Simple though that may sound, it's not particularly easy for aspiring editors to obtain raw footage to cut on their own, nor is it easy to get honest, critical feedback from accomplished editors. A new startup called EditStock is looking to change all of that.

Before we get to the details of this one of a kind company, here's their promotional introduction video:

EditStock is many things. First and foremost, the company provides raw footage that aspiring editors can practice cutting. Pick and purchase a scene from a professionally shot short film ($15), download the footage, import it into your NLE, and cut it to your heart's content. What's even better is that once you're finished, you can add the entire scene, or excerpts from it, to your editing reel.

Here's an excerpt from the EditStock "About Us" page, which details the company's philosophy on the footage that they offer.

Each project in EditStock’s library is hand picked to ensure that it teaches valuable lessons and meets our high production value standards. Our library includes official selections from prestigious festivals like The LA Short Film Fest, LA Indie Fest, The Milwaukee Film Festival, and even a finalist from Ron Howard’s Long Live Imagination competition. We choose our footage carefully because we know that in order to be inspired to cut, an editor must sit in front of inspiring material. We’re sure that our customers will rise to the professional expectations that great footage demands from them.

EditStock isn't just narrative footage, however. You can also try your hand at cutting a spec commercial.

Or you can cut a trailer, like the following one for a mixed martial arts documentary.

The other primary service that EditStock offers is an easy to use and incredibly affordable platform for getting constructive feedback on your work from professional editors. For $5, you can submit your work through the site and get creative feedback within 48 hours. The work you submit doesn't even have to originate from EditStock footage. It can literally be anything that you're working on, either professionally or personally. Here's how it works.

The magic of EditStock doesn't stop there, however. The site also acts as a marketplace where filmmakers can sell the raw footage from their finished films. If your work is accepted to the site (it needs to meet EditStock's criteria), you will then be offered a contract wherein you will earn between 30-50% of the revenue from the net sales of your footage. In an age where filmmaking as a sustainable profession is becoming more and more difficult, EditStock is providing filmmakers another way to generate income.

All in all, EditStock has the potential not only to be a one of a kind educational resource for aspiring editors, but a platform from which all filmmakers can benefit. Currently the site's footage offerings are relatively scant, although there is still plenty to get started. However, as more and more filmmakers sell their raw footage to EditStock, the company's library of content will only grow larger and more diverse. 

If you're interested in learning more about EditStock and maybe purchasing some footage or professional feedback, or if you have raw footage that you'd like to sell, head on over to their website and explore all they have to offer.

Source: EditStock

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Editing & Post-Production