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Once you know what you want to shoot, the next step is for you to plan your pre-production; in this case, shooting enough B-rolls beforehand would make your pre-production easier. One of the reasons why you should make sure to shoot ample B-roll is to have enough visual representation instead of just having your subject on the screen or the person you’re interviewing to talk alone.
WAYS OF SHOOTING B-ROLL
- PLAN BEFOREHAND: I plan on shooting a short interview/documentary in few weeks and I planned to shoot B-rolls using the story I got from the person I’m going to interview. You get your B-rolls in the story of your subject. For instance, my interview is based on the benefits of aerobics on mental health, and I would be interviewing the physiotherapist at a center in my community. Now, how do I get my B-rolls? They will come from the people at the gym exercising, and some of the therapeutic machines. I will use some of those elements to supplement the main interview.
- SCOUT LOCATION: you’re Depending on the type of story you are shooting, you will need to scout for a location where you can shoot a lot of B-rolls. Always remember that you should plan ahead of time; in doing this, you should already know the equipment or gears to use either in the dark or during the day.
- SHOOT AT DIFFERENT ANGLES: One other way to shoot a very captivating video is to shoot detailed B-rolls from various angles of either your subject or other necessary feature as long as it relates or adds to your story.
- SHOOT IN EXCESS: I also mentioned this in my previous article; that you should shoot extra B-rolls. I will say here that you should shoot more than enough and shoot even if it’s out of your shot list or what you planned shooting. Also, keep your eyes open, perhaps something that can be used as a cutaway for editing purposes might catch your fancy.
