u/axershock

I’m currently editing a 10- to 15-minute video (a short documentary style), and I’m hitting a massive bottleneck when it comes to gathering stock/B-roll footage.

Right now, even for a simple 1-minute section, finding footage that actually fits the narrative takes me hours. My process usually looks like this:

1. Search across multiple free stock sites (Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, etc.) or look for creative commons / fair use clips on YouTube.
2. Preview, filter, and download individual clips.
3. Import them into my project, cut them down, and test how they fit the pacing.

By the time I finish sourcing visual elements for just a tiny chunk of the timeline, half the day is gone. It feels extremely inefficient, and I know there has to be a smarter way to do this.

For those of you who regularly edit video essays or documentary-style content:

**What is your actual workflow for sourcing stock footage?**

Do you write a script and bullet point specific shot lists *before* searching, or do you edit audio first and gather footage as you go?

Do you use plug-ins, specific subscription platforms, or stock footage manager tools inside your NLE (Premiere, Resolve, FCP)?

How do you balance searching for the "perfect" clip vs. settling on a "good enough" clip to keep moving?
I’d love to hear how you structure your process so gathering visuals doesn't eat up 80% of your editing time.

I’m currently editing a 10- to 15-minute video (a short documentary style), and I’m hitting a massive bottleneck when it comes to gathering stock/B-roll footage.

Right now, even for a simple 1-minute section, finding footage that actually fits the narrative takes me hours. My process usually looks like this:

1. Search across multiple free stock sites (Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, etc.) or look for creative commons / fair use clips on YouTube.
2. Preview, filter, and download individual clips.
3. Import them into my project, cut them down, and test how they fit the pacing.

By the time I finish sourcing visual elements for just a tiny chunk of the timeline, half the day is gone. It feels extremely inefficient, and I know there has to be a smarter way to do this.

For those of you who regularly edit video essays or documentary-style content:

**What is your actual workflow for sourcing stock footage?**

Do you write a script and bullet point specific shot lists *before* searching, or do you edit audio first and gather footage as you go?

Do you use plug-ins, specific subscription platforms, or stock footage manager tools inside your NLE (Premiere, Resolve, FCP)?

How do you balance searching for the "perfect" clip vs. settling on a "good enough" clip to keep moving?
I’d love to hear how you structure your process so gathering visuals doesn't eat up 80% of your editing time.

I’m currently editing a 10- to 15-minute video (a short documentary style), and I’m hitting a massive bottleneck when it comes to gathering stock/B-roll footage.

Right now, even for a simple 1-minute section, finding footage that actually fits the narrative takes me hours. My process usually looks like this:

1. Search across multiple free stock sites (Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, etc.) or look for creative commons / fair use clips on YouTube.
2. Preview, filter, and download individual clips.
3. Import them into my project, cut them down, and test how they fit the pacing.

By the time I finish sourcing visual elements for just a tiny chunk of the timeline, half the day is gone. It feels extremely inefficient, and I know there has to be a smarter way to do this.

For those of you who regularly edit video essays or documentary-style content:

**What is your actual workflow for sourcing stock footage?**

Do you write a script and bullet point specific shot lists *before* searching, or do you edit audio first and gather footage as you go?

Do you use plug-ins, specific subscription platforms, or stock footage manager tools inside your NLE (Premiere, Resolve, FCP)?

How do you balance searching for the "perfect" clip vs. settling on a "good enough" clip to keep moving?
I’d love to hear how you structure your process so gathering visuals doesn't eat up 80% of your editing time.

I’m currently editing a 10- to 15-minute video (a short documentary style), and I’m hitting a massive bottleneck when it comes to gathering stock/B-roll footage.

Right now, even for a simple 1-minute section, finding footage that actually fits the narrative takes me hours. My process usually looks like this:

1. Search across multiple free stock sites (Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, etc.) or look for creative commons / fair use clips on YouTube.
2. Preview, filter, and download individual clips.
3. Import them into my project, cut them down, and test how they fit the pacing.

By the time I finish sourcing visual elements for just a tiny chunk of the timeline, half the day is gone. It feels extremely inefficient, and I know there has to be a smarter way to do this.

For those of you who regularly edit video essays or documentary-style content:

What is your actual workflow for sourcing stock footage?

Do you write a script and bullet point specific shot lists before searching, or do you edit audio first and gather footage as you go?

Do you use plug-ins, specific subscription platforms, or stock footage manager tools inside your NLE (Premiere, Resolve, FCP)?

How do you balance searching for the "perfect" clip vs. settling on a "good enough" clip to keep moving?
I’d love to hear how you structure your process so gathering visuals doesn't eat up 80% of your editing time.

I’m 25 and looking back at my work history is starting to feel ridiculous. Just to be clear right off the bat, I’ve never done anything illegal, I’m not involved in any of this mess, and I’ve never been implicated in anything. But somehow, almost every boss I’ve ever worked for ends up getting arrested, indicted, or tangled in massive lawsuits.

Here is the quick breakdown:

• Job 1 (Pharma, 4 years): My female boss went to jail for 3 months for fraud. I left as the company was hitting rock bottom. Shortly after, the male co-founder went to jail over unpaid utility debts for a business. Eventually, both owners had a huge fallout, and both ended up back in prison on separate criminal charges.
• Jobs 2 & 3 (Textiles & Auto): The textile company literally went bankrupt and shut down right after I joined. The auto job was just a toxic environment, so I quit after two months.
• Job 4 (Logistics): I was doing freight dispatch, but quickly realized the office was running an illegal double-brokering scheme. I bailed after 5 months, and the office shut down shortly after.
• Job 5 (Government role): Worked under a deputy department head who got arrested a year later for money laundering and fraud. He got sentenced to 7 years.
• Job 6 (Current Corporate Role): Joined a company with two main owners. Within 6 months, an executive's son was detained abroad. Now at the 1-year mark, the two owners are in a nuclear shareholder dispute, and the company is actively being liquidated. On top of that, a partner business tied to one of the owners just got raided over illegal unpermitted construction, and their director is currently sitting in jail.

I'm honestly getting paranoid to even apply anywhere else. The moment I sign an offer letter, it feels like the countdown starts for someone to get indicted. There's more to my work history that I won't be sharing for now.

Has anyone else gone through a streak of working for totally unhinged companies?