B roll plays a crucial role in the quality and storytelling of video projects. Understanding what B roll video footage is and how to use it well, can really add value to your films. In this article we’ll take a look at what B roll stands for, why it’s important, and practical applications of it, from the basics, to more advanced techniques!
What is B Roll Video Footage?
What Does B Roll Stand For?
‘B roll’ doesn't actually stand for anything! It comes from the labelling of rolls of film when everything was done in an analogue way.
B Roll Meaning and Origin
‘B roll’ comes from the early days of film production where the primary footage was called ‘A roll’. A roll was essential content, things like interviews, the action, or the main story. So it makes sense that B roll meant the secondary footage that was used to complement or support A roll.
What is B Roll Video? What Does it Include?
B roll footage should seamlessly integrate with A roll, and it helps break up a single shot that might otherwise need to continue for an extended period. It can also be demonstrative of what’s going on in the A roll.
B roll can include a wide range of shots, from close-ups of hands performing a task, for example, to shots of a location, and everything in between. These are used to add depth, context, and visual interest to a video. B roll could also include people, objects, landscapes, or any relevant visual material that adds to the narrative or message of the video.
The Importance of B Roll
We’ve established B roll’s meaning and what B roll is, but why do we need it?
Enhancing Visuals
B roll adds visual interest to a video by providing a variety of shots, angles, and perspectives. It stops a shot from becoming boring. Say you have some interview footage, you could be looking at the same person talking for a long time, which can become a little stale. Popping B roll in there breaks up the shot and can also add context.
Providing Context
B roll can help explain, illustrate, or reinforce the information in the A roll. Like in the example above, say we have a documentary about a profession. The A roll might be a person talking about that particular profession, and the B roll could be someone performing the tasks associated with that role.
Smooth Transitions and Covering Mistakes
B roll is a great sticking plaster and is often used to bridge gaps or transitions between different scenes or ideas in a video. It creates a seamless flow between shots and can cover tricky edits without being jarring. In post-production, B roll can be a lifesaver. If there are problems with A roll footage, like background noise or camera shake, B roll can be used to cover it up, though be warned, it’s not a fix-all!
Storytelling
A bit like context, B roll is also a powerful tool for storytelling. It can convey emotions, or set the mood. You could have B roll of the facial expression of a character for example, to try and demonstrate what they’re feeling.
How to Shoot B Roll
Okay, now that you get what B roll footage is and how it’s used, let’s look at how you can make your own.
Equipment and Gear
Some stuff is obvious, but let’s cover everything just to be sure.
- Camera: A good camera is essential. Professional videographers mostly use DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, but you can achieve good results with a high-quality smartphone as well. Aim for the best possible footage you can and use the best tools at your disposal.
- Lenses: If you can change lenses then you might want to vary what you’ve used so that it looks different from your A roll. If you had a close-up of a person for example, you might want to mix it up with some nice wide B roll, or vice versa.
- Stabilisation: To avoid shaky footage, use a tripod or Gimbal. If you can’t use physical stabilisation then you could try adding something like warp-stabilisation (in Adobe) in post production. Most high-end editing suites will have their own version of this.
- Audio Recording: B roll footage often doesn't require sound (it might have the audio from A roll running still) but having a portable audio recorder or microphone on the camera you’re filming B roll, which can be useful because you can get scratch audio just in case. When you show something, people expect to hear it, even quietly, so it's worth getting some audio from whatever you're filming, just in case. Or you can use appropriate SFX.
- Lighting: Lighting is crucial, just as it is for anything you’re filming, so natural light or portable LED panels for example, can make a big difference to the quality of your B roll. Treat it just as you would your main footage.
- Extras: You might also want to invest in a crane, Gimbal, or drone to get shots that you can't get with just a camera and tripod. They can get pretty expensive though.
Planning Your B Roll Shots
Just because it’s B roll doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan what you’re going to get. Think about:
- Making a Storyboard: Create a rough storyboard or a short list that outlines the B roll you need. This can help you stay organised and efficient. Include everything, and consider sub-dividing it into ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’. Start with the most important things and then if there’s time you can get the stuff that might be useful to have too.
- Location Scouting: If there’s time, visit the shooting locations in advance to check out the lighting, potential problems, and angles for your shots.
- Variety: Plan for a diverse range of shots, including wide, close-ups, and creative angles. Variety is key to creating engaging B roll.
- Sequencing: Think about how your B roll footage will fit into the overall narrative and consider the transitions between A roll and B roll.
Composition and Framing
Composition is always important for video and shooting B roll is no different. Remember the essentials:
- Rule of Thirds: Divide your frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Place key subjects or points of interest along these lines or at their intersections.
- Leading Lines: Use natural or architectural elements to guide the viewer's eye through the frame.
- Foreground and Background: Incorporate elements in the foreground to add depth to your shots.
