Tutorials Video

How to Shoot B-Roll

Beginner · ~35 min

Overview

B-roll is any footage that isn't your primary talking head or main subject: the cutaway shots that illustrate what's being said, cover jump cuts, and give the viewer's eye somewhere to go. Without it, even well-shot interview footage feels static. With it, a basic video feels professionally produced. Good B-roll is planned before you shoot, not improvised in the edit.

What You Need

Any camera or phone capable of manual exposure
A shot list (a notepad is fine)
Optional: a tripod and a small slider or gimbal

Steps

Understand what B-roll is

Your A-roll is the primary footage. The interview, the presenter, the main action. B-roll covers it, supports it, and explains it visually. If your presenter says "I walked into the studio," your B-roll is the shot of the studio door. If they explain a software tool, your B-roll is screen footage of that tool. B-roll doesn't need to be literal: it can be atmospheric, illustrative, or purely visual. The only rule: it must fit the tone and tempo of what's being said over it.

Plan your B-roll shot list

Before you shoot any B-roll, listen back to your A-roll (or read your script) and mark every moment where: the presenter references something physical, a jump cut needs covering, or the pacing could benefit from visual variety. Write a specific shot for each. Aim for at least 3x as much B-roll as you think you need: you'll use far less than you shoot, and options in the edit are invaluable. Group shots by location to minimise setup time.

Types of B-roll shots to get

Vary your shot types to give the editor options. For every location or object, get at minimum: a wide establishing shot (shows context), a medium shot (shows the action), and a close-up detail shot (shows texture and specificity). Beyond that: slow pans, tilts, push-ins, rack focus pulls, and overhead/top-down angles. Movement, even a gentle push on a tripod, makes static subjects feel dynamic. Details matter: hands on a keyboard, a logo on the wall, steam rising from a coffee cup. These are the shots that editors love.

Camera settings for B-roll

Match your A-roll settings as closely as possible: same frame rate, same colour profile, same white balance. The 180-degree shutter rule applies here too, shutter speed should be double your frame rate (50th at 25fps, 60th at 30fps). For B-roll specifically: a slightly wider aperture (f/2.8, f/4) than your A-roll interview can help separate subjects from backgrounds and give shots a more cinematic feel. Keep ISO as low as possible. Shoot at least 5 to 10 seconds per clip, short clips make editing frustrating.

Edit B-roll into your timeline

In your timeline, first cut your A-roll to a clean, complete edit, then layer B-roll on top. Cut B-roll to land on natural breath pauses or word breaks in the A-roll. Use B-roll to cover every jump cut. Aim for B-roll clips of 3 to 6 seconds, longer clips lose energy, shorter clips feel frantic. Vary between your shot types: don't cut from close-up to close-up, but close-up to wide or medium. Match the energy of the cut to the energy of the audio. A fast sentence gets a shorter clip, a slower reflective moment can hold on a wider, slower shot.

Pro Tips

Always roll a few seconds before and after the action you want. This gives the editor handles to work with.
The best B-roll tells the story on its own. Watch your B-roll clips with the audio muted, if they communicate something, they'll work. If they look random, they won't.
Slow motion B-roll (shooting at 60fps and slowing to 25/30fps in the edit) adds production value instantly and is free to do on most cameras.
Don't forget audio in your B-roll clips, ambient sound under B-roll makes transitions feel smoother and more natural than silence or hard music cuts.

Knowledge Base

What You'll Learn

B-roll is supplementary video footage that covers your audio narration or main story. Learn to shoot, organize, and edit B-roll that enhances your narrative without distracting from it. Essential for YouTube videos, documentaries, and branded content.

Types of B-Roll

Establishing Shots: Wide shots that set location/context (city skyline, office building, landscape).
Detail Shots: Close-ups of specific elements (hands working, product details, facial expressions).
Action Shots: People doing the thing you're talking about (exercising, cooking, coding).
Cutaways: Quick cuts to break up monotony (reaction shots, graphics, transitions).

Shooting B-Roll

Shoot more than you think you need. Aim for 3-5 B-roll clips per narration sentence. Vary shot lengths (5-15 seconds each). Use natural light when possible. Avoid shaky camera, use tripod or gimbal. Include 2-3 seconds of "room tone" (silent footage with ambient sound) at the beginning/end of each location for audio continuity.

Organizing B-Roll in Edit

Create a separate media bin. Label clips by location and shot type. Use keywords and color codes in your editor. When editing, sync B-roll to your narration, don't let B-roll drive the pacing.

Common B-Roll Mistakes

Using stock footage that looks like stock footage. Get authentic B-roll when possible.
Over-editing B-roll with effects. Simple cuts are more professional.
B-roll that contradicts your narration. If you say "quick," don't show slow motion.

Where This Fits

This guide covers one specific part of video production. The wider picture. The full arc from planning through camera, light, sound, edit, and delivery, and how each stage constrains the next, is in Video Production Fundamentals: The Complete Guide, which frames the discipline as a whole and links out to the detailed guides underneath it, including this one. If you are starting from scratch rather than solving a specific problem, read that first and come back here.

FAQ

Q: How much B-roll should I actually shoot?
A: Aim for 3-5 clips per narration sentence as a starting baseline, err toward over-shooting, since it's far easier to have unused B-roll than to reshoot after wrapping.

Q: Is stock footage ever okay to use instead of shooting my own?
A: Yes for filler wide shots and generic scenes, but avoid it for anything specific to your story, audiences increasingly recognize common stock clips, and it visibly breaks the authenticity your narration is building.