The History Of The Term B-Roll
Thursday, August 17th, 2006By: Andrew Seltz
If you are familiar with the term b-roll in its contemporary usage, you know it refers to alternate footage that is not part of the main action. It is used to illustrate something being spoken about or to cover an edit in the main action. An example would be including footage of children playing that is shown while a person is talking about playground safety. Another example would be a shot of an interviewer listening intently that is used to cover an edit where the interviewee went off on a tangent before completing a thought. The tangential material is cut out and the b-roll hides the edit.
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