Submitting Story Ideas for Clients

Submitting Story Ideas for Clients

Clients are often looking for amazing sequences of footage that they can use to build a segment/story for their productions.  NatureFootage is looking for 4K+ story sequences to build a story idea library.  If you have any sequences of footage that tell a story, you can submit them to NatureFootage for consideration to pitch to clients.

For more information on shooting a story idea sequence and on what clients are currently looking for, please review pages 5 & 6 of the NatureFootage Contributor Packet.


HOW TO IDENTIFY A STORY

We define a story as a sequence of footage that displays a unique or interesting species behavior.  A story could be about an animal's unique method of predation, how another animal defends itself against predators, how dead animals decompose, how an animal reproduces, or any other kind of interesting behavior.  For example, there could be a story about how an ant carries objects back to its nest, or how a spider captures its prey, etc.  A story idea can also display animal behavior happening in a sequence of events over a period of time, as long as all of the footage is clearly connected and part of the same location/shoot/sequence.  The behavior must be something visual, and all footage in the sequence must support the story that you are trying to tell.

It is especially important that your story sequence contain the money shot(s) of the sequence, which is the clip (or clips) containing the key action/behavior that allows for the story.  This is the focal point of the story of which every other clip in the sequence revolves around (i.e. the shot in the sequence that shows the animal catching its prey, the shot where two animals engage in courtship or mating, etc.).  No money shot, no story.  If your sequence is missing the action shot, then it cannot be accepted as a story to pitch to clients.  The goal is to have all the content for a story completely ready for a client to view.  

Ideally, your story sequence should also have a variety of shots for a potential client to choose from, i.e. wide shots, close ups, etc.  It would also be beneficial to include establishing shots of the location highlighted in the story that help set the scene.  Keep in mind that clients rarely license full clips, and will often license a small amount of footage from many clips in order to build a story for their prodcutions.

Your story sequence cannot be a random collection of shots of one species, nor can it be a collection of shots where the species is not displaying interesting behavior.  There must be a clear narrative to the sequence.  For example, a sequence of African Wild Dogs simply feeding on a kill would not work.  The sequence would need to include some other kind of unique behavior in order for it to be a story, such as showing how the Wild Dogs captured and killed their prey, how and why the Wild Dogs allow certain members of the pack to feed before others, how the Wild Dogs feed their young pups by regurgitating part of the kill that they've swallowed, etc.


HOW TO SUBMIT A STORY IDEA SEQUENCE

Here are the requirements for submitting a story idea sequence:
  1. All footage for the sequence must be uploaded as individual clips to your NatureFootage account.  There must be enough clips in the sequence that a client can use to tell a story that is at least 2-6 minutes long.
  2. All footage in the sequence must be completely logged.  For tips and instructions on how to log footage, please see the help articles below:
    1. Cliplog Quick Guide
    2. Cliplog Advanced Guide
    3. Pricing Guide
  3. You must include a story idea title that concisely sums up the action in the story (i.e. "Blue Whale Feeds on Krill", "Fiddler Crab courtship", etc.)
  4. You must include a short synopsis of the story.  Your synopsis must include:
    1. A brief summary of the story, in which all species involved and any important behaviors/actions are identified.
    2. The Habitat (BE SPECIFIC - habitat type, i.e. kelp forest, mangrove, etc., and the habitat location, i.e. coast, open ocean, etc.)
    3. The Location of the story (BE SPECIFIC - which ocean, country, state, continent, national park, marine sanctuary, etc. the footage was shot in)
    4. The footage resolution (i.e. 1920x1080 HD, 4K, 5K, 6K, etc.)
    5. The money shot(s) of the sequence (the clips with the key action/behavior in the story)
  5. You must include a link to the footage for the clients.  There are two ways you can create a link to your footage:
    1. You can create a quick link to the footage on the site by searching for keywords all clips in the sequence share.  Here is an example: https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=blue+whale+BC180502&user=vip&sort=code.  If you submit your story idea as a quick link, please note that your clips must be sorted by clip code, which you can find on the upper right hand corner of the search page:

                

    2. Alternatively, if all clips in the sequence do not share a common keyword, you can create a sequence for the clips in Cliplog that is also visible to clients on the site.  For instructions on how to create a sequence, please see our help article Creating Sequences.  Here is an example of a sequence link: https://www.naturefootage.com/clipbin?bin=1730&sequence_id=1730

Please note that we will review the footage and story synopsis before choosing to share it with clients.  Story Idea submissions that do not follow the sequence guidelines above will not be accepted.  Be sure to check your story synopsis for grammatical errors before sending.  The synopsis and link to the story footage can be sent to contributors@naturefootage.com.


