B-roll
B-roll is secondary footage inserted over or between the primary shots of a video, used to illustrate what is being said, disguise a cut, or maintain visual interest when the main shot alone would not hold attention.
The term is inherited from film, where the main footage was the A-roll and everything cut over it came off a second reel. The function has not changed: B-roll is what the viewer looks at while the audio carries the point.
What it does in short-form
- →Hides a cut. Removing a stumble leaves a visual jump; a cutaway covers it.
- →Illustrates a claim, so the viewer sees the thing being described.
- →Resets attention. A change of image buys a few more seconds of patience.
- →Fills a slow passage that is worth keeping for the audio.
How much is too much
In a talking-head clip, the face is usually the most engaging thing on screen, and cutting away from it too often reads as restless. B-roll works best when it earns its place — a specific illustration or a covered edit — rather than as a rhythm applied every few seconds.
The alternative in clipping
Most clips from podcasts and interviews have no B-roll available; there is only the recorded conversation. Captions, framing changes and speaker cuts do the same job instead. Moving between speakers at the moment the conversation turns is the closest equivalent, and it is usually more effective than dropping in unrelated stock footage.
Clipd tracks the active speaker so cuts follow the conversation.
See the clip maker