What is Cinematic Stock Footage and how can it improve your marketing videos & turn viewers into customers?
In this article we will:
- Explain what cinematic stock footage is.
- Show how cinematic stock footage can dramatically improve marketing videos and turn viewers into customers.
- Explain how different shots provoke different emotions.
- Share the right cinematic shot keywords to use, to make your searches easier.
- Break down cinematic shots into the following categories:
- Lighting
- Depth of field (DOF)
- Slow Motion and Time Lapse
- Composition
-
Camera Angles and Camera movement.
What is cinematic stock footage?
So in short, ‘cinematic' means footage that looks like it came from a film. Most stock footage is shot using a video camera, but there are several ways (which we’ll share below) where videographers are able to make their clips look like they were shot on film – and give it a ‘cinematic’ and more professional look.
Q: Why is using cinematic stock footage so important in video advertising?
A: Because it makes a brand look good!
Whether you’re making a 20 minute corporate video, a 30 second commercial or a 3 second video bumper, cinematic stock can help elevate a project, making it look more professional and high-end.
Great looking shots not only help keep the viewer’s attention, but more importantly, they can help provoke emotion which is the most powerful way to affect an audience.
Remember this great quote if you want to create branded videos that turn viewers into customers:
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
What to look for, when you're looking for cinematic stock footage?
Sourcing cinematic stock videos can be a challenge, so we've listed keywords below the different types of cinematic shot below. Using the right keywords makes searching easier when you're looking for the perfect clip for your project.
We also know that pushing the right emotional buttons is an important part of an effective marketing video. So, below each thumbnail, you'll also find the emotions that different shots evoke. As you scroll, be sure to click the thumbnails to see each video in motion. Let's go!
Stock videos with Cinematic Lighting
Three examples of beautifully lit autumn landscape videos:
Keywords: lighting, natural light, beautiful light, landscape, drone, aerial
Drone flight over gorgeous fall landscape. Epic, romantic light. Ontario, Canada. 4K.
Emotions: Awe, Wonder, Feeling of flight
Keywords: lighting, light, natural, beautiful, romantic, landscape, drone, aerial
Keywords: lighting, light, natural, beautiful, sun, sunlit, handheld
(Note. All the examples in this article are from canadastockfootage.com where our passion is shooting Cinematic Canadian Stock Footage. If any of the featured clips catch your eye, be sure to apply code MAPLE20 at checkout to get 20% off your first purchase).
Stock videos with Shallow depth of field
No other shooting technique quite defines the difference between video and film as ‘shallow depth of field’ and its a great way to give marketing videos a high-end production feel.
Shallow depth of field, or DOF (as its called in the tv and film industry) means that the subject is in focus, while elements beyond the subject or in front of the subject are blurry. It’s a great way to make the subject stand out and make a video look like it was shot on film.
A shallow depth of field shot of a daisy (below), puts all the focus on the one flower near the foreground. It tells the viewer that this flower is the subject:
Beautiful daisy. Slow motion clip with shallow depth of field. HD (1920 x 1080).
Emotions: Loneliness, Hope, Resilience
Keywords: DOF, Depth of field, Shallow DOF, Shallow Depth of field.
Time Shifting
aka "Slowing things down and Speeding things up".
Playing around with speed in a shot is a great way to hold the viewer’s attention. It reveals a new and interesting way of looking at the world, by showing things that are much faster or slower than the human eye can normally process.
Slow Motion stock footage
Slow motion stock footage can achieve a couple of things. Firstly it can convey a sense of calm, and secondly it can evoke a sense of wonder as its often really interesting to see something slowed right down. It’s a great way to hold the viewers attention.
Emotions: Calm, Wonder, Feeling cozy and warm being inside during a snowstorm.
Time lapse stock footage
Emotions: Excitement
Keywords: Timelapse, time lapse
Time lapse stock footage are shots where things get ‘sped up’. They're another great way to add visual interest to a shot. When combined with great composition, time lapse shots are worth considering for any branded video marketing that needs to convey a feeling of excitement.
Time lapse stock video of Toronto's Highway 401 at night. HD (1920 x 1080).
Composition in cinematography
Good composition sets professional aka “cinematic” shots apart from amateur aka “shots that look like video”. Here are some examples of well composed shots, along with keywords used to describe them.
Rule of thirds
Instead of placing the subject at the center of the frame, the rule of thirds suggests placing key elements along the lines or the intersection of lines of a frame that has been broken up into thirds. This can make a composition feel more interesting and engaging.
