B-Roll
Definition
B-Roll is supplemental or secondary footage that is intercut with the primary footage (the "A-Roll") to provide visual context, cover edits, and enhance the storytelling. In documentary and news production, B-Roll typically consists of footage of the subjects, locations, and events being discussed in an interview. In narrative filmmaking, B-Roll might include establishing shots, insert shots, and cutaways. The term originates from the days of film editing, when the primary footage was on the "A" roll and the supplemental footage was on the "B" roll of a film printer.
Contextual Usage
The editor reviews the rough cut of a documentary and tells the director, "The interview section about the factory is too long without any visual variety. We need more B-Roll of the factory floor, the workers, and the machinery to cover the edits and keep the audience engaged."
About this section
Production — or "principal photography" — is the phase in which the film or video is actually shot. It is the most visible and, typically, the most expensive phase of the entire process. Every day on ...
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