The WMV Productions Case Studies are designed to give you a look into our production…
What is B-Roll?
When you are on a video set and you hear, “That shot is great we can use that for B-Roll,” or “Oh, we have that B-Roll already,” what do they mean? Is it some super secret code that only people in the video production industry can know about? If you do not know what B-Roll is then you might be a tad confused. B-Roll gets its name from being the opposite of A-Roll which is the video that is captured for the main part of the story. Any alternate footage is called B-Roll. So if you decided to create a video about your company and the CEO was recorded saying the script to camera, that would be the A-roll or the main part of the story. In order to add visuals to the video and help tell the story in a more engaging way, we like to pepper in some B-Roll that help people visualize what you are talking about and what it is your company actually does. So while the CEO talks to camera, we would make sure to grab some other shots of their factory or people using the products, etc. That would b the B-Roll.
In a professional video production getting B-Roll is the bread and butter of a good video. In the video world we as a production house are storytellers. We can figure out exactly what B-Roll you would need to help you move along your story and make it flow. This has to do with storyboarding, as we have talked about in the past. Then it a
ll comes together during the production without having to make it up on the day.
The nicest thing that B-Roll does is it helps the viewer visualize the story. It is a very engaging way to keep people interested in the video and it is an easy way to make your video creation easier, because you can say what you want to camera and then go out later and film all that needs to be filtered into the video.
B-Roll is also a major component for TV shows. If you are watching a show that is based in NYC, like Friends, you see shots of New York City throughout the show in every episode. They have someone on set or on crew and their job is to just go out and shoot B-Roll for the show. Now who wouldn’t like that job, you could go gallivanting around your favorite city taking video and get paid for it….sign me up!
We have tons of B-Roll from our time spent in Nashville, TN, so if you are looking for a great night life scene or people having a great time downtown check this out! B-Roll is a part of any videographers toolkit that allows them to craft a story that people will want to watch. If you are shooting your next video and wondering how to spice it up, consider grabbing some B-roll.
Please contact us at info@wemakevideos.com or give us a call at 615 852 5869.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yLqSrPgTIU
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