Hear from some of our Stock Footage Superstars on how they create amazing content, what inspires them, and how they’ve made the most of Triple Rewards.

Welcome to our Stock Footage Superstar series, where we connect you to Authors who are having huge success with Triple Rewards. These Authors will share their top tips for creating amazing stock video content and let you in on their creative process.

Meet our Stock Footage Superstar, Dragos from DC_Studio.

Dragos, the mastermind behind DC_Studio, has an incredible portfolio on Elements, with over 39,000 stock footage items and almost 32,000 stock photos!

DC_Studio’s work is characterized by lots of on-trend content that looks authentic and natural. Dragos has capitalized on new trends such as pandemic-related content that includes footage and photos in a healthcare setting featuring people wearing face masks.

Dragos credits lighting as a key factor in producing high-quality, authentic content.

Learn everything that you can about lighting, it is far more important than the camera you shoot on.

Dragos, DC_Studio

How long have you been creating stock footage content for?

I’ve been creating stock content for around 9 years now. Originally, I was just a stock photographer and it was more of a side job. After about 4 years of doing that, I decided to make it my full time job, and also branch out into creating stock video too.

What inspires you to make new stock footage content?

I get most of my inspiration from the news, movies, and other media. I also get some inspiration from the Envato emails that tell me what’s in demand at the moment. Sometimes I base my content based on what a customer requests, and they have turned out to be some of my bestsellers.

If I’m looking to create more general content, I will search a theme in the existing content library of various stock sites and find a way to shoot it that is unique. I like to present the same idea in a different way than it has been done before, but if it is an oversaturated market then sometimes I will just drop the idea.

“This shoot (above) was inspired by an episode of “Friends” that I watched where Rachel goes into labor and Ross panics.”

What are some of your favorite video shoots that you’ve ever done?

I don’t think I have one specific shoot that was my favourite overall. I find that there is usually some footage from each shoot that is my favourite. Funnily enough, the content that I like the most is not always the best-selling content!

This item (above) is one of my favourite pieces of footage. I really like the lighting on this one—it’s quite cinematic even though I shot this before I even knew what cinematic lighting was. You can always improve though; if I were to shoot this one again I would go way darker with the grading!

I am also very proud of this series (above) that I produced about depression, anxiety, and mental health. Everyone on set was really excited to create this content and I am really happy with the end result, including the lighting, grading, and acting.

What is your top tip for other Authors who want to progress with their stock footage career?

Shoot what you like to shoot, and try to get inspiration from places other than just other Authors on marketplaces. Don’t copy other people’s work—always aim to be creating original content.

I would also tell anyone who wants to succeed in stock footage to learn everything that you can about lighting. Lighting is far more important than the camera you shoot on.

Lastly, try working with actors for stock footage shoots, rather than just models. You may find that actors can deliver a lot more than models and that will level up your stock footage.

Who is another Envato Elements Author who inspires you?

 I am inspired by the work of FrameStock.

Thanks so much to Dragos, our Stock Footage Superstar from DC_Studio for taking part in this series. Stay tuned for our next installment!