As video data is penetrating many information systems the need for database support for video data evolves. In this paper we present a generic data model that captures the structure of a video document and that provides a means for indexing a video stream. We also discuss query language features that can take advantage of the proposed model. We have identified basic operators that should be implemented in the query language to support content based queries. The paper also analyses how these operators can be used to provide video data queries. The model has been used as a basis for a television news archive prototype and some experimental results are presented.