- In this video we're going through
how you shoot B-roll, better B-roll, good-looking B-roll.
And I'm not talking about just 120 frames per second
slow motion buttery smooth slow-mo.
There's a lot more to B-roll than just slow motion.
And there's a lot more to B-roll than just sexy footage.
So in this video we're gonna through kind of what you
should think about when you're approaching
the B-roll that you're about to shoot.
And you really gotta think through
what's the purpose of your B-roll.
All right, guys, let's get into it.
(intense instrumental music)
So, B-roll, it's the craze.
Everyone's talking about awesome B-roll.
Now, one thing for those of you
who have been on this channel for a while,
I finally have AC in my studio.
I'm sitting here with the AC on, you don't here it.
It's been almost four years of creating content.
And I've never had a space that I've had AC in.
This is like a game-changer.
So, B-roll, let's talk about B-roll.
Now, I'm sure there's some of you out there who are like,
well, what is B-roll in the first place?
What's A-roll versus B-roll, and is there a C-roll.
Well, the good news is I've actually already shot
another video that's all about what is B-roll.
So if you go down in the description
I'll put a link to that right there down below.
Go check it, go watch that video
in its entirety, and then come back here.
Because this video is gonna jump off
from where that video left off.
Once you understand B-roll, then we can start talking
about how you can craft better B-roll for your videos.
I've got five things that we're gonna go through
that's gonna help you get better B-roll.
And it's not just slow motion,
gimbal work, anything like that.
Like, there's obviously cool ways to capture the B-roll.
But the first thing you really have to think about is story.
And, yeah, I understand not everyone's
doing a narrative project.
Not everyone's going and telling this grandiose story.
Like, some of you are creating tutorials
like this, and that is a story.
So every project has a story.
And every project should have some sort of story
behind what it is that you're creating.
Whether it is just a tutorial about how to plant plants
in your garden or you are going on a mountain expedition.
And you're gonna take people to the summit.
Stories come in all shapes, sizes, and forms.
So, the first thing when it comes
to B-roll is that you want to make sure
that your B-roll follows your story.
You don't want to get a bunch
of extraneous B-roll that's not gonna help
the initial thing of what you're creating.
Let's break this down into two different perspectives.
First, let's talk about a narrative.
If you have a narrative project, a documentary, a vlog.
Are you gonna be a little vlogger?
(baby coos)
Tell me more, what's your channel gonna be about.
(baby grunts)
- [Woman] Milk?
- Milk, is it gonna be about milk?
Some sort of story-driven piece, then you're gonna want
to capture B-roll that's gonna help tell that story.
For example, I went up to Canada.
I shot a film about climbing.
I climbed Mount Athabasca.
And the A-roll was a mix of me on camera talking
about the adventure, the different people
that I was climbing with, and then also some voiceover.
That's kind of what I laid down as my A-roll.
Now, the B-roll is what you put over that
to help add more to the story.
So when I was climbing I was thinking,
okay, what do I need to capture?
I need to capture, you know, shots
of the climbers in the distance.
I need to capture shots of the climbers close-up.
I need to capture shots of the base camp.
I need to capture shots of the morning when we started.
I need a capture of the sunrise.
I need a capture of the ice climbing that we did.
Like, there are so many different story beats in that film.
And I wanted to make sure that I had B-roll
for each of those sections, so that when I came back
to the edit bay, when I'm sitting here working
on my film, I know that there's always footage
that I can go to to be able to tell the story.
So say I'm doing a section where I'm talking
about the approach, and it's nighttime.
Well, I need to be able to have that footage
that shows exactly what I'm talking
about and helps tell that story.
Now, let's put this in the perspective of a tutorial.
Now, one of the last videos that I did
on my channel was about the Z CAM E2.
And when I'm talking about the camera
I'm bringing up different aspects
of what is on that camera or how you use it.
So I might talk about the monitor.
So I'm gonna shoot B-roll of that monitor that I'm using.
Then I'm also talking about the ports
on the back of the camera.
Well, I'm gonna shoot different
perspectives of the ports on the camera.
Now, beyond the specific things that I talk
about I also just want to capture
some general B-roll shots of the camera.
Because there are lots of situations
in that video where I need some extra B-roll.
And then on top of that because it was a camera review
I also needed to show B-roll of what the camera could shoot.
So it was kind of like B-roll on B-roll,
kind of some meta B-roll going on there.
But, essentially, I'm getting all the pieces
to help tell the story, and then my A-roll
was me here in my office talking about the camera.
