Pre-produced material — tape, film, or digital sequence fed live into frame. News broadcasts, phone screens, surveillance footage.
You know this from every news broadcast: the anchor sits in the studio, and suddenly a video sequence plays behind or next to them — that's the insert footage. Technically, this involves using pre-produced or archived material that is played into the ongoing image stream during a live broadcast or a recorded scene. The insert footage is not part of the live action itself but is technically overlaid or integrated into the edit.
In TV production, this is the standard tool: news reporters in the field, documentary material, archive footage — all of this is inserted into the studio set. The screen behind the anchor, the displayed graphic, the drone shot from the accident scene — these are insert footage. In dramas or thrillers, the same technique is used for mobile phone screen recordings, surveillance camera footage, or window views (if you don't want to actually shoot outside). You provide the material, usually on tape or as a file, and the assistant director or broadcast manager triggers it at the right moment.
Practically, this means for you on set: consult with the technical crew whether the insert footage will be live or later in the edit. Resolution must match — HD or 4K, depending on how your main footage is running. If you are filming the insert footage yourself (e.g., the mobile camera scene), pay attention to the deliberately different look: rougher, more compressed, as if it were really coming from a consumer device. This differentiates it from the rest and makes it believable. Timing is critical — if it's inserted live, there's no second chance. You calibrate color and lighting so that the insert footage doesn't appear completely jarring but fits the scene, even if it's visibly different material.
In the edit, it becomes more flexible: there you have time to precisely position the insert footage, design transitions, and adjust color grading. Some DoPs deliberately treat insert footage like found footage — grainy, color-tinged, as if a hidden camera filmed it. This creates authenticity. Pay attention to volume: insert footage often has its own sound, which must fit the scene and not be overpowering.