What is B-roll and Why is it Important?

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Video Script

We get asked what is B-roll? Well B-roll, if you think about it, is basically anything that is not your primary footage or your A-roll. You see, a man speaking to the camera that’s typically considered to be your A-roll. Even though you can have somebody speaking, they might not get it all in one take and they might need to cover up a cut in post-production. B-roll is footage that is used other than your A-roll and is usually on message with whatever is being spoken about in the video.

It’s important to remember that your B-roll shouldn’t just be footage that you have lying around, it should be something that is important. Maybe it’s people working at your business, or it is your product, or somebody using your product. B-roll is used to help create a flow throughout your video so that the narrative can drive the story audibly and B-roll can help the visuals keep a fluid motion going forward.

What is B-roll? It’s pretty much anything that’s not your primary footage, or your A-roll, that helps make your video excellent.