In this stock video shot of an Ontario road sign, the arrow head on the sign is placed on the intersection of two lines.
Corner road sign with highway corner in distance. Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Calm, Visual interest due to balanced composition, Feels pro vs. amateur.
Keywords: rule of thirds
Leading Lines
Leading lines are a way to naturally draw the viewer’s eye through an image or scene. They can also add a feeling of depth to a two-dimensional image. The time lapse video (which we shared above) is a great example of a video with leading lines. In the shot, the lines of the highway converge so the eye is drawn to a single point in the frame.
Time lapse stock video of Highway 401 at night. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Visual interest and engagement due to pattern of leading lines.
Keywords: leading lines
Patterns
Patterns with visually repetitive elements create a sense of harmony, rhythm and visual interest. It can also provide a sense of order or structure.
In this top down shot of cars on a street, the car looking for a parking space helps complete the feeling of order.
Stock video of car finding parking spot in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Emotions: Calmness and satisfaction due to pattern being completed. Engagement due to interesting perspective of common subject.
Keywords: pattern, top down, drone, aerial
Patterns cont./
In this rising aerial drone shot of a snowy Toronto suburb, the patterns of houses gives a feeling of ordered structure. It can also convey feelings of sameness and monotony (depending on how you feel about living in the suburbs!):
Top down drone aerial stock video of snowy suburb in Toronto, Canada.
Emotions: Interest due to pattern and engagement due to new perspective of common subject.
Keywords: pattern, top down, drone, aerial
Shapes
Repeated shapes work similarly to patterns, but focus on geometric repetition. They can be a way to create engagement through visual consistency, even though the subjects may be very different. The shots below of a haybale, a truck wheel and a daisy are all visually linked by their circular shapes.
Stock video shots of haybale, truck wheel and daisy.
Emotions: Interest and Engagement due to visual consistency across shots.
Keywords: round, circular, circles, shape
Symmetry
Symmetry is the visual balance created when elements are arranged equally on both sides of a central axis. Perfectly symmetrical shots are visually striking because they create a sense of balance, calmness, harmony and mathematical precision.
They can also draw the viewer’s eye exactly to the center of the frame, as in this shot of a truck driving on a curvy winter road.
Drone following pickup on curvy and snow-covered rural road.
Emotions: Calmness, Engagement to see an interesting perspective.
Keywords: symmetry, symmetrical, balance
Hot Hollywood film tip!: Directors like Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick are famous for using symmetrical compositions to create distinctive visual styles that communicate deeper psychological and narrative themes.
Cinematic camera angles
Where a camera is placed in relation to the subject it is referred to as a 'camera angle'. Understanding how different camera angles evoke emotion are important tools in a film director’s toolbox. Here are some standard (and powerful) camera angles to know:
Wide angle shot. An angle that is commonly used as an establishing shot, to start a scene to show the viewer where the action is taking place.
Stock video of establishing shot of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 4K.
Emotions: Engagement and interest to see a new perspective of a city. Viewer is curious to know where the story is going.
Keywords: wide, wide angle, establishing, establishing shot, cityscape
Low angle shot. The camera is looking up at the subject. It makes the subject (in this case a bridge) look big and domineering.
Emotions: Awe, Feeling small and overpowered by giant industrial structure.
Keywords: low angle, above, below
High angle shot. The camera is looking down at the subject. It makes the subject (in this example, cars driving on a highway) look small and toy-like.
Emotions: Feeling big looking down at small cars. Engagement due to interesting perspective.
Keywords: high angle, above, below
POV shot. POV stands for point of view and gives the viewer the feeling that they are immersed in the action. It gives the sensation the viewer is looking through the eyes of a character in the story. This POV driving shot makes the viewer feel as though they are literally 'in the driver's seat':
Driving in Manitoba on TransCanada Highway 1 with signs for Winnipeg and Steinbach.
Emotions: Fun feeling of being on a summer roadtrip.
Keywords: pov, point of view, driving, driver's perspective
Bird’s eye view. This is a term typically associated with aerial cinematography. The camera is positioned high above the subject. It's called a "bird's eye view" because it mimics the perspective a bird might have while flying over a scene.
Bird's eye drone aerial view of rural winter road in Haliburton, ON, Canada.
Emotions: Excitement, Exploration, Feeling of being on a winter journey.
