We've all seen it that cheesy, posed stock video. It's that shot where the smile never meets the eyes, or where everything is just a little too perfect. It's cliched and completely inauthentic. But the industry and the world is changing, and these days, more and more people are looking for videos that are diverse, relatable, and natural. As one of our top contributors of authentic lifestyle footage, we spoke to Ruslan Mykhalets of MStockAgency to get his top tips and tricks for ditching the cheesy look and producing high-quality, realistic stock videos.
Storyblocks: Filming people can be uncomfortable, do you have any tips for easing the anxiety, for both the videographer and the model?
Ruslan: It's true that not everyone feels comfortable in front of the camera, especially if a model isn't familiar with the film crew. We find that hiring professional talent and fostering relationships with the same actors over time helps make everyone more familiar and comfortable. In any case, professional communication is key to a good working relationship.
View More of Ruslan's Portfolio
Storyblocks: How long into the shoot does it usually take for your models to become comfortable?
Ruslan: It will definitely depend on the person, but it usually takes 3 or 4 filming sessions.
Storyblocks: How do you plan your shots? Do you provide specific direction or actions for your models to perform, or do you set the scene and let them do what feels natural?
Ruslan: We usually prepare a thematic scenario for the shoot in advance, but we do count on our actors to improvise within the shooting frame. We like to give them some freedom in acting.
View More of Ruslan's Portfolio
Storyblocks: What do you find to be the biggest detractor that diminishes the authenticity of a shot?
Ruslan: Stiffness and discomfort of a model in front of the camera-if they aren't experienced at modeling, they might express an unpleasant emotion or facial expressions in a frame as a result of lack of professional skills, so we try to shoot models who we know are reliable or were previously trained by us.
Storyblocks: What are some tips from evoking natural emotions from your models?
Ruslan: First of all, the mood of the shoot must be positive and kindly adapted to both the work and the model and of course, it really makes the process easier if everyone is already familiar with each other.
Storyblocks: Where do you think people feel the most natural?
Ruslan: People feel the most natural when they are acting out the roles and situations they encounter frequently in their own lives. Business, athletic, and lifestyle scenes are usually the most comfortable for the actors.
View More of Ruslan's Portfolio
Storyblocks: Do you style your models or do you ask them to dress themselves?
Ruslan: We always have various outfits ready in advance, but we usually ask the actors if they have interesting items that will work for the scene. If they have it, we'll use it but we're prepared either way.
Storyblocks: Is there a magic number of people to film? For example, do you find it easier to film a group of 4 people or a group of 3? Or is it easier to film people individually?
Ruslan: Actually, there's no such thing as a magic number. Sometimes it is easier to shoot one person, and when there is a bigger group, it can be hard for actors to focus on their job due to the constant communication. Other times, shooting 3-4 people might actually energize the actors. It's very individual and it's important to consider the personalities of the actors in advance to make sure that the shoot goes smoothly and you get the best possible result.
Storyblocks: How do you go about finding talent? Do you ever have trouble finding models who will sign a release?
Ruslan: We look for models among our friends and through social networks. We'll check out groups for photographers and other relevant social communities. Regarding the release, it's usually signed by everyone, but it's important to make sure that they were previously informed of what the document is and how will their work will be used.
Storyblocks: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who just started shooting or is looking to improve their lifestyle content?
Ruslan: It may sound cliche, but it's important to love your work. If you want to be successful in filming stock video, you need to enjoy not only the shoot but also the inescapable analysis, planning, and organization involved. Your videos are only as good as the details think about the layout of the locations, the models/actors involved, the stylistics, the lighting, and the quality of your gear to get the most out of the shoot itself.
View More of Ruslan's Portfolio
And there you have it! In today's changing stock media landscape, it's never been more important to stay with the times. Work these tips and tricks into your workflow for incredible, natural-looking lifestyle footage every time and make sure to check out MStockAgency for inspiration!
Check Out Authentic Stock Video
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13 with guest ...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
We've all seen it that cheesy, posed stock video. It's that shot where the smile never meets the eyes, or where everything is just a little too perfect. It's cliched and completely inauthentic. But the industry and the world is changing, and these days, more and more people are looking for videos that are diverse, relatable, and natural. As one of our top contributors of authentic lifestyle footage, we spoke to Ruslan Mykhalets of MStockAgency to get his top tips and tricks for ditching the cheesy look and producing high-quality, realistic stock videos. 
