Stock Footage Author, FrameStock, is a talented company that brings unique cinematic content to Envato Elements.

We caught up with FrameStock to find out about their journey with Envato, the challenges they face in the industry, as well as their advice on how to become successful in the stock footage space.

Tell us about FrameStock and what you do.

We specialize in stock footage and have done for the last 7 years. We work from our studio in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine. It has various rooms, shooting locations, video and lighting equipment, and a giant green screen cyclorama. 

Our team includes gaffers, producers, location builders, 3D designers, metadata managers, and uploading managers. In our city, there were no professional production studios or rentals, so I set myself the goal of building a Hollywood-level video production in a city where there is nothing —and years later we did it.  

What do you love about working in stock footage and why?

I love seeing my footage in Netflix movies, commercials, and documentaries. This inspires me a lot and if a person has purchased and used it, then I know that our work has reached their heart. 

Sometimes it feels that we are working blindly because we don’t work directly with the customers. We do not have direct communication and feedback from the person who buys our footage. However, we don’t have deadlines and we don’t work on projects that we don’t believe in. I love the freedom and the creativity of our work— we make content that we want to make, and that’s why I like producing stock footage. 

I also really like to shoot non-standard topics like the future or space. Sometimes we try to fantasize and show what the future will look like in our footage. We analyze trends and try to work ahead of time and think about what will be needed for customers tomorrow—this makes our portfolio unique and interesting.  

What inspires your work and what other Envato Authors inspire you?

There are many things that inspire my work. Inspiration comes suddenly and fills my head with ideas. I am inspired by my team and their love for our common cause, the sky with its deep colors, music that tells me stories, and nature created by God. I love to study light and reproduce it on set and I am inspired by cinema—I really love watching movies, they inspire me to go into the studio and create. 

There are a lot of talented and successful Authors on Envato Elements. The standards are rising and the quality of products is improving. Many Authors inspire me, especially those who have their own style, and vision and do not try to copy the work of top sellers. I know one Author who doesn’t want to create a business pipeline, therefore he doesn’t make much content, instead, he focuses on quality rather than quantity and each clip he produces is a masterpiece. 

Are there any emerging trends in the stock footage space that you’re loving at the moment?

Yes, I’m impressed with Unreal Engine’s virtual production technology.  This technology is great for stock footage production but is still very expensive, but it opens up great opportunities for video production. Personally, I have not worked with this technology yet, but from what I see on the Internet it’s very impressive. I am conservative and like a more natural and realistic look, but I think in a couple more years this technology will give photos a realistic quality.

How has Envato Elements helped you grow your career?

Envato Elements is a great platform to build a successful career. The client pool is growing every year and Envato management is always coming up with new directions and opportunities to create new markets and opportunities for both creators and buyers. Thanks to Envato, I have grown both as a businessman and as a filmmaker. Envato gave me the opportunity to buy professional cinema equipment and earn money doing what I love.

What main programs, tools or techniques do you use to create your work? Do you have any expert tips? 

My favorite tools are my camera and lenses. I use RED Helium 8K and a set of compact prime lenses, Carl Zeiss CP3. For lighting equipment, most often we use Kino Flo and Astera Titanium Tube and Arri Sky panel. Now we have complete control over the light and it is on our smartphone or tablet PC. I can control the light in real-time by looking at the director’s screen, and selecting the color, brightness, and any other parameters and effects. Previously, when we used tungsten or monochrome LED fixtures, it was very difficult to achieve any color. We had to spend a lot of time choosing gel filters among hundreds of items, whereas now I do it in just a few seconds.

We use Davinci for post-production as it’s a very powerful tool, especially for colorists. I really love Tiffen filters. When you watch blockbusters you can see soft shadows but strong contrast and sharpness, or a beautiful halo around the lamp in the background. These effects can be created in post-production, but they will not look like this if these effects are made using Tiffen filters when shooting. For example, if you want to make the shadows softer but the contrast and sharpness at the same level, you can apply the black diffusion filter. If you want soft contrast and all the highlights or lamps have a halo in the frame, you can use a Black Pro-mist glass filter. I always use these effects in my work.

What are your top tips for creating unique, high-quality stock footage that stands out from the crowd?

The main thing is don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd, break stereotypes and rules, and experiment. Show your vision and thoughts and don’t worry about failure as your idea could become a bestseller. I believe the true key to success is to be yourself.

You can view FrameStock’s full portfolio here. If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation, jump over to the forums and say hello!