The content creator economy is absolutely booming. Millions of people create content on a daily basis, be it simply for the fun of it or as part of their job. Videos, images, podcasts and blog posts are everywhere and cover just about any topic you can imagine.
If you’re a content creator, you’ll know how important it is to use the best material and assets. To help you out, we’ve listed some of the best resources for content creators and discussed why they are so helpful. Read on to learn more.
Stock Music Libraries
As a general rule of thumb, all videos need music. Whether it’s a short film or a tutorial video, music can make it feel more professional and can help viewers engage on an emotional level. This makes the video more impactful and will ensure viewers remember its key message.
However, if you’re a content creator, you can’t simply use any music you want in your videos. Music is protected by copyright law, which stipulates strict rules and regulations regarding how it can be used.
Let’s say you want to use a song by a popular singer in your latest video. To do so legally, you will first have to obtain express written permission from the copyright holder. This can involve paying a fee and agreeing to share a percentage of any profits you make from the video. For small-medium content creators, this simply isn’t feasible. The fees you’ll pay to use a popular song will send you way over budget.
Using music without permission is never advised, and it can have serious consequences. Your video could be flagged and blocked, or your account could even be completely deleted.
The solution is to use a stock music library. These contain huge collections of royalty-free tracks that you can use in your videos. You may have to pay a small subscription fee, but after you do you will be free to use any of the tracks and won’t have to worry about copyright law.
Stock Footage Libraries
Making video content is difficult, there are no two ways about it. Before you can even think about getting into the editing suite, you’ll first have to get out there and shoot the raw footage for your project.
This means you’ll need to have a camera, and potentially lights to properly light and shoot your scene. Depending on what kind of video you are making, you might need to hire actors, performers and sound recording equipment as well.
This can get expensive, not to mention time-consuming. However, there are resources out there that can help lighten the load. Stock footage libraries can be used to access free digital assets for use in your projects.
Let’s say you needed footage of a city street at night for your short film. Rather than heading out there and dealing with the difficulties of nighttime photography, you can simply open up a stock video library and find the perfect clip for your film.
If you’re making a documentary, stock footage libraries will be a goldmine. They can save you from having to undertake expensive filming trips and can give you plenty of resources to use in your project.
Sound Effect Libraries
Videos are audio-visual experiences made up of three primary parts: images, music and sound effects.
Sound effects are like the icing on the cake. They are used to give videos that extra bit of polish and to make them feel complete. Sound effects can be to emphasise actions taking place on screen, such as footsteps or opening doors. They can also be used to bring attention to and accentuate on-screen visuals and graphics, which are particularly common in informative video content such as tutorials and walkthroughs.
Making your own sound effects is tricky. For films and TV shows, sound effects are created by highly trained and experienced professionals called Foley artists, who use an array of props and tools to create the sounds we hear through our screens.
Rather than hiring or becoming a Foley artist yourself, use a sound effects library to get the perfect sounds for your videos. These are enormous collections of different sounds and effects, with everything from long-form atmospheric recordings to split-second beeps and bleeps.
These sounds will be tagged with keywords to help you find what you’re looking for. Just type a few terms into the search bar and explore the sounds that are on offer.
Conclusion
If you enjoy making content as a hobby or as part of your job, you’ll understand how important it is to use the best possible resources. Whether it’s music, sound or the images themselves, the quality will determine how successful and impactful your content is. Use music, stock footage and sound effect libraries to find the best digital assets for your next video project.
