What Is B-Roll and Its Importance in Video

A behind-the-scenes look at the unsung hero of video production

Let’s say you’re watching a documentary about sandwiches. The narrator says, “The sandwich became popular during the 18th century,” and suddenly you see a slow-motion shot of someone slicing ham like they’re defusing a bomb. That, my friend, is B-roll.

So… what is B-roll exactly? And why does it keep showing up right when your attention span is ready to tap out? It’s not just filler. It’s the glue, the garnish, the unsung hero that saves videos from looking like a boring Zoom call on dial-up internet.

What Is B-Roll: The Definition with a Side of Drama

It’s the supplementary footage that gets layered over your main content (aka A-roll). It’s the visual that plays while someone’s talking. If A-roll is your lead singer, B-roll is the backup dancer who’s also holding snacks. While the term originally came from old-school film days, A-roll and B-roll being two different strips of film, today it simply means “everything that supports your main story visually.”

Still confused? Imagine a commercial for dog shampoo. The A-roll is the vet talking about how it’s “dermatologist approved.” The B-roll is the slow-motion footage of a golden retriever looking majestic in a field of sunflowers while a wind machine blows through its fur.

The Real Reason B-Roll Exists

Let’s be real. If you only showed talking heads for five minutes straight, people would start to hallucinate. Our brains crave visual variation.

B-roll gives viewers:

A mental break without checking out
Context, like showing a location instead of explaining it
A sense of emotion, drama, or humor (depending on what’s edited in: puppies or explosions)

It’s the cinematic version of adding cheese to broccoli. You get the message, but you also stay interested.

What Happens Without It?

Picture this: You’re watching an interview with a marine biologist, and for eight full minutes, it’s just their face in front of a beige wall. You don’t know if they’re at home, in an office, or trapped in a dentist’s waiting room. You stop caring about coral reefs. That’s what happens. Without supplemental footage , videos feel incomplete. Unbalanced. And sometimes unwatchable.

Supplemental footage in the Wild

B-roll isn’t just for Hollywood or documentaries. You’ll find it in:

Corporate videos (“Here’s our CEO, and here’s a shot of someone typing intensely for no reason.”)
Weddings (“Look, it’s Grandma’s hands holding the bouquet!”)
News reports (“While the anchor talks, here’s stock footage of a courthouse we got in 2011.”)
Product ads (“Behold: a slow turntable shot of this flashlight like it’s about to drop an album.”)
If you’ve ever wondered what is B-roll while watching a commercial of someone smiling at a salad—now you know.

Secrets of Good Footage

Great B-roll isn’t just slapped on like duct tape. It’s planned.

It supports the message
It provides energy
It keeps the pace moving
It looks intentional, not like a backup plan

Bad B-roll, however, can feel like stock footage purgatory. If your audience can tell it came from a “Generic People Being Happy” folder, it might backfire.

Bonus: Funny B-Roll That Shouldn’t Exist (But Does)

A slow-motion avocado drop for a bank commercial
A child running with a balloon… in a cybersecurity PSA
A close-up of a stapler while someone discusses “corporate synergy”
A goat standing on a yoga mat for no explained reason
And yes, we’ve filmed at least one of these.

So, What Is B-Roll? It’s the Secret Sauce.

It’s what makes your video feel alive, connected, and cinematic, even if the budget is lower than your coffee bill. It’s the part people don’t know they need until it’s missing.

So next time you see a perfectly timed coffee pour while someone talks about market research, whisper a quiet “thank you” to the gods of B-roll.