Licensing

How to License Stockfilm Footage

There are two ways to license our restored 8mm and Super 8 footage. More than 115,000 clips can be licensed directly here on Stockfilm.com, and the full catalog is also available through Pond5. Here is how each one works, what it costs, and what the license covers.

Step-by-Step Licensing Process

  1. Browse or search the archive. Use our curated collections, Archive Index, or search to find clips by keyword, decade, and location.
  2. Preview clips. Each clip includes a thumbnail on Stockfilm and a watermarked preview on Pond5. Review framing, color, and content before purchasing.
  3. License the clip. On most clip pages, click License Direct to license and pay on Stockfilm — a flat $149 for the 4K master. If a clip isn't available for direct licensing, use the Pond5 link to license it on the Pond5 marketplace instead.
  4. Download immediately. A direct license unlocks the 4K master download the moment payment clears, with a receipt emailed to you. Pond5 clips download from your Pond5 account in your preferred resolution. No waiting period either way.
  5. Use in your project. The royalty-free license covers most commercial and editorial uses worldwide with no expiration.

Pricing

What a clip costs depends on which path you use.

Direct licenses are a single flat rate shown at checkout. On Pond5, the price varies by resolution, clip length, and content rarity, and is shown on the clip page before purchase.

Available Formats

Our footage originates from 8mm, Super 8, and occasionally 16mm home movie film. Original reels are professionally scanned and digitally restored. Available download formats include:

The restoration process preserves authentic film grain, color, and aspect ratio while removing dust, scratches, and stabilization artifacts.

Usage Rights

Both the direct Stockfilm license and the standard Pond5 royalty-free license grant broad usage rights for most projects:

No attribution is required. The license does not expire and covers unlimited reproductions within the licensed project. Direct license terms are shown on the clip's licensing page before you pay; for Pond5, review the full Pond5 license agreement for complete terms.

What the License Covers, and What May Need Additional Review

A standard Stockfilm direct license does not include AI-training rights; dataset licensing for machine learning is a separate written agreement (see AI Training Data). And no stock license, from any archive, clears every third-party interest that can appear inside a frame. The boundaries:

Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable clip agreement. Catalog flags help identify visible people, minors, logos or trademarks, and audible music. These flags are screening aids rather than legal opinions. Depending on the footage, context, territory, and proposed use, a production may need to evaluate additional privacy, publicity, trademark, artwork, location, music, or sensitive-use considerations.

What Stockfilm provides

  • The applicable Stockfilm license
  • The licensed master file
  • Available source and metadata information
  • Catalog content flags
  • Available scan and restoration information

What Stockfilm may be able to document

  • Source-reel origin
  • The basis for a date or location
  • Original labels or collection notes
  • Known visible elements
  • Adjacent clips and reel context

What the production remains responsible for

  • Its own legal and editorial review
  • Third-party interests outside the licensed copyright
  • Use-specific privacy, publicity, trademark, artwork, location, music, or sensitive-use considerations
  • Distributor, broadcaster, insurer, or platform requirements

Read the Licensing GuideRead the Archive Integrity policy

How Stockfilm documents footage, labels metadata confidence, and flags content is published on Archive Integrity. Research teams should start at For Archival Producers.

Licensing Direct on Stockfilm

Most of the catalog can be licensed without leaving Stockfilm. Open a clip, click License Direct, choose your usage scope, and check out. You get the 4K digitally restored master (MP4) under a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license, ready to download the moment payment clears. A receipt is emailed to you.

Direct licensing is a flat $149 per clip, with no subscription and no per-use tracking. If a clip isn't available directly yet, the same footage is on Pond5.

How Pond5 Works

Pond5 is the world's largest marketplace for royalty-free media, and it carries the full Stockfilm catalog, including clips not yet available for direct licensing. When you license a clip there:

Visit our Marketplaces page to see all platforms where Stockfilm footage is available.

Delivery Timeline

Need Something Specific?

If you cannot find the right footage through search or browse, our archivists can help. We have access to the full catalog and can identify clips that may not yet be indexed on the site.

Request Footage

Describe the era, location, and subject you need and we will search the full archive.

Submit Request

Contact Us

For enterprise licensing, custom rights, or project-specific questions.

Open Contact Form

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