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 5–10 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 3–6 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.