STORY IDEA EXAMPLES

Here are a few examples of what we are looking for in a story idea:

Story Idea Title: Baby Bison falls into pond in winter
  1. Story Idea footage: https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=JLM161229+NOT+badger+NOT+texas+NOT+pronghorn+NOT+elk+NOT+coot&user=vip&sort=code
  2. Location: Yellowstone National Park, United States, North America
  3. Habitat: Grassland
  4. Footage Resolution: 5K
  5. Summary: In North America’s Yellowstone National Park, a herd of bison is leaving the park for the winter. Their journey takes them along the edge of Blacktail Ponds, which can be treacherous, as it is not uncommon for a full grown bison to fall in and die trying to get out, as the banks are very steep. The carcasses of bison that die in these ponds are fed upon by predators like Grizzly Bears and Grey Wolves in the spring and summer, after the ice and snow have melted (JLM161229_0029, JLM161229_0044 to JLM161229_0046).  One morning, a newborn calf only a day or two old was pushed into the pond by a yearling bison, maybe a jealous older sibling (JLM161229_0033). The mother knew the calf was in trouble but was unable to help and could only watch as her baby struggled to get out of the pond, growing more exhausted by the minute (JLM161229_0034). Finally, after trying for 12 minutes, the calf was able to pull itself out of the pond and escaped from freezing to death (JLM161229_0035). The mother licks her baby and allows it to nurse before they both continue their journey with the herd (JLM161229_0036 & JLM161229_0037). 

Story Idea Title: Nile Crocodiles hunt / attack a Wildebeest herd crossing the Mara River
  1. Story Idea footage: https://www.naturefootage.com/clipbin?bin=2570&sequence_id=2570
  2. Location: Kenya, Africa
  3. Habitat: Savanna
  4. Footage Resolution: 6K
  5. Summary: Every year, large herds of thousands of Wildebeest migrate across the savanna in Kenya, Africa, in search of better grazing and water sources. Scientists believe that the migration is dictated by the weather, and that the Wildebeest follow the rains and the growth of new grass to feed upon. Zebra herds also join the Wildebeest on this journey. However, to get to better grazing ground the Wildebeest and Zebra must cross the Mara river, which is home to the deadly Nile Crocodile. The Wildebeest leap into the river, swimming as fast as they can to the opposite riverbank, and the Crocodiles take advantage of the migration to score a meal. As they swim across the river, adult and juvenile Wildebeest are dragged underwater and killed by the Crocodiles (RHO171129_0036, RHO171129_0041, RHO171201_0044, RHO171201_0045, and RHO171201_0047). Some wildebeest die from drowning rather than by the Crocodiles. Vultures and Marabou Storks feed upon the carcasses of drowned Wildebeest, as well as whatever scraps the Crocodiles leave behind (RHO171129_0071 through RHO171129_0088). Meanwhile, the rest of the herd makes it across the river, nearly trampling each other in their scramble to get out of the water, and continues on their migration journey.

Story Idea Title: Opalescent Inshore Squid mating / spawning
  1. Story Idea footage: https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=BC18+squid&user=vip&sort=code
  2. Location: Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary, Southern California, North Pacific Ocean, North America, United States
  3. Habitat: Kelp Forest, Sand, Ocean
  4. Footage Resolution: 5K
  5. Summary: Large amounts of Opalescent Inshore Squid (also known as California Market Squid) gather at night over the sandy floor in the thousands near the kelp forest at the California Channel Islands in Southern California to spawn (BC180424_0020 through 0092, 0094, 0096, 0098, 0100, 0101, 0103, 0240 through 0257). You can see the tentacles of male squid turn red when they are mating with a female, warning other males to back off. After mating, the females deposit their egg cases on the sand in large mounds (BC180424_0051, 0054, 0056, 0060, 0064, 0071, 0074, 0082). Some of the wide shots of egg cases covering the sea floor may be from La Jolla, California, but the habitat is identical to the habitat found at the Channel Islands (BC180424_0221 through BC180424_0235). After the squid have finished spawning, they die, their bodies littered among the egg cases (BC180424_0025 through 0082, 0177, 0180, 0183, 0184, 0186, 0225 through 0229). The dead bodies of the parents are supposed to lure predators away from the egg cases. The squid eggs hatch several weeks to several months later, depending on water temperature (BC180424_0097, 0099, 0102, 0111, 0116, 0129, 0131, 0133, 0137, 0141, 0143, 0148, 0150, 0153, 0154, 0157, 0160, 0161). Newly hatched eggs are called “paralarvae” and resemble miniature adults.