- Depth of Field: Experiment with shallow and deep depth of field to control what's in focus and what's blurred.
And of course, be prepared to break all of those rules when you need to or creativity demands it!
Filming Techniques
To capture great B roll, practice various shooting techniques:
- Steady Movements: Use smooth camera movements, like pans and tilts, to add cinematic quality to your shots.
- Tracking: Follow subjects or objects with the camera to create dynamic movement in your B roll.
- Establishing Shots: Begin with wide shots known as establishing shots to set the scene and context for the audience.
- Detail: Capture close-up shots of relevant details that support the story.
- Rack Focus: Experiment with rack focus to shift attention between foreground and background elements.
Tips for Shooting Great B Roll
While the technical aspects of shooting B roll are important, the art of B roll is more about creative and storytelling decisions.
Storytelling
B roll should contribute to the narrative of your video. You might think about storytelling techniques like:
- Visual Metaphors: Use B roll to visually represent abstract ideas or metaphors related to your video's message.
- Emotion and Mood: Adjust the tone of your B roll to match the mood or emotion you want to convey.
- Character Focus: Capture B roll that highlights the personalities, characteristics, or emotions of your subjects.
Relevance
Every shot you include in your B roll should contribute in some way to the story or message you're conveying. Avoid any unnecessary shots that don’t add any value – don’t just pad it out for the sake of it.
Editing B Roll
You’ve got a lot of B roll, now what?
Organisation and Sorting
It always pays to be organised, so sort your clips into folders and think about adding information or sorting by location, subject, scene, etc. Remember to add metadata, descriptions and tags so that you can find what you need easily.
Trimming and Cutting
Use in and out points to select the best bits of each clip. Arrange those clips logically in the order that best fits with your A roll.
Smooth Transitions
Seamless transitions between A and B roll are key to a polished video. Try using techniques like:
- Match Cuts: Using visual similarities between A roll and B roll shots to move from scene one to the next.
- Sound Bridge: Blending the audio from the A roll into the B roll.
- Cross Dissolves: Changing the opacity between overlapping scenes gradually to move from one to the next.
- Cut on Action/Motion: Make cuts on action! This could be something like going from someone kicking a football to another person catching it.
B Roll in Different Video Genres
B roll can be used in various video genres, here are a few:
Documentaries
In documentaries, B roll can help show real-world events, locations, or characters. It provides context, supports interviews, and engages the audience so they’ll keep their interest.
Corporate Videos
B roll can help show products, services, or the culture and values of the company. It can add appeal to marketing materials, presentations, or training videos too.
Vlogs and Travel Videos
In vlogs and travel videos, B roll can get at the heart of destinations and experiences. It can set the scene, and add warmth, humour, or whatever emotion you’re trying to convey.
News and Journalism
News reports quite often use B roll to add context with visuals related to the stories being covered.
Fiction
In story-based filmmaking, B roll can be a creative thing, artistic or symbolic. It can add depth to characters, help emphasise emotions, or help to give meaning beyond what’s being said in dialogue.
Potential Problems and Solutions
While shooting and editing B roll can be rewarding, it's not without challenges. Common challenges include:
- Weather Conditions: Weather can affect outdoor B roll shoots. Have backup plans if things are bad. Visiting a location before going there to shoot can help you with an alternative if the weather is bad on the day.
- Consistency: Maintaining consistent lighting, colour, and mood throughout B roll capture can be tricky. Using LUTs, or learning to colour grade well can help with consistency.
- Time Constraints: Shooting B roll takes time. Plan your schedule properly to give you time to get everything you need. Writing a shoot list or making a storyboard can help with this.
- Storage: If you’re getting a lot of high-quality video, you’ll need a lot of storage so make sure you’ve got enough!
Envato Elements
If you’re looking for stock footage to help supplement your A and B roll then try Envato Elements. For a monthly subscription you’ll find awesome video templates, stock images, stock footage and so much more, that you can use as often as you like. Here’s a great example of some stock footage available.
Aerial Korea Night Seoul City Establishing Shot
This aerial time-lapse of Seoul would be a great establishing shot.
Conclusion
B roll video footage is an essential part of video production. It plays an important role in the visual quality, storytelling, and engagement of your videos. Understanding what B roll is, its significance, and how to shoot and edit it well, can ramp your videos up a level.
Here’s a summary of what we’ve learned:
- B roll is supplementary footage that complements or supports the primary content (A roll) in video production.
- It enhances visual appeal, provides context, assists smooth transitions, contributes to storytelling, and can cover mistakes.
- Shooting great B roll requires the same planning, composition skills, knowledge of camera settings, and creative storytelling techniques as capturing the main footage.
- B roll is suitable for all sorts of video types, from documentaries to vlogs, and everything in between.
So, grab your camera and head out to film some great B roll footage for your next video project.
About This Page
This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Gonzalo Angulo. Gonzalo is an editor, writer and illustrator.
