Why long videos need b-roll
A talking head is a good way to explain something and a hard thing to look at for fifteen minutes. B-roll gives the eye something new while your voice keeps going. It also does real work: a close-up of the part you're describing, a screen recording of the menu you're naming, a shot of the finished result while you explain how you got there.
The orange ticks around the chapter ring on our home page stand for these inserts. In a planning drawing they show at a glance where the picture sits still for too long.
Where the b-roll comes from
Your own footage
The best source. Close-ups, hands at work, the product, the place. Film a few minutes of it after each recording.
Screen recordings
Software, websites and documents, recorded at full resolution and synced to what you're saying.
Licensed stock
For general shots you can't film yourself, from a library you hold a license for, or one we agree on in the quote.
Punch-ins
A slow zoom or a tighter crop on the main camera, to mark a change of point when there is nothing else to cut to.
Graphics we add
- Lower thirds with names, roles or product names in your fonts and colors
- Section titles at the start of each chapter, matching the chapter list
- Callouts and arrows that point at a detail on screen
- Simple lists and step numbers for tutorials
- Zooms and highlights on screen recordings
We keep graphics plain and readable. If you have a brand guide or an existing title template, we work from it; if not, we make a small set with the first video and reuse it after that.
Filming b-roll that cuts well
A few habits make your own b-roll much easier to use. Hold each shot for at least five seconds without moving the camera. Film the same action from a wide angle and a close one. Shoot in the same light as the main recording so the colors match. Keep your hands or the product moving slowly, never fast. And name the files or film a quick card so we can tell which shot belongs to which part of the video.
What we won't add
We don't use music, footage or logos you don't have the rights to, and we don't add claims to a product video that you haven't made on camera. If a stock shot could be mistaken for your own product or premises, we flag it so you can decide.
Questions
Can you find b-roll for me?
Yes, from a stock library. Say whether you already have a subscription, and we'll include any stock costs in the quote so there are no surprises.
How much b-roll does a video need?
It depends on the topic. A screen-heavy tutorial may need little. A long talking video usually needs a cutaway every so often. We'll suggest a mix after watching the footage.
Got a long recording waiting to be cut? Tell us how much footage there is, roughly how long the finished video should run, and how often you post.
Request a quote