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Stop shooting bad b-roll – here’s how to take yours to the next level

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Regardless of what you think b-roll is or how you might use it in your productions, b-roll has become a hot topic lately. It’s something that just about anybody who shoots video needs to incorporate if they want their work to stand out. And while exactly what b-roll is and how it should be used are discussions for another day, how you shoot it is relevant to all potential definitions.

It’s easy to get lazy with b-roll, especially if you just see it as a way to break up boring monotonous shots or a transition between sequences. But even then, it needs to tell a story or expand on what we’re hearing and seeing in other shots. And it’s easy to shoot it badly. In this video, filmmaker Thomas Alex Norman shows us how we can adjust our shooting techniques to make the best b-roll we can.

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A minimalist approach to shooting B-Roll for your videos

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For anybody who shoots videos, especially on their own, shooting b-roll can be a bit of a pain. You have to have it, though, really, to stop your video just becoming some kind of long monologue. It’s the supplemental footage that shows what you’re actually talking about, or just provides context for what’s going on or the topic at hand.

It’s something Sean Tucker knows all too well, having gone out in the past carrying far too much gear in order to shoot it and ultimately using very little of it. In this video, he talks about going back to the bare minimum to shoot his b-roll with just a Sony A7III and a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens.

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How to film an epic B-roll sequence entirely handheld

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B-roll adds value to your videos and makes them more dynamic, and there are plenty of ways to shoot an epic one. One of the most common tips is to stabilize your camera, be it with a gimbal, a steadicam, a slider, or even a tripod. However, you can get a pretty awesome B-roll sequence even handheld. Josh Yeo of MAKE. ART. NOW. teamed up with Tommy Callaway to do it, and they ended up with some interesting footage. In this video, they take you behind the scenes to show you how they did it and inspire you to try something similar yourself.

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Want to shoot cinematic b-roll? Follow these three crucial steps

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Adding B-roll to your videos will without a doubt adds to their value and makes them more interesting and dynamic. But, you gotta do it right. In this awesome video from StudioBinder, you will learn more about the B-roll, its significance and the ways you can utilize it in your video work. The guys also share three crucial steps to nailing your B-roll and making it cinematic and professional-looking, so let’s get right into it.

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Seven tips for filming B-roll when you’re shooting solo

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B-roll can add value and interest to your videos and make them more dynamic. And sometimes, you’ll need to soot your B-roll content as a one-man-band, being both the subject and the person behind the camera. In this video, Matti Haapoja gives you eight great tips for nailing the shots even when you do everything on your own.

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Artlist plans to reinvent the stock footage game with new Artgrid service offering up to 8K RAW video

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When you can’t shoot it yourself, finding footage to add a little something to your video can be difficult or expensive. Popular royalty-free music subscription service, Artlist, is looking to change that, though. They want to apply the same model they use for their music to stock video footage with their new service launching in Spring, Artgrid.

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Dear YouTubers, B-Roll isn’t content

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I’ve been watching more and more of the Camera Conspiracies channel lately. And while a lot of the things are slightly ludicrous (in a good, amusing way), they do say that there’s “many a true word spoken in jest”. And, oh boy, does this one ring true. B-Roll is not content.

B-Roll seems to have taken over the lives of many YouTubers, to the point where they’re basically an intro, some b-roll, and an ending. For the occasional showcase video, it’s impressive eye candy. But when it becomes the norm for all your videos, and more of your video is b-roll than actual content, it just gets boring. Please stop.

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3 quick and easy tips for smooth dramatic b-roll

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B-roll is the one thing that most of the video people I know say they want to improve at. I know it’s one of my weak points. I either don’t shoot enough of it, I end up not liking what I’ve shot, or we run out of time doing the main shoot before I realise “Hey, we still need b-roll”. I know it just takes practice, and it’s something I keep working on with every shoot.

This one popped up on my recommended videos list on YouTube earlier and I thought some of you might like it. It’s from filmmaker Daniel Schiffer, and he talks about some of his b-roll shooting techniques. Specifically, how to get smooth, cinematic looking shots, and how to shoot for transitions.

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“We got that B-Roll!” is a hilarious 80s commercial style take on buying stock footage

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B-roll is a fact of life for anybody shooting or editing video. It’s essential. Whether an interview, talking head piece, or something a little more cinematic. It helps to break up the monotony of a single shot, it adds context, perhaps injects a metaphor or two. Many of us will film b-roll ourselves during the course of our production.

Sometimes, though, you need a clip that you just can’t shoot yourself. That’s where stock video libraries can step in to save the day. Do you need two men pointing at an office file? An angry man stuck in traffic? Happy couple walking on the beach? “We got that b-roll” has everything you need. Created by the team at Cream Sketch Comedy, it’s a very humorous take on the topic.

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This is what you need to do to create awesome b-roll footage for your film

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One thing I’ve learned as I’ve started to do more video stuff is that there’s no such thing as too much b-roll. B-roll is essentially the visual content that plays while you’re hearing something else. Creating it requires as much thought as your main shot. It needs to progress the story, or illustrate something being said. But it also needs to be visually appealing, and match the rest of the content.

It’s a vital tool in your storytelling arsenal, and knowing how to shoot it effectively is key. This video from filmmaker Darious Britt highlights its importance. And he also offers up a whole bunch of tips and advice for getting the best b-roll possible.

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