Story Idea Title: Great Spider Crab (Leptomithrax gaimardii) Aggregation moulting, feeding on Jellyfish, climbing on jetty pylons, cannibalism, and Smooth Stingrays feeding on the crabs
  1. Story Idea footage: https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+port+phillip+NOT+nudibranch+NOT+seahorse+NOT+seadragon&user=vip&sort=code
  2. Location: Australia, Port Phillip Bay, Indian Ocean, South Pacific Ocean  
  3. Habitat: Coast, Sand, Ocean
  4. Footage Resolution: 4K
  5. Summary: Great Spider Crabs gather in the thousands at Port Phillip Bay in Australia where the Indian Ocean meets the South Pacific Ocean to moult.  The main purpose of the crabs’ annual gathering is to seek safety in numbers, reducing their individual risk of being eaten by joining thousands of other moulting crabs marching over the sand (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+port+phillip+march&user=vip&sort=code).  While waiting to moult, the crabs feed on small organisms (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+phillip+crab+feed+NOT+cannibal+NOT+sting+NOT+jelly&user=vip&sort=code), jellyfish (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+port+phillip+jelly&user=vip&sort=code), and even cannibalize each other (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+port+phillip+cannibal&user=vip&sort=code).  Spider crabs are arthropods – animals with jointed legs like insects and other crustaceans – and because of their hard, inflexible shells, they need to moult in order to grow (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+crab+moult+NOT+fresh&user=vip&sort=code).  Clip AFIN230207_0180 shows a time lapse shot of a crab moulting.  As spider crabs extract themselves from their old shells, expand their soft flesh and grow a new, shinier and bigger shell, they are vulnerable to hungry predators (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+crab+moult+fresh&user=vip&sort=code).  Rays, seals and sharks alike can’t resist a meal of soft-shell crab!  Smooth Stingrays, including a rare albino Smooth Stingray, arrive shortly after to feed on the freshly moulted crabs (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+phillip+stingray+feed&user=vip&sort=code).  In the end, all that remains is a cemetery of crab shells from the moult and the crabs unlucky enough to be fed on by stingrays and other crabs (https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+phillip+crab+dead+NOT+cannibal&user=vip&sort=code, https://www.naturefootage.com/stock-video-footage?fs=AFIN230+phillip+crab+cemetery+NOT+dead&user=vip&sort=code).  Whilst these winter events, which usually take place on the Southern Australia region, get most of the attention, spider crabs are known to gather at other times of year and in other places for unknown reasons – yet another mystery to solve!

    • Related Articles

    • Creating Sequences

      A sequence can be used to link a set of clips together on the Nature Footage site. For example, if you have a set of clips that tell a story, or if you have a group of footage that is similar (i.e. similar location, similar subject, similar behavior, ...

    • What should I submit?

      We generally accept footage that fits within any of the broad categories below: Natural History (animals, plants, fungi) Scenic (urban, rural, abstract, landscapes) Scientific (including social sciences and animations) Adventure and Travel (sports, ...

    • Maximize Your Sales!

      There are several steps you can take to help maximize your sales. 1. Upload unique and high quality content To keep your collection relevant for content producers and their stories (i.e. documentary television, educational exhibits, corporate ...

    • Submitting RED Footage

      You can color correct your RED in REDCINE-X, then simply upload the original .RDC folder containing the .R3D clip with its .RMD sidecar file. We’ll handle the rest! Please note that the .R3D and .RMD files for each RED clip must be stored inside a ...

    • Creating Clipbins

      Clipbins can be used to log your footage, organize your footage, create galleries for your Profile page, or create sequences to link clips with similar subjects together on the NatureFootage site. For instructions on how to turn your Clipbins into ...