threads like this because all it does it get the message out there even louder.

My advice to people who are worried about market prices dropping - keep it to yourselves when you hear about low-ballers.

 

[Lanny Dean]

I think it's time for us to reach a standard agreement about the possible prices of an HD video: we should decide among ourselves the list price for every kinda footage, once for all.
This is just to prevent that every chasers produce a too high oscillation of prices, that is bad.QUOTE]


A stormchasers Union???
Come on people, we have had this talk before and it most certainly would and could never work for many different reasons, hopefully all of them are very obvious.

I personally do not have a problem with "them" letting video go for said amount. What business is it of ours anyways? I am all about putting things in public light (depending on the situation) but not money or the ability to make money off of any sort of video sales. To me thats going way to far. This should have been kept quiet IMO.
What a stormchaser charges for THEIR video is THEIR business. Period.

There is nothing you can do about someone giving away or letting video go for $22 a sec. They are truly lowballers (if "they even really exsist) and lowballing is the nature of the beast.

Getting on ST and or FB and throwing a fit because one of your chase friends got undercut by someone letting video go for $22 a sec IMO is not only a waste of time but makes you look bad as well. It's called capitalism and although some hate it, it's the same damn thing that gives you, the consumer, the right and ability to choose Jon Doe's company to re roof your house instead of Richard Cranium's company.

 

[Mike Smith]

Let me put my businessperson's hat on for a moment.

While I am not an antitrust attorney, everyone -- or a large number of people -- agreeing to a "list price" for video is a potential violation of antitrust law. It is called "collusion." So, I suggest treading carefully.

My suggestion: If you don't like the price you are being offered for a video, either bargain for a higher price or don't sell it.

Please also be careful out there: I would hate for someone to put themselves in serious jeopardy for an extra $50 for a video.

 

[Shane Adams]

For me it's not financial, it's a simple litmus test: I love chasing a helluva lot more than money. Back in the days when it was acceptable to actually finish a chase before selling video, I was more open-minded. But I'm not satisified with 9 tornadoes if there's 12 to be had. I want everything the sky can give me first. Then I might start thinking about money. If chaser A is happy in the corner counting his cash after missing the last four tornadoes, that's awesome for them. I'll be in the other corner counting my extra tubage.

Chasers are boring anyway. Just think how boring we'd be if we were all the same?

 

[Lanny Dean]

Let me put my businessperson's hat on for a moment.

While I am not an antitrust attorney, everyone -- or a large number of people -- agreeing to a "list price" for video is a potential violation of antitrust law. It is called "collusion." So, I suggest treading carefully.

My suggestion: If you don't like the price you are being offered for a video, either bargain for a higher price or don't sell it.

Please also be careful out there: I would hate for someone to put themselves in serious jeopardy for an extra $50 for a video.

Mike, this was just one of the "obvious" reasons I was refering to,
thanks for spelling it out.

IMO this thread is going nowhere and should have never been started.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Collusion doesn't apply in this case. I agree that there is no way to set rates. The whole point is to shed light on the fact that it takes x amount of dollars to capture tornado footage, selling it for less means that you are personally subsidizing another's profits with your own money.

There is no real market, IE, a dependable one, for storm footage. Not one you can make a living on. I don't chase for money (no one does, there has to BE money in chasing for that to be possible) and I don't have to make video sales to survive. But I have got to the point to where if I have to take $100 for something that cost me $4,000 of my own money to capture, I'm going to pass on the deal. Maybe some people feel comfortable with that, but not me. Someone who's gonna make six figures or more on a production should pay me my share if my work and effort is part of their final product.

TV is not worth it if you're not getting something out of the deal. The license fee is the only benefit most will ever see from a video sale. No publicity, no future sales, no TV show deals. Credit line that flashes on the screen for 1/20th of a second doesn't mean a thing.

 

[Chris C Sanner]

I'd say if you are more concerned about the rates your video might go for than the storms you chase, you are missing the point of Storm Chasing and going to be severely disappointed going forward. With TV budgets constrained more than ever and with there being enough of a supply of people who are giving footage away for very cheap prices, it's no wonder production companies are asking for such cheap prices. If you don't accept they can find someone else to sell for that amount and if they can't, they'll come back, which most likely won't be the case.

If you are worried about this affecting your ability to chase, I'd consider finding a new hobby (or business if you thought you were going to have one) because TV isn't getting bigger budgets to produce shows with anytime soon and Storm Chasing footage can be found for pennies on the dollar from somewhere.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Stormchasers Union??? Trust? Antitrust? Serius jeopardy? Collusion??!! Men, what the hell did you understand? Come on, come back to reality...

I understand the existence of lowballers but some information on tornadoes selling wouldn't be bad.

The purpose of my thread was to give an idea to less experienced chasers about how much they can sell their videos, so that they can have at least an indication..I mean there's a lot of ignorance about this theme.
I was speaking about the utility for a chaser to know how much could be the right price for a good tornado video: that could be the first good thing for taking less the "lowballer effect".

What does collusion have got to do with that? Hope to not read that anymore. If someone is frightened to get arrested don't read my words.


​

 

[Scott Weberpal]

The purpose of my thread was to give an idea to less experienced chasers about how much they can sell their videos, so that they can have at least an indication..I mean there's a lot of ignorance about this theme.
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That's what this sticky thread is for...

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17602

 

[Andrea Griffa]

That's what this sticky thread is for...

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17602

I can't read this,Scott.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Andrea, you have to enable the Bar and Grill forum in your Control Panel. Click Quick Links -> User Control Panel. Under Networking on the left click Group Memberships and then Enable Bar and Grill.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

I'd say if you are more concerned about the rates your video might go for than the storms you chase, you are missing the point of Storm Chasing and going to be severely disappointed going forward. With TV budgets constrained more than ever and with there being enough of a supply of people who are giving footage away for very cheap prices, it's no wonder production companies are asking for such cheap prices. If you don't accept they can find someone else to sell for that amount and if they can't, they'll come back, which most likely won't be the case.

If you are worried about this affecting your ability to chase, I'd consider finding a new hobby (or business if you thought you were going to have one) because TV isn't getting bigger budgets to produce shows with anytime soon and Storm Chasing footage can be found for pennies on the dollar from somewhere.

I agree with you, Chris.

Anyway we could take the opportunity to shine a light on this arguement: it seems to me that a little clarity on the issue is due once for all without inappropriate words.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Andrea, you have to enable the Bar and Grill forum in your Control Panel. Click Quick Links -> User Control Panel. Under Networking on the left click Group Memberships and then Enable Bar and Grill.

Thanks Skip and Scott, that's a very useful thread, it's what I was referring to without doing any kinda collusion, Lanny and Mike.

 

[Jason Foster]

My only question is: was the sale to Towers Production or Peacock Productions...who I believe has taken over all TWC productions. With the recent changes in a few production companies, and now that TWC is an NBC/Universal company, and with the firing of news desk folks, etc., etc. I can see the reduction in price. But others have made very valid points. Dan R. point about purchasing quality video is spot on. But others who pointed out the fact of each person/company is free to charge (or not charge) whatever they like is 100% correct as well. Anyone selling video/photography on a regular or semi-regular basis is well advised to research the market as a whole, not just the severe weather market. That might help to gauge what production companies are thinking. But any business or person should always keep in mind the principle of "what the market will bare" if they want to maximize profits...though not everyone is at that kind of level of dedication.