Stock footage: Custodians of the world’s visual history

In a digital world, the archive footage industry’s role becomes far more complex than that of just a ubiquitous facilitator of iconic, rare, specific or generic visual material. Hernan Alcerreca reports.

From neil armstrong’s iconic lunar speech to the fall of the Berlin Wall and Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th president of the United States, or Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generations and Australian cricket legend Sir Donald Bradman’s batting technique, the archive footage industry has functioned not only as a one-stop-shop for different types of productions, but also as the foremost keeper and protector of the world’s visual heritage. “We have a moral and social responsibility to assure that our footage material is properly used, stored and looked after,” assertively declares BBC Worldwide Australia’s sales director and acting general manager Julie Dowding.

According to Cyrus Irani, ABC Commercial’s manager, library sales and non-theatric sales, the industry’s greatest challenges are trying to keep up with all the constant changes, and creating a tapeless environment.