Am I the only one who noticed they're using stock footage in Justice League?

[Phantom Cruiser]

I finally just saw "Paradise Lost" part 2 tonight, and as much as I enjoyed it, I noticed, as quick as it was, that they pulled a scene of the Flash from "Speed Demons" and used it in this show. It's about 7and a half minutes into the show, and it's during the sequence when Faust is trying to blast the Flash, and is two scenes after the line where the Flash says, "Now you see me, now you don't." It's the shot where the Flash runs directly at the camera. If you slow the scene down, you can see machinery on the left side, probably from the Weather Wizard's lair. Am I the only one who caught this?

[Scarlet Speedster]

You are correct - it was pointed out by several people during the first running of Paradise Lost pt. 2 last month. Some were outraged by it.

My point of view is that if it costs thousands of dollars to animate a scene, and it costs nothing to pull an identical piece of film out of the stock footage department, you go with the second choice. Given the fact that a few dollars saved here may mean an additional scene elsewhere, I don't see the need to draw a new version of a scene that already existed? Throw in the fact that the entire scene in question lasts for about 1/2 second, and you have to wonder is it worth the trouble of getting all worked up? I doubt it.

This is, to my knowledge, the only example anyone has offerred of the reuse of stock footage.

[Spider]

Originally posted by Scarlet Speedster
You are correct - it was pointed out by several people during the first running of Paradise Lost pt. 2 last month. Some were outraged by it.

My point of view is that if it costs thousands of dollars to animate a scene, and it costs nothing to pull an identical piece of film out of the stock footage department, you go with the second choice. Given the fact that a few dollars saved here may mean an additional scene elsewhere, I don't see the need to draw a new version of a scene that already existed? Throw in the fact that the entire scene in question lasts for about 1/2 second, and you have to wonder is it worth the trouble of getting all worked up? I doubt it.

This is, to my knowledge, the only example anyone has offerred of the reuse of stock footage.

Scarlet Speedster,

Good points. The original Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine all used stock footage in their series (the original series especially so, and budgetary constraints had much to do with it). I don't understand the outrage either, except to say that it must have something to do with the differing genres--e.g., in non-animated sci-fi it's okay (the Outer Limits did this as well), whereas in an animated series, it's taboo. Then again, genres may have nothing to do with it.

[Phantom Cruiser]

Originally posted by Scarlet Speedster
You are correct - it was pointed out by several people during the first running of Paradise Lost pt. 2 last month. Some were outraged by it.

My point of view is that if it costs thousands of dollars to animate a scene, and it costs nothing to pull an identical piece of film out of the stock footage department, you go with the second choice. Given the fact that a few dollars saved here may mean an additional scene elsewhere, I don't see the need to draw a new version of a scene that already existed? Throw in the fact that the entire scene in question lasts for about 1/2 second, and you have to wonder is it worth the trouble of getting all worked up? I doubt it.

This is, to my knowledge, the only example anyone has offerred of the reuse of stock footage.


It may very well cost that much to animate a scene, but my point is, I caught it as I was actually watching it, and rewound the tape during the commercial to make sure I was right. The use of that scene made it stand out on so many levels: the background of course, and also the lighting of the Flash. In every scene he's always had rim lighting, then the way he's lit here, it's like, "Woah...what's wrong with this picture?" I'm just saying if you're trying to fool your audience, at least do a better job. Pull a background from another scene...There were only 11 drawings in that scene, it wouldn't have taken that long to repaint the scene so that it (The Flash) looks like all the others. Let's just not be so sloppy and obvious about it...this is Warner Bros., not Filmation.

[Mattashell]

Ren & Stimpy did it. Williams Street only does it. ;)

[GL2k2]

The biggest and over-used stock footage in the biz is the "lightning scene" that's more commonly scene at the opening of the Incredible Hulk series. I know for a fact that it has been used in most every action series since then all the way up to say Quantum Leap.

Also, speaking of Quantum Leap, they also used the "accelerated flying over clouds" scene in their opening. This was used as far back as Highway to Heaven. I haven't scene it used too many times. These scenes are overused because it is extremely hard to capture those scenes and these shows aren't getting a budget that would allow them to do it again or better. So they used stock footage.

[Anarky]

maybe they did it to have fanboys moan about it
like an inside gag

[Phantom Cruiser]

Originally posted by Anarky
maybe they did it to have fanboys moan about it
like an inside gag

Then again, maybe they thought it was an inexpensive way to finish a sequence.

[The Mad Hatter]

The creators have said that their budget for JL is significantly lower than it was for the KWB shows. It was probably a badly-animated scene they didn't have the money to re-do.

It only happened once, for a second and a half, in the ten episodes we've seen so far. All told, that's not too bad.

[Russkafin]

Tons of shows use stock footage. I remember the Spider-Man cartoon used to do it ALL the time... to the point where they'd use stock footage of a character talking, and the mouth didn't even move the right way for what they were saying. That's probably how they could afford CGI backgrounds in some scenes.

I remember Lois & Clark used to use stock footage of Superman flying a lot... and once or twice they'd use a shot of him flying through a nighttime sky when the scenes before and after it were daytime. Oops. Maybe he was on the other side of the world. ;)

And, any Smallville fanatics out there... check out the shot of Clark sitting next to his telescope looking forlorn at the end of "Shimmer"... and the shot of Clark sitting next to his telescope looking forlorn in the Pilot, the scene where Lana tells Whitney that Clark saved Lex Luthor's life. Same shot of forlorn Clark! Awww :D

[Heehaw]

The reuse of footage, whether in live action or animation, is a sign of a cheaply run production and is unforgivable. The fact that it can be singled out is distracting and takes away from the experience. If they know they may have to reuse, then cut the scene or reimagine it so that it is both original and cost effective.

I don't consider the reused Flash sequence, technically, to be stock footage. I consider stock footage to be GENERIC scenes that can be inserted into a production with the express purpose of saving money or time. It can be a crowd scene or an airplane in the sky, or any number of things. I don't really like the use of true stock footage in things, either. Nine times out of 10 I can spot it since the image quality is usually not consistent with the scenes bookending it.

The Flash scene is a very specific thing created for a specific purpose. I suppose everytime they need Flash running in a similar way they could just cut to that same ol' scene. That would be ridiculous. If Producer Timm is lacking funds, then he needs to barter with CN. That's what a Producer does. Given their ratiings, I fail to believe he would have much trouble getting a raise.

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

I wonder why the crew of Batman Beyond didn't just take out the old scene from "The Main Man" and put it into that flashback sequence in "The Call." But they didn't. It was completly new animation.

[RockyMtnBri]

I just hope they can minimalize it.