If you've ever watched a documentary where someone's talking in an interview, and then the camera cuts to a shot of a busy street or someone's hands typing - that's B-roll. It's not the main action. It's everything else. And if you're making videos - for YouTube, social media, brand content, or anything in between - understanding what B-roll footage is and how to use it will make a noticeable difference in how professional your work looks.
Whether you're shooting your own clips or sourcing ready-made footage, ImgSearch's free AI video library is worth bookmarking for when you need quality B-roll without the hassle of a full production shoot.
What Is B-Roll Footage, Actually?
B-roll is supplemental footage - the shots that support your main video but aren't the central focus. If A-roll is the interview, the dialogue, the main subject talking directly to the camera, then B-roll is everything you cut to in between. Location shots, close-ups of hands, people walking, objects, environments - all of it.
The term comes from the early days of film editing. Back then, editors physically worked with two reels of film: the A-roll (primary footage) and the B-roll (supplemental footage they'd alternate between). The physical reels are long gone, but the term stuck.
Today, B-roll shows up in practically every format of video content:
- Documentaries and journalism: Cutaways of a location while an interviewee describes it
- YouTube videos: Shots of a product, a process, or a relevant environment while the creator narrates
- Brand and corporate videos: Office footage, team shots, product close-ups
- Social media content: Lifestyle shots, environmental footage, anything that adds visual texture
What's the Difference Between A-Roll and B-Roll?
A-roll is your primary footage. It's the interview, the main speech, the talking-head shot - whatever is driving the story forward. B-roll fills in around it.
Here's a simple way to think about it: A-roll is what you hear (or the main thing you see), and B-roll is what visually supports or illustrates what's being said.
During an interview with a chef, the A-roll is the chef talking. The B-roll is the shots of them chopping vegetables, the close-up of a sizzling pan, and the wide shot of the kitchen. Without the B-roll, you're just watching someone talk for five minutes. With it, the video comes alive.
What Is B-Roll in Video Editing?
In the edit, B-roll does a few things:
It hides cuts. If your interview has a jump cut - where you've removed a chunk of dialogue and the subject suddenly appears in a slightly different position - B-roll covers the seam. You cut to a relevant shot, then cut back. The viewer never notices.
It gives context. If someone mentions "the warehouse where everything is stored," cutting to a shot of that warehouse tells the story far more efficiently than the words alone.
It controls pacing. A talking head with no cutaways can feel slow. B-roll breaks it up and keeps the viewer's eyes engaged.
It adds texture and tone. A wide shot of a grey city in the rain sets a mood. A close-up of someone's hands nervously fidgeting adds emotional detail. B-roll communicates things that dialogue can't.
Common Types of B-Roll Shots
Not all B-roll is the same. Here's a breakdown of the most common types you'll encounter:
Establishing shots - Wide shots that orient the viewer to a location. Before a scene set in a hospital, you might cut to an exterior shot of the building. These tell the viewer where they are.
Cutaways - Shots of something related to but separate from the main action. An interview subject talks about their commute, and you cut to footage of a train platform.
Insert shots - Tight close-ups of a specific detail. Someone explains how to use software; you cut to their hands on the keyboard. Someone talks about a document; you cut to the document itself.
Reaction shots - Footage of someone listening or reacting while someone else speaks. Common in interviews with two subjects.
Environmental or lifestyle shots - Footage that shows the world of the subject. For a brand video about a coffee company, this might be shots of beans being roasted, a barista at work, or morning light through a window.
How Do Professional Filmmakers Use B-Roll?
Most professional productions plan their B-roll before they ever set foot on set. A shot list will often include specific B-roll shots alongside the primary interview or scene coverage - not just vague "get some extra footage" notes, but specific angles, subjects, and purposes.
A few habits that separate professional B-roll from amateur B-roll:
They shoot more than they think they need. The general rule among editors is that you can never have too much B-roll. Having options in the edit is worth the extra time on set.
They vary in shot size. Wide, medium, close - good B-roll coverage includes all three. A sequence of only wide shots gets monotonous fast.
They include camera movement. Static B-roll can feel flat. A slow push-in, a gentle pan, handheld movement - these add life to what could otherwise be a boring cutaway.
They shoot at higher frame rates. 60fps or higher gives you the option to slow footage down in post, which is especially useful for close-up or action shots.
What Are Typical B-Roll Shots Used in Interviews?
Interview-style videos are probably where most people first encounter B-roll. If you're watching a documentary, a YouTube explainer, or a brand testimonial, B-roll is doing a lot of work behind the scenes.
Typical B-roll for interviews includes:
- The interview subject in their environment (not looking at the camera - candid or naturalistic)
- Close-ups of hands, especially if they gesture a lot
- The subject is working, doing something related to what they're discussing
- Wide shots of the setting
- Objects or items mentioned in the interview
- Relevant locations or environments
One practical trick: shoot some of this B-roll after the interview, once you know what the subject talked about. You'll be able to get more targeted footage rather than guessing in advance.
How Does B-Roll Enhance Storytelling?
