Putting together a military documentary, television show or feature film and need stock footage? Making a tribute video for a reunion or charity event? We're happy to help. Contact us and let us know what your needs are.

We own thousands of hours of historic film, chronicling many of the key moments in military and aviation history in the 20th Century. We've licensed footage to broadcast clients including the BBC, History Channel, Discovery Channel, PBS, and media clients like Ubisoft and Black Bean Games. Our rates are competitive and affordable, because we work with clients to meet their needs.

Another reason that clients love to work with us, is that -- unlike many of the other vendors out there -- we're absolutely committed to delivering high quality material, and we've got the ability to make it happen. There are unscrupulous vendors out there, who pass off National Archives material as their own, and who don't actually own broadcast quality masters. We're different. We can deliver the highest quality material because we actually own an extensive library of original 16mm and 35mm film prints. We can telecine off of these high quality originals for optimum results.

All footage from the Periscope Film LLC archive is available for licensing and because of the film backing, almost all of it is available in a multitude of formats: Digibeta, DV, Beta SP, and yes, HD.

Send us an e-mail with details about what footage you are interested in. Also include your contact info, information about your required use, and what kind of rights you are interested in acquiring.

SEE FOOTAGE ON YOUTUBE

Just click here.  You'll then be able to see some of our films on Youtube, and with timecode burn-in it's easy to identify material for licensing.  Please note, only a very small portion of our materials are on this service, but we're updating it frequently.

DOWNLOAD A PARTIAL LIST OF FILMS IN OUR ARCHIVE

Just click here. You'll then download an Adobe PDF file, which you can open using the Acrobat Reader. Don't see what you were looking for in the list? Contact us! We're a bit behind in indexing all the films we own -- yes we do have a lot of them -- so the list on our website is not current. If you don't see it, ask!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I'd like to borrow one of your film prints, to do a screening at the local VFW post. Do you rent prints?

A: Unfortunately, owing to the rarity of the materials in our archive, we don't lend out prints. We might be able to provide something for you on DVD, however. Please contact us for more information.

Q: I have a bunch of old 16mm military films I'd like to sell. Do you acquire prints?

A: Yes. We're committed to preserving history. Contact us and we'll talk.

Q: I saw a movie on your website that I'd like to use for my documentary film. Can I license the rights from you and obtain a broadcast master? How do I go about doing that?

A: The process of obtaining stock footage from Periscope Film's archive is a simple, three step process.

First, take a look at the material on our website, and determine if any of the DVDs we have in production may contain films you're interested in. If they do, and we determine that you have a legitimate production, we'll send you a complimentary DVD for review and off-line editing purposes. Since they are H.264 Quicktimes, you can also download some movies directly from our website and use them for off-line work.

If you don't see anything, but suspect we might have something in our archives that would fit the bill, then contact us. We'll review our library and get back to you. If it sounds like we have material you want, we will then create a viewing Quicktime DVD for you, or provide a Quicktime via FTP that you can use for off-line purposes. The cost of the DVD is $50, all of which is applicable to any future stock footage purchase.

The second step in the process, is for you to identify the material you need. If you're working off of material from one of our commercial DVDs, you will do it by identifying the name of the film involved, and the time elapsed from the start of the movie. If you're working off of a viewing DVD, you will have time codes at your disposal. Once we've determined the amount of material you're using, we can work out a price.

Third, we'll generate a contract, and after receiving your payment we will deliver clean, broadcast-quality masters to you. After you've wrapped up your show, you'll send us a copy of the final for verification purposes, and for our records.

Q: Do you provide clearance paperwork for the material you provide?

A: Yes. Every stock footage purchase made from Periscope Film LLC, is done using a broadcast industry standard contract.

Q: How much does stock footage cost?

A: The cost depends whether you're making an in-house video, or a full-blown documentary film that is going to be seen all over the world. In either case, we're committed to working within your budget. Normally, the minimum cost for a stock footage license is $250. Contact us for further details, and make sure to tell us all about your project -- who you're making it for, where it will air, and how much material you're interested in obtaining.

Q: Can you make transfers to PAL?

A: Yes, no problem. Although our materials are in NTSC, we are located in Los Angeles so we have access to every type of telecine machine and format available to mankind.

Q: Tell me more about the screener DVDs or Quicktimes I would use for the off-line process. Why do you use Quicktime? Wouldn't it look better if you delivered material to me on VHS?

A: We prefer to use high-quality Quicktime movies for delivering screening materials, which look a lot better than standard VHS tapes or even compressed DVD files. The beauty of Quicktime and H264, is that when you import the files into your AVID, Final Cut Pro or other editing system, they automatically convert, even if you're working in PAL. There is no standards conversion to worry about.

Q: What is the technical specification of the screener materials?