Keywords: bird's eye, birds eye, drone, aerial
Top down view. Similar to the bird’s eye view, except the camera is directly above the subject. In this top down view, the camera is looking straight down, but also rising up as two cars pass underneath giving a unique perspective of the bridge below.
Top down aerial view of traffic passing on Confederation Bridge, NB, Canada.
Emotions: Interest and engagement due to interesting perspective
Keywords: top down, bird's eye, birds eye, drone, aerial
Cinematic camera movement
As cinema is a moving medium it makes sense that 'camera moves' are an integral part of the language of film. Like camera angles, different camera moves are powerful ways to engage the viewer. Here are some classic camera moves that help 'move' the story along:
Push: The camera moves forward into the scene, or towards the subject.
Drone flying down rural Autumn road in Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Adventure, Excitement, Exploration
Keywords: push, forwards, drone, aerial
Pull: The camera pulls back, or out of the scene and away from the subject.
Drone flight reversing and escaping from spooky, misty forest.
Emotions: Fear, Horror, Retreating
Keywords: pull, pull back, reverse, reversing, retreat, drone, aerial
Rise: The camera rises up. Also known as a pedestal shot, boom up or jib up. This particular shot (below) would also be known as a reveal shot, as it reveals a beautiful fall landscape once it clears the trees in the foreground.
Drone aerial rising above fall trees to reveal autumn landscape
Emotions: Lightness, Wonder, Awe
Keywords: rise, rising, pedestal, boom up, jib up, ascending, lifting, upwards, reveal, revealing, drone, aerial
Dolly shot: The camera moves as if on tracks. (Although the shot below was filmed with a drone, it has the look of a dolly shot).
Dolly shot past bare tree trunks in winter forest at sunset in Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Mystery, Fear, The feeling of watching or being watched.
Keywords: dolly, sideways, passing, passes, drone, aerial
Handheld: The camera is 'held in the hands' of the operator, giving a realistic though often rough or jittery POV look. This can be lessened by using a gimbal, steadicam or stabilizing the footage in post.
POV view of handheld shot of running or being chased through a forest.
Emotions: Fear, Being chased, Being on the run
Keywords: handheld, chase, chase scene
Tracking shot: The camera stays with the subject, even though the subject is moving.
Tracking bird's eye view of SUV on snowy, rural road in winter. Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Adventure, Excitement of going on a winter journey, POV feeling that you are the driver
Keywords: drone, aerial, track, tracking, top down, bird's eye, birds eye
Orbit shot: The camera rotates around the subject. Also known as an Arc shot, a 360 degree tracking shot or a Point of Interest shot (POI) if you fly a DJI drone.
Drone circling snow laden maple tree after winter storm in Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Awe, Winter wonder, Engagement through a new and interesting perspective.
Keywords: drone, aerial, arc shot, orbit, orbiting, circle, circling, POI (point of interest)
Complex camera move - Rise & Orbit: Using a combination of moves, we're able to get beautiful cinematic movement. In this case the drone is rising while also circling the subject.
Rising drone aerial orbiting Biosphere and St Helens island in Montreal, Quebec
Emotions: Awe, Wonder, Feeling of flight.
Keywords: drone, aerial, orbit, orbiting, circle, circling, POI (point of interest), rise, rising, ascending, establishing shot
Complex camera move - Descend and Tilt Up: In this complex camera move, the camera tilts up while also descending. This combination creates an effect where the subject appears to rise up and tower over the viewer.
Spooky drone aerial of coniferous forest in Ontario, Canada.
Emotions: Doom, Fear, Horror
Keywords: drone, aerial, rise, rising, ascending
We hope this gives you some insight into what makes a stock footage shot look ‘cinematic’ and how it can elevate the look of your projects and evoke emotion in the viewer. If you have any questions about cinematic stock footage or if you need help with a video project let's chat. You can reach out anytime here or by phone at 416-873-5683.
Save 20% on your first purchase
If any of the clips featured in this article catch your eye, be sure to apply code MAPLE20 at checkout to get 20% off your first purchase.
Rob Howard is the author of this article and the founder of canadastockfootage.com. Rob has had work featured on CBC’s coverage of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and in ads for VISA, Amazon, Bell Canada and McDonalds. His goal is to help filmmakers, advertisers and companies connect with audiences through storytelling with video.
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1 comment
Fantastic article! I learned a lot, thank you. The examples from your site are amazing too, I’ll definitely be buying some for my next project!