It\u2019s sad to admit, but for many of us, B-roll is often an afterthought. Whether you\u2019re shooting documentary content, corporate or commercial video work, or even creative shorts or features, your filmmaking focus will often be on getting the best footage of a main subject or character \u2014 and their voice and actions.<\/p>\n
However, when you get into your edit, you\u2019ll often find yourself wishing that you had better (and probably more) B-roll footage. B-roll not only helps flesh out sections or sequences to make them more dynamic (and better paced), but you can also use it to cover cuts, pauses, or mistakes.<\/p>\n
The biggest sin in B-roll shooting is to not hold a shot long enough. This happens more often than we\u2019d all like admit, especially when running and gunning. But if you cut a B-roll shot short, you can render it useless, so don\u2019t waste your time.<\/p>\n
A good B-roll shot should be at least ten to fifteen seconds long for short videos, and around a minute if you\u2019re working on slower-paced shorts or features. Anything less than that, and you\u2019ll find some frustrations in the edit.<\/p>\n
While not quite as big a sin as not holding a shot long enough, just shooting a plain static is boring. Consider starting your shot either to the left or right (or above or below) the action in question, then pan to reveal what\u2019s going on. Also, consider rack focuses, reveals, slides, dollies, or other camera moves to make your shot more interesting.<\/p>\n
The following video is a good lesson on the importance of adding camera movements to your shots.<\/p>\n