{"id":285045,"date":"2023-11-28T16:05:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T16:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/?p=285045"},"modified":"2026-01-16T09:24:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:24:33","slug":"b-roll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wyzowl.com\/b-roll\/","title":{"rendered":"The B-Roll Ultimate Guide – What it is and How to Use it"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Transport yourself back to a time before selfies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the internet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before VHS tapes! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, way<\/em> back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once upon a time, film was shot on big, bulky cameras. When it came to creating TV news stories, this 16mm film was edited and projected onto a screen – using a film projector – then another<\/em> camera would shoot that and broadcast the story to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you following so far?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem with this method was that it made it difficult to cut back and forth between shots that had different audio, because audio was recorded on a thin strip of magnetic tape that was glued to the film stock – making it almost impossible to remove. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To solve this problem, studios began using a second projector. The first projector would show the main content, the A-roll. And the second projector would show interesting cutaways – and thus, B-roll was born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, things have changed even more since then, but B-roll is still prevalent and useful in a wide variety of media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why we\u2019ve put together an ultimate guide to B-roll, including everything you need to know – from what it is to how to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What is B-roll?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A basic, high-level definition of B-roll would be \u201csupplementary footage\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

B-roll is secondary footage shot to complement your primary footage (your A-roll). B-roll is usually spliced together with A-roll to add more depth and impact to the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 3 of the most common examples of B-roll footage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>1. Undirected footage<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is footage you shoot yourself on-site and use to complement the main footage you\u2019ve shot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re filming a video in Liverpool City Centre then your A-roll might revolve around the main subject or person in your video. And your B-roll could be undirected footage or commuters travelling through the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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