ActionVFX aims to make learning VFX easier with a free practice footage library

One of the big challenges in learning VFX is finding enough quality practice footage. Aspiring artists and creatives often struggle to find suitable footage that they can use to refine their skills since a lot of the material that's available free is of low quality.

We all know about stock photo libraries, but there are also VFX libraries. And one provider, ActionVFX, thinks it has a solution for budding VFX creatives. It's created a new VFX Practice Footage Library that features hundreds of production-quality clips covering a range of genres, all free to use publicly.

The ActionVFX Practice Footage Library features over 500 clips spanning genres from action to sci-fi, fantasy and more intended to simulate high-quality footage artists can expect to encounter in their careers. ActionVFX has secured all releases for talent in the clips to eliminate concern about permissions for using the pieces publicly. The clips were filmed and processed by the ActionVFX team and professional contributors to meet industry-quality standards. 

ActionVFX's own founder and CEO, Rodolphe Pierre-Louis, says the company's VFX Practice Footage Library was inspired by his own experience. 

"At 14, I was hungry to dive into VFX but found myself restricted by the poor-quality material at hand," he says. "For many artists, quality footage for practice and demo reels are virtually inaccessible. You need high-quality footage to build a portfolio that opens doors, but those doors remain closed if you can't find or access that footage in the first place. It's a cycle that has halted innovation and disrupted new talent.”

"This isn't merely another offering," he says of ActionVFX's new practice footage library. "It's a contribution to the community that molded me. That's why the Practice Footage Library is entirely free! We're laying the groundwork for the next generation of creative visionaries to practice, innovate, and ultimately, be inspired to do great things.”

The new Practice Footage Library is available on the ActionVFX website. To learn more about succeeding in VFX, see our interview with FuseFX's Brian Kubovcik.