In today’s article, I will dwell extensively on the definition of A & B rolls and their usage. I know for sure that so many professionals in cinematography and videography already have an idea of what I am going to be talking about, so this one is for the semi-pros and armatures.
No matter the kind of video you’re shooting, whether news, feature film, documentary, commercials, or for television use, it is ideal to shoot extra video footage, because they have their purpose. Without further ado, let’s dive right into the two major parts of video shooting.
A-roll: this is the main focus video called the primary video footage shot. A-roll is the fueling media in most fished videos you see like documentaries, news, and tv shows.
B-roll: when it comes to video production, B-roll is the supplementary footage used to bolster the A-roll to create a dramatic effect.
Without a B-roll your video will feel imbalanced, it will lose its interpretation of what a great video looks like.
This brings me to the difference between A-roll and B-roll. There is not much disparity between both except for the fact that A-roll footage is the sole shoot in the video which focuses mainly on the subject while the B-roll is supplemental footage that shows all other things.
WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR?
The A-roll and B-roll can be mixed/spliced using editing software to tell a much more engaging story. In some cases you see the main video play, then later the supplementary video comes in while the audio of the A-roll is still playing underneath softly. B-roll footage can be used in various ways such as; establishing characters or setting the lead for a story, which makes it flexible when editing, it breaks up the monotony, to tell a much stronger story.
The way you use your A-roll and B-roll will help you not just show but tell more stories when properly used. If you have ever shot or filmed a documentary and used any supplementary footage then you’ve already used the A-roll and B-roll together.
