WHO OWNS THE RAW FOOTAGE?
We are often asked this question – “Could you also send us the raw footage?”. The answer is no, but why? Who owns the raw footage?
When we say raw footage we mean all the footage/shots recorded in the entire filming process. The question of who owns that footage can be confusing for people at times, but in fact, it doesn’t need to be. In the TV and film industry, it is standard practice to ensure contracts are in place with everyone involved to assign copyright over to the producer. However, in the small-scale videography industry, it is not commonplace to address this problem upfront. So to be clear – we only assign the final video output to you. Copyright law states that the company owns the work it produces.
Aside from copyright law, there are four main reasons why most wedding companies don’t give out raw footage.
1. We don’t want you to see us in the raw…
This may seem silly, but it has to be mentioned because it’s a big deal to us. With every great shot amongst the raw footage, there may be many bad shots that would never make the edit. Those shots may have been compromised by minor tech issues, poor timing, sudden changes in lighting, or by that one ‘videobomber’ who obstructs the camera. A videographer may spend an hour trying to get the perfect shot. During this time, 59 minutes may be completely useless. These moments are not exactly a good reflection of their best work and it’s something they won’t want anyone to see.
2. We shoot in log format.
We shoot our footage in log format. Log footages are flat/dull as it is low in contrast and saturation. During the post processing phase we are able to bring back the colors, essentialy bring the footage back to life! We shoot in this format as it allows the editors to have greater flexibility and control when it comes to color grading the footage. However, it is of no use to the client without proper color grading knowledge and editing tools.
3. The Cost
Providing raw footage does have a cost implication. If you imagine that on some high-end cameras, an hour of footage can be 765 GB. If on a project 10 hours of footage is filmed that would be 7,650 GB! Nearly 8 terabytes of data! The hard-drive cost alone would be in the hundreds of dollars. On top of this, there is the time it would take to export all the data can take hours of computer processing time. That means it won’t be cheap for you, and it also may not actually be of much use to you.
4. Our work might get ruined, or we might lose out on future work…
This is the first reaction for any production company when you ask for the raw footage. We are artists, so we always worry that someone is going to take our art and get someone else to draw on it (or in our minds, ruin it) for half the price! In most cases, the client’s motives are genuine and have an innocent reason behind them. Most creative people, such as ourselves, have a strong attachment to every piece of work they create. The thought of someone blemishing that is hard!
Hope this helps you understand our point of view. If you have further questions about raw footage ownership, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
