Does stringer footage your station air (or, for stringers – stuff you sell to stations) have any type of watermark, logo, identifier, etc from who it came from as far as name, business name, company logo, etc etc – or is it straight footage just as if the news company shot it?
I’m currently giving courtesy footage to local news and papers to build up a reputation as a local freelancer, and I currently don’t watermark or logo anything. Producers and the editors and I have an understanding that for now all work is courtesy as long as credit is given – most of the time this is an overlay COURTESY: MY NAME on the screen or BY: MY NAME in the paper articles, etc.
In reviewing some footage on larger markets I see some logos like OnScene.TV, RMG NEWS etc (both stringer companies) overlayed on footage, while Ive seen others that was pretty obviously 3rd party footage with no markings. Id assume some stations would want to pretend that the footage was their own after they paid for it, meaning no logo – so I was surprised to see some.
Whats your position on this and how is it done where you are? Thanks
Matthew