What is B Roll Footage in a Video?

We include b-roll footage in every video we shoot.  During the last few discovery calls, our client asked, “What is b roll?” as we discussed the details of the video shoot.  Let’s go over it so you know what it is and why it’s vital for your shoot.

What it Is:

B roll is the video footage that supports the main speaking parts (or A roll).  Examples of this footage include an aerial drone shot of your office, a pan showing your team members collaborating, etc.  It shows what’s being talked about in the video.  We like to use your actual team members as much as possible for b-roll shots instead of stock footage.  We cover how we will get these shots in our pre-production meeting.

Why it’s Important:

This type of footage is important because it helps with the flow of the video. Typically, talking into the camera for a minute or two is boring.

Adding b-roll footage breaks up the video and helps tell the story by showing what you’re explaining.  We recently shot a lighting video for Hawkins Landscape & Outdoors.  Instead of the project manager just talking about the app that controls the lights, we shot footage of him using it to show it in action.

B-roll also does a great job of making the points you’re trying to get across crystal clear, especially for those who process things visually.

How We Get It:

To build trust for your brand, we’re on a mission to eliminate stock videos and stock photography.  One of the things we cover in your pre-production meeting is how we will be getting the b roll for your video.

This footage can be shot with your team members and/or customers at your office or job site.

We will also shoot aerial/drone footage and/or time-lapse footage to add different levels of creativity to ensure potential customers watch your video all the way through.

We hope this helps explain more about the video production process and we look forward to helping you with your next project.

How Long Does a Video Shoot Take?

This is a common question we get on discovery calls for a professional video shoot.

Most of our shoots last between 1 and 2 hours.

We know your time is valuable so here are 3 factors that determine how long your shoot will last.

How Many Speakers?

Sometimes we have multiple people that have speaking roles in a video.  This will take longer than a single interviewee on camera.  We have a video shoot coming up where we are interviewing the owner of the company and one of their customers (giving a testimonial).

We should be able to get all of the footage, including the b roll, we need in 2 hours or less.

How Many Locations?

We’ve shot videos in the past, especially with home service contractors, where we are getting footage at multiple locations.  These could take 4 or more hours, depending on how far apart each location is.

We try to fit everything in one day, but there are cases (especially if we’re filming a project that has multiple stages like a landscaping project) where we need multiple days to get all of the footage for the video.

How Many Takes?

This one is on you, but don’t worry.  Our production assistants are amazing at helping you deliver your message.  We’ll do as many takes as you need to make sure the video is incredible.

We do recommend that you rehearse what you’re going to say before the day of the shoot.

We have a pre-production call with our clients about a week before your video shoot to cover all of these details, including helping with a script/outline.

This ensures that everything runs smoothly and efficiently on the day of recording to ensure we’re in and out in an hour or 2.

Ready to discuss your video project?  Click here to get started: Get a Quote