Archival and stock footage is a very large business, which reflects the way in which the screen sector is so much more than professional film and television storytelling. We see archival as history footage, as the real authentic moment, part of our collective heritage.
But canny producers have always known that offcuts and generic scenes are worth cataloguing and reselling as a handy part of retirement income. What starts as a busy car park becomes a symbol of an era, or a memory of summer, or shopping trolleys in use. This is unpoetic and commercial, an asset to be contextualised in the cut.
