1. Moon Island Media believes that anyone with genuine intention should be provided equal opportunity to distribute stock footage as long as the stock footage content is socially acceptable, maintains legal standards and is rightfully owned by them.

We believe there are three primary keys to giving more people the opportunity to participate in the stock footage industry. The first key is to recognize that stock footage doesn’t need to originate only from a video camera. It can also be the creative work of 2D and 3D animators, visual effects artists and other types of video sequence creators. The second key is to not enforce a set of technical standards that eliminate those who are not “video camera rich”. The third key is to give stock footage authors equal opportunity to present their work by providing a venue that allows them the fullest opportunity to showcase his or her own stock footage - a Provider Site.

These keys are predicated on the genuine intention, and effort, of the owner and author to offer stock footage that meets or exceeds the technical attributes, content, style and legal standards required by prospective stock footage license purchasers.

2. Moon Island Media will work hard to lower the barriers to entry into the stock footage market in the hopes of paving the way for a greater diversity of stock footage and new market opportunities.

By opening the stock footage market to authors who can’t meet technical standards imposed by the current stock footage distribution channels, more potential talent is invited to participate in the stock footage industry from which champions will emerge. These champions can be innovative and creative which in turn will introduce new stock footage content and style, generating a greater diversity of stock footage. The resulting diversity will encourage new and innovative uses for stock footage and provide new material by which program producers can differentiate their work. We recognize that we must not be a dictatorial gatekeeper for this diversity to occur.


3. Moon Island Media will not act as judge as to what stock footage is marketable.

Simply stated, we don’t know what stock footage is marketable. To claim to know would be pretentious. The needs of traditional stock footage consumers are changing as new ways of program differentiation are sought. New stock footage consumers are emerging with needs that are unique to their chosen form of media such as mobile and social media. These new markets will require new content, style and technical attributes. Anyone attempting to predict what these emerging markets will need will likely miss the target.

We choose to not presume that we know what stock footage consumers need today, or what they will need tomorrow. Indeed, we are as interested to discover that as anyone. As such we will focus our strengths on providing the web technology to enable others to discover, and support, stock footage market segments. We will allow the stock footage Provider and the market to work out what is marketable so long as we are not put in the position of presenting socially objectionable or illegal stock footage content.


4. Moon Island Media will allow its stock footage providers the right, and responsibility, to legally control their stock footage assets.

An overlooked value of stock footage assets is to serve as a conduit to its owner or author for additional opportunities that would not have otherwise been available. We do not believe that a percentage of a license fee need be the sole objective of a stock footage offering. Rather, we believe that stock footage, being typically just one component of a larger program effort, reaches its peak value when it acts as a conduit for business or professional relationships if such aid the respective parties.

While stock footage products address the immediate need for program material, they also demonstrate the skills and capabilities of its creator or serve as a representation of the owner’s content and style focus. The license sales of a stock footage item via Moon Island Media’s venue may spark discussions that may lead to new business and professional opportunities. To enable relationship building the stock footage author must remain in legal control of his or her stock footage to assure the secure disclosure of licensee information and any resulting communication between the parties. Such information disclosure and communication freedom would not have been permitted had we adopted a sub-licensing agent role which would have isolated the author from the licensee.


5. Moon Island Media will encourage experimentation with stock footage content and style recognizing that stock footage is as much an art form as a product.

We believe that the value of stock footage which is created to meet the content, style and technical standards of a stock footage merchant is diminished. “Formula stock footage” limits authors to standards driven by profit motivated merchandising – which the author may or may not be capable of achieving anyway. We encourage experimentation to promote stock footage creation as an art form as well as a product. But we know full well that not all experiments will succeed. But the ones that do succeed would not likely have ever came into existence had we attempted to drive stock footage offerings with a profit-protection motive. We recognize that our financial success is inextricably connected to the financial success of those who utilize our venue. We’ll strive to give our patrons the opportunity to discover their own way of achieving success with their stock footage offerings so long as we are not put in the position of presenting socially objectionable or illegal stock footage content.


5. Moon Island Media will encourage and foster a community of like-minded stock footage authors, owners and professionals for the continued advancement of the stock footage industry and its participation.

We believe that it will be a community of persons who share a common interest in stock footage, as a product and as an art form, that will drive positive changes in the stock footage industry. It will be the community that will discover new values in stock footage. It will be the community that works to recover the author from the background. And it will be the community that discovers ways to spark new growth and opportunity. We believe that an ongoing and open discussion will ferret out ways to improve the stock footage industry for all concerned; owners, authors, consumers and merchants. We will listen in on the discussion and do our best to provide technology to help implement positive changes.

~ Moon Island Media