This is where B-roll earns its reputation. A well-placed cutaway doesn't just fill visual space - it reinforces meaning.
Take the classic technique of cutting from a speaker describing something difficult to a quiet, still close-up of an object in the room. The visual pause does something the words alone can't - it creates space for the viewer to feel something.
Or think about how news packages work. A reporter describes a flooding event; the footage cuts to water rushing through streets, families carrying belongings, and rescue workers wading through debris. The words inform. The images make you understand why it matters.
B-roll that's chosen carefully does the same thing at any scale - and it's a core part of what makes visual storytelling in video marketing so effective. The shot of someone's hands shaking before a performance. The cut to an empty chair at a dinner table. The wide establishing shot of a city at dusk before a story about loneliness. These aren't just filler shots - they're part of how the story gets told.
Can You Use Stock Footage as B-Roll?
Yes, and it's more common than you might think. Not every production has the budget, crew, or time to shoot original B-roll for every concept they need to illustrate. Stock footage fills those gaps.
If you're making a video about climate change and need shots of melting glaciers, you don't fly to Greenland. If you need footage of a busy Tokyo street for a video about global markets, stock is your friend. The same goes for anything that would be logistically difficult, expensive, or simply time-consuming to capture yourself.
Stock footage is generally created to fill broad gaps a filmmaker could need, rather than specific niches. That said, stock libraries have expanded considerably - you can find highly specific footage across a wide range of topics, styles, and formats.
For creators who want free, high-quality B-roll without the licensing headaches, ImgSearch's video library is a solid place to start. AI-generated video content is increasingly an option for creators who need specific visuals that standard stock libraries don't cover.
Tips for Shooting Your Own B-Roll
If you're capturing your own B-roll rather than sourcing it, a few practical principles:
Plan it. Know what your A-roll is saying before you shoot the B-roll. What visuals would support or illustrate the main content? Write those down and shoot them specifically.
Shoot longer than you think you need. Even if you only want a two-second clip, shoot 15-30 seconds. Editors need handles - extra footage on either side of a clip so they have room to trim.
Get coverage from multiple angles. The same shot from a wide, a medium, and a close-up gives the editor flexibility.
Don't ignore audio. Some B-roll carries ambient sound that can be used under narration - the sound of a factory, street noise, or a crowd. This adds texture.
Think about what the B-roll is saying. Each shot should have a reason for being there. "Just getting some extra footage" produces flat results. "Getting footage that shows what it feels like to be in this environment" produces something usable.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the primary function of B-roll in video content?
B-roll's main job is to support the A-roll - the primary footage. It provides visual context, covers cuts, controls pacing, and helps tell the story through images rather than words alone.
2. What is A-roll vs B-roll?
A-roll is your primary footage - interviews, dialogue, main subjects. B-roll is everything supplemental: cutaways, establishing shots, inserts, and environmental footage. In editing, you typically cut between the two.
3. What is B-roll in video editing?
In video editing, B-roll is the footage layered over or cut between the primary footage. It's used to hide jump cuts, add visual context, control pacing, and enhance the narrative.
4. What is a roll B-roll in practical terms?
The simplest way to think about it: A-roll is what someone is saying; B-roll is what you're showing while they say it. Imagine a cooking tutorial - the host's narration is A-roll, and the shots of them actually cooking are B-roll.
5. How does B-roll enhance a narrative?
B-roll adds visual layers to a story. The right cutaway can convey emotion, establish location, provide context, or create a tonal shift. Good B-roll doesn't just fill space - it contributes to meaning.
6. Can I use stock footage as B-roll?
Absolutely. Many professional productions use stock footage for B-roll, especially for shots that would be difficult or expensive to capture independently. AI video libraries like ImgSearch offer a growing range of options.
7. How much B-roll do I need?
More than you think. Experienced editors consistently say the problem is rarely too much B-roll, but too little. Shoot everything you think you might need, and then some.
8. What are typical B-roll shots for interviews?
Common options include: the subject in their environment (candid, not staged), close-ups of hands, shots of relevant locations or objects, the subject doing something related to what they discussed, and wide establishing shots.
9. Do I need to shoot B-roll at a different frame rate?
It's a good idea to shoot B-roll at a higher frame rate (60fps or above) than your primary footage. This gives you the option to slow it down in post for a more cinematic look.
10. What's the difference between a cutaway and B-roll?
A cutaway is a type of B-roll. All cutaways are B-roll, but not all B-roll is a cutaway. Cutaways specifically refer to shots that "cut away" from the main subject to something else - a reaction, a related object, a different location.
Final Thoughts
B-roll is one of those things that's easy to overlook when you're focused on the primary footage - and then painfully obvious in the edit when you don't have enough of it. Good B-roll takes planning, not just opportunistic filming.
Whether you're shooting your own supplemental footage or pulling from a library, the principle is the same: every visual should be working for the story. Not just filling time.
If you're building a video project and need high-quality footage without the production overhead, ImgSearch's video library is worth exploring - from establishing shots to close-ups, there's a growing range of content available for free.
