How the Pros Use B-Roll Footage to Create Compelling Content
No production is truly complete without B-roll footage. In fact, B-roll has the potential to be some of the most visually interesting segments of the recorded content. Let’s take a look at just some of the ways professional content creators use B-roll to enhance their work.
What is B-Roll Footage?
Before we get started, let’s define B-roll as any type of supplemental footage inserted within a larger video production. This includes anything that is not part of the main action (aka “A-roll footage”), but rather helps to set up a scene, enhance it, or provide an extra element of interest.
Stock footage can fill in for b-roll content if you don't have enough (or any) to add to your production. Fortunately, content creators have access to stock footage libraries online where they can find a diverse selection of recorded material suitable for a wide variety of content.
5 Ways to Use B-roll Effectively
Let’s say you are producing an interview with a singer/songwriter. A-roll footage would contain the interview itself whereas the B-roll would include cut-away shots of the musician writing, playing an instrument, or engaging in other activities relevant to the topic of discussion. Here are some other ways supplemental footage is used in production.
Archival Footage: Often used in historical documentaries, archival footage can add context and demonstrate historical accuracy.
Re-Enactments: Dramatic re-enactments are the hallmark of many true-crime series. This type of B-roll content is useful for helping the viewer process the story visually -when actual video is not available..
Storytelling: Storytelling B-roll material usually consists of verbal content like a monologue or dialogue to provide further context and cohesion to A-roll content.
Atmospheric Footage: Atmospheric B-roll is often location-centric and is usually used to establish a new venue or transition to a new scene. Music is generally added to this kind of B-roll footage to add impact and help shape the tone you’re going for. Finding the right officially-licensed music and syncing it quickly to your visual content is made easy with special music library extension tools for Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.
Close-Ups: Clean close-up shots revealing fine details are a great B-roll option for nature programs and cooking shows. Close-ups are often used in tandem with narration.
Other Reasons Producers Love B-roll
In addition to making any production more visually attractive and emotionally engaging, B-roll is indispensable for so many reasons. Savvy producers and editors know that B-roll is a great way to hide inconsistent transitions, jumps, cuts, and edits in the recording. The footage also provides post-production flexibility to experiment in the editing process. The secondary source of video allows directors to play with the narrative and manipulate the audience according to the desired creative effect.
Get Started!
Using B-roll is essential for producing a more professional, polished video. You'll also find that creatively using B-roll material helps you create content that's as unique as you are! There are no fixed rules, so we encourage you to have fun and experiment with B-roll footage on your next project.
Universal Production Music’s music library tools for video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro let you audition, download, and edit music all in one platform. Now you can browse and import officially licensed audio, bringing our full catalog of production music straight into your timeline. Syncing the perfect audio tracks with your visual content has never been easier!