A: Technical specifications: SIZE: 320x240 COMPRESSION: H.264 FRAME RATE: 24. They will work on any Mac or PC with Quicktime 7.0 or later (most computers made after 2004)

Q: I don't want to use Quicktime. Can you just make a screener DVD for me, that will work in a DVD player, instead?

A: Yes. However, this involves an extra step for us, so it may take extra time and can cost more.

Q: My project is in high definition. Can you provide an HDTV transfer?

A: Yes. However, first you'll need to identify the material you need, using lower-resolution material. Once you've made your selections, we will supervise the creation of HDTV transfers. We can either use a vendor that you identify through a bidding process, or supply one. You will be responsible for all of the costs of the transfers.

Q: Is it worth making HDTV transfers from 16mm film prints?

A: The resolution of 16mm film is comparable to HDTV, so in theory you can get a very nice end product by making an HDTV transfer. However, we always caution clients that it is a judgment call. Keep in mind that films from WWII were often shot in trying circumstances, and that many of them have built-in defects such as dirt and scratches. Some prints may contain dupe negative, or even contain poorly-exposed footage. In many cases HDTV transfers look phenomenal, but in others cases a similar-looking transfer could have been made to a cheaper format, such as Digibeta or even Betacam or DVCAM. It's your call.

Q: I've got a rush job. Can you expedite my order, and send materials by overnight mail?

A: Under normal circumstances, we can rapidly turn around any order. We've often spoken with clients in the morning, had screener Quicktimes to them by lunch, and delivered masters by the end of the day. It all depends on our work load and your needs.

Q: Can you send viewing copies to me by rush?

A: Sure. Just make sure that when you contact us, you provide us with your FEDEX or other overnight delivery vendor information. We'll also need a credit card to bill you for the production of screener materials.

Q: What formats can you deliver footage? How do you deliver it?

A: The cheapest way is via the Internet. For requests of about a minute or less, we post your file in DV format, you download it and cut it into your Online. This final delivery method costs only $40.00. Other methods include transfer to Digibeta, HDTV, and other tape formats. Contact us for a quote. It's simply a matter of lab transfer fees, and tape stock costs.

Q: My producers have made a deal with a telecine facility in North Carolina. Will you send prints there for transfer?

A: Unfortunately, no. We only do transfers here in Los Angeles, where all materials can be properly safeguarded.

Tips for Editors and Assistants

Q: I am an assistant editor, unused to dealing with stock footage. Do you have any suggestions about that?

A: Yes, we do. We're old hats who come out the editing world, and we've made enough documentary films to have some definite ideas that save time and frustration. Such as:

1. Importing. We encourage you to import the entire Quicktime file we provide, as this makes life easier for you, the editor, and post supervisor. However, sometimes it is not possible to do so because the import will take too long or there are media management issues (drives too full). If this is the case, use QuickTime Pro to open the file, select the shot you need (you can mark an IN by typing ‘I’ and an OUT by typing ‘O’) and then simply copying that section ‘command-C’, create a new QuickTime File, and pasting ‘command-V’ into the new file. Save it in the SAME FORMAT, and viola, you have a new shorter clip.

Although it is tempting, we DO NOT recommend you convert the clip to your offline resolution in this process as there are just too many errors that can be introduced this way. Let your editing system do the conversion. There are other programs out there that can do this as well, including MPEG Streamclip, but none easier the Quicktime Pro.

2. Name the files in your project the PF#. Or if the editors do not like that, make a Custom column or use the Comments column to put the PF# in. Just make sure you can print this data column out in your EDL.

3. Keep in mind, when you're dealing with archival material, you're getting materials off of film. But, you don't know whether the pull-down is correct. When you first bring materials into your system, take a look and see if there are any strobing issues. If there are, you may want to adjust the 3:2 pulldown.

 

Q: How do you recommend I go about identifying material for you to deliver?

A: If you're working off of one of our commercially made DVDs, simply identify the name of the film involved, and let us know how many minutes and seconds from the beginning of the movie the shot you're interested in occurs. On screener DVDs and Quicktimes, the process is a little easier. Each piece of video has a few numbers burned into it. One is a PF#, which is the film’s ID. The second is timecode which appears at the bottom of the screen. Simply provide a list of each shot, listed by the Film ID, with the in and out of that shot. Please, do NOT add handles (extra time at the head and tail of each shot to protect yourself in the online) in your order. We will give you a minimum of 2 second handles on everything we deliver.

Tip: if you can print and EDL of just the stock footage WITH the PF#s, that will suffice.

Q: Wouldn't it be easier if I just send you a Quicktime movie of the material I need?

A: Heck yes. We always encourage clients to send us Quicktimes, so we know exactly what they need. It can save a lot of time and heartburn, that's for sure. But even with a Quicktime, we still need identifying information.

Q: I use the same shot three times in my show. Do I have to order it three times?

A: No. Just indicate which is the longest version and we deliver that one. This might seem like extra work, but we promise by doing this, you will have some extra protection from missing needed footage in your on-line.