In an era where "reduce, reuse and recycle" have become household words,
it seems only fitting the stock footage industry should flourish. Stock footage
-- the use of previously filmed and applied film footage in newscasts, documentaries,
movies and other media productions -- is very much in keeping with the times.
The popularity of the stock footage industry is good news for New York
stock footage specialist Mike Conway. It's his job to archive and research
film footage for his company's clients, and the growing use of stock footage
has kept him very busy.
"There is never a shortage of things to do here," says Conway.
The hectic pace of being a stock footage specialist doesn't faze Conway.
Although he serves about eight clients a day, researching and compiling tapes
on various subjects, as well as filing new film footage, Conway says the job
itself reminds him to stay easygoing.
"It's kind of crazy. You can be doing a million things at once, rushing
about to meet your deadlines. All of a sudden you realize the silliness of
the fact that you're simultaneously looking for footage of President Nixon's
inauguration and footage of somebody being kicked in the pants, and you just
have to laugh," says Conway.
The stock footage industry is not all fun and games, though. Conway says
his job definitely has a serious side. One of the most popular items at Conway's
company is several reels of footage on the bombing of Pearl Harbor during
the Second World War. Documentary producers purchase copies of footage from
these reels to use in documentaries on the subject.
"The problem is that no one was there [at Pearl Harbor] with a movie camera,"
says Conway. "The footage on these reels is a re-creation made shortly after
the bombing. It's somebody's idea of what happened, not the actual event,
but these re-creations are constantly used by producers as an example of historical
fact -- they create historical memory.
"Although I work closely with the media, [this has taught me] not to be
accepting of everything I see on a documentary or news program."
In spite of his newfound caution, Conway says he has learned a great deal
from viewing stock footage. In fact, watching the footage is his favorite
part of the job.
"It's mind-boggling to know I've seen the inauguration of every president
in the last 50 years," he says. "I now know enough about the presidents to
have a favorite, which I never had before, even though I studied each one
of them in my history classes at school."
Unfortunately, stock footage specialists don't get to sit around and watch
old film reels all day. When people in this field are looking through film
reels, it's usually a hurried search for specific footage.
"That's the downside of the job," says Conway. "I have access to all these
terrific classic films like Charlie Chaplin movies and It's a Wonderful Life,
but I have to watch them in fast forward all the time. I don't think I'd recognize
Jimmy Stewart if he wasn't on fast forward!"
There's more to this job than just filing reels or searching the database
for specific footage. Stock footage specialists often have to put their creative
skills to work.
"Often an advertising firm will call in and say they want 'happy footage,'
and we really have to use our imagination to find footage that will say 'happy'
to people. Happy might be children blowing soap bubbles, a family laughing
around a Christmas tree, a couple on a romantic stroll," says Conway.
Conway has had a number of job offers from the media sources that use the
footage tapes he compiles. He's also been offered promotions to more managerial,
less hands-on positions. None of these steps up the business ladder have appealed
to Conway, however. He says he's staying right where he is.
"It's exciting to see footage I've compiled on TV shows. But
it's the job in itself that's the reward for me," says Conway.