Stock footage facts for kids

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, USMC, performs in San Diego, 2011: still shot from stock footage clip.

Stock footage (also called archive footage, library pictures, and file footage) is movie or video footage that can be used in other movies. This type of footage is not made by the person who makes the movie. Instead, the footage has already been shot by another person and is being used by the person who is making the movie. People who make movies use stock footage because it's less expensive to use stock footage than it is to shoot new footage. A piece of stock footage is called a "stock shot" or a "library shot". Examples of stock footage that might be used include video of cities and landmarks, animals in their habitats, and historical footage. Many websites such as YouTube allow people to view or download stock footage.