What Is B-Roll?
B-roll is supplementary footage that supports and enhances the primary interview or narration footage (A-roll) — showing the people, places, products, or actions being discussed rather than just the person talking about them.
If A-roll is someone talking, B-roll is what you see while they talk.
B-roll is what makes a video feel alive. Without it, you’re watching a talking head. With it, you’re inside the story.
Why B-Roll Matters
B-roll serves several functions:
- Illustrates the story — when someone says “we work with clients all over the country,” B-roll shows that.
- Covers edits — cutting between two takes of an interview is jarring without B-roll to cover the transition.
- Creates context — seeing a manufacturing floor, a restaurant kitchen, or a medical device in use gives the viewer something to attach the words to.
- Feeds repurposing — B-roll is the raw material for social cuts, email graphics, and presentation assets.
Planning B-Roll in Pre-Production
The biggest B-roll mistake is treating it as an afterthought. B-roll needs to be planned — what will we shoot, where, and for how long — before the shoot day, not improvised during it.
At Boonrise, every shot list includes a dedicated B-roll plan.
How Boonrise Approaches This
Strategy comes before production. Every Boonrise project starts with understanding your audience, your message, and what success looks like — so that this concept works in service of your goals, not the other way around.
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