B-roll is the supplementary footage from video production. It plays an immense role in enhancing video output. Also, it helps your business in capturing the attention of customers through immersive storytelling.
For example, during an interview, addition of B-roll footage provides context to the interview or gives a visual insight into the topic spoken, emphasises key points and enhances the overall visual experience. Thus, B-roll can enhance the story-telling experience in such cases and removes the monotony of seeing the same shot continuously.
B-roll footage finds great use even in the era of digital videos. They help with smooth video transitions, smoothes out hiccups, eliminate unwanted frames without discarding a whole shot. They can come from stock footage, archives or second unit crews.
The amount of B-roll footage you would require depends on the size of the project. It doesn’t matter if you create extra footage as it would help you with future projects. From regional film industries to Bollywood, Hollywood, etc., B-roll is an integral part of video production.
Importance of B-roll
- Add depth to your storyline.
- Cover up errors during production.
- Highlights and demonstrates action that would otherwise remain unexplained.
- Evoke your customer’s emotions by creating an ambience.
- Help introduce characters.
- Provide editors with alternative footage to enhance narrative.
Different types of B-roll
- Slow motion shots: These shots emphasise on specific moments or actions. So, it adds a dramatic effect to the video.
- Environmental shots: Strategic shots of the surrounding locations such as dynamic traffic, luxuriant landscapes, etc., evoke a special mood in the viewer.
- Establishing shots: Before entering the indoors, this B-roll footage helps set up the exteriors.
- Reenactment shots: They help bring historical or real stories to life using extreme emotions enacted by actors.
- Cutaways: They create connections to the primary video and so, enrich the overall viewing experience.
- Candid shots: They evoke emotions by focusing the camera on the subjects in a natural state or behind the scenes in slow motion. They find use in non-fictions and documentaries.
- Stock footage: Pre-recorded licensed or royalty-free footage which may find use as supplemental clips.
- Drone shots: They give breathtaking and mesmerising aerial shots in connection with the primary narrative.
- Archival footage: Content from archives or libraries that is licensed or in public domain.
- Repurposed primary footage: Extra or unwanted A-roll footage could be used as B-roll to enhance the narrative.
How to shoot excellent B-rolls
- Plan well ahead: The B-roll content you shoot depends on the goal of your video. Hence, create a list of the potential shots you could take based on the script. Also, consider locations, actions, objects that add value.
- Location matters: Your story script and theme determines your shoot location. So, check out interesting spots with architecture, nature spots, dynamic lighting and more.
- Shoot angles: Getting shots from multiple angles can give you more footage to work with and hence, enhance the narrative.
- Shoot extra footage for future use.
Therefore, B-roll impacts your video production on the same level as A-roll. Also, you may sometimes get unique footage that could create stunning videos.
Namesake Productions is the leading video production company in Hyderabad. If you’re looking forward to producing awesome videos, it’s a Hi from us.