Using B-Roll

While it may not seem so at first blush, b-roll footage can actually be the make-or-break component of an entire project. Business and corporate videos need to impart a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time, and they need to do so in a way that engages audiences. The impact b-roll footage has in this capacity is often underestimated, but using it properly turns corporate videos into cohesive stories.

What is B-Roll?

The extra footage recorded to illustrate a point and add depth and dimension to a video, b-roll is often the unsung hero of corporate videos. This particularly holds true for projects primarily comprised of interviews. No matter how engaging and charismatic the speaker, a single, uninterrupted shot of a talking head will often lose viewers' interest. This is where b-roll takes your corporate videos to the next level.

Cutting to footage which illustrates the speaker's point provides context, but it also can hide splices where a speaker's speech is "cleaned up" to remove throat clearing, coughing or verbal stumbles. Suddenly, your expert speaker is providing a voice-over to visually engaging b-roll which further explains and demonstrates the points they make. Your speaker sounds more confident and authoritative, with no tell-tale splices.

Getting B-Roll Right in Corporate Videos

The interesting thing about b-roll footage is that when it's deployed properly, the effect is subtle. Viewers stay interested and engaged, but it doesn't detract from the information being shared. The footage itself can be as simple as two people interacting while the interview audio plays, people entering or exiting a building, or even a series of exterior shots of your facility. Think about the kind of images you'd like to capture and the things you want to communicate with everyone who watches your corporate videos; what kind of b-roll footage would emphasize and enhance your message?

Even though b-roll can seem mundane or unimportant, it's never a good idea to treat it as an afterthought. Properly executed b-roll requires attention to detail and plenty of advance planning, up to and including special scheduling to shoot something which only occurs at specific times. B-roll allows you to show, not just tell.

Let Twiin Media show you how the right b-roll footage can completely transform your corporate videos. Together, we can make sure all your content is engaging and perfectly polished to project your best image to the world.