Can you tell the difference between stock footage and these classic Hollywood films?

Stock or not?

It is a classic Hollywood cliché, using a long panning shot of the city skyline to highlight a location, and just because it is in a blockbuster film doesn’t make it better than stock footage.

Those guys at VideoBlocks have striven to prove that even some of the biggest films in Hollywood, directed by some of the best directors, can look exactly like those awful holiday commercials you see on the TV.

From Drive to 27 Days Later, they all have footage that looks similar. Watch the comparisons above and see how many you can get right. (The Shining is really, really easy by the way. I’m not sure if that one counts.)

Stock footage is rarely used itself in films, but is often featured in children’s TV shows where they reuse the same cuts over and over again, and also documentaries where they don’t have the budget to hire a film crew and helicopter.