And then every time I'm talking about the features
or I'm talking about what I'm getting
with the camera I can actually show that,
rather than just sit here and talk about it.
Now, the second thing that you need
to do is shoot in sequences.
And what I mean by this is shoot
so there is a beginning, middle, end.
And this could be as simple as just a few shots.
But you need to shoot in terms
of like what is the next thing
that's gonna progress the story forward?
You're always thinking story,
so you want to shoot in a sequence.
For example, here's a few shots that I did
of my buddy while we were out hiking.
And instead of just getting the same shot
over and over I shot a sequence.
I started with some different elements of the trail.
Then I moved into some different shots
of him hiking up the trail, I got some close-ups of him.
And then the final reveal was the cityscape in the distance.
So, that was a sequence, there was a progression.
There was a start, there was a journey.
And then there was an ending point.
So if you apply this to the B-roll
that you're shooting there's always gonna be
a sequence of things that you need to shoot.
Even if you're doing like a tutorial or a review
there's gonna be a sequence of elements that you need
to shoot that's gonna help tell the story.
So always be thinking through sequence.
Think of where you need to start, and where you need
to take that viewer, and where you want to leave them.
And when you think through this process
you're gonna find a sequence of shots that's gonna make
the most sense to tell your story of B-roll.
Now, number three is a combination
of three different elements.
It's perspective, shot size, and composition.
Not just super slow motion of the same thing
over and over, you want to think through
these three elements of filmmaking.
So, shot size, extreme wides, wide,
medium, close-up, extreme close-up.
How are gonna capture the specific shot of B-roll?
Is that moment best captured in an extreme wide
where you can see all the surroundings?
Or do you really need to zero in on one specific element?
One exercise that I have for you that I hope you go
and try after this video is play around with shot size.
Don't think about anything else,
but really just take one subject, say it's a water bottle.
Take it outside, and shoot an extreme wide,
then shoot a wide shot of it, then shoot
a medium shot, then shoot a close-up,
then shoot details, extreme close-ups.
And then go in your edit and play
around with those different shots.
Maybe do a quick little voiceover
talking about your water bottle.
And then play around with the different perspectives.
You don't have to start extremely wide and then zoom in.
You could actually start super close,
and then maybe you work your way out to the extreme wide.
That's called a reveal.
So there's different ways that you're gonna use
the different shot sizes to really bring
someone's focus onto the subject or bring them wider
into what's in the surrounding.
Now, when it comes to perspective,
don't always shoot at eye level.
So bring your camera down low, take it up high,
maybe it's way up there in the corner.
Maybe it's way off in the distance on the mountain.
Or maybe it's, you know, down in the lake looking out.
It could be in a bag of potato chips looking at you.
There are so many different ways
that you can change the perspective.
And then last is composition.
You don't always need everything dead center of the frame.
Like, something that happens on YouTube a lot
is we just get stuck in this idea of like dead center
because it's just put it right there.
Like, we're vlogging, we just need it dead center.
Put stuff off to the side, like change your composition.
Maybe that shot would look better if,
you know, your subject is far in the left side of frame.
And then you have this huge expansive landscape
in the right side of the frame.
Think about balance, think about symmetry.
You know, just one main composition
that everyone likes to use is the rule of thirds.
You put your subject in one third of the frame.
Shooting in that way creates some balance in your frame,
and it's pleasing to the viewer.
But that's only one composition that you could use.
There is so many different compositions.
And that's gonna have to be another video
that I make on this channel, which is going
through different composition ideas.
Because when you start playing around with compositions,
perspectives, and shot sizes, the world just explodes
with the potential for what you can shoot with B-roll.
Because there are so many possibilities out there.
And you can create some really cool-looking footage
once you start applying these different elements.
Now, number four when it comes
to shooting B-roll is experiment.
So, just what I was saying in the last tip is go through
and play with all of these different elements.
Don't always shoot the exact same dead center
same close-up shot, same medium shot for everything.
Experiment, play around, put cameras way off
in the distance, put them right there in front of you.
Put them right up on your subject.
Put them above your subject, maybe below your subject.
Try everything and play around with it.
The only way that you're gonna get good at shooting B-roll
is to shoot B-roll and experiment and play with it.
My fifth tip for you is to just watch other creators,
or filmmakers, or anyone who's taking photos or videos.
Because there are so many awesome creators out there.
And all of us have a different approach
to the way that we shoot our content.
So I'm not saying, like, go and just steal someone's ideas.
But watch other creators, see how they frame up their shots.
See how it makes you feel.
And think through all the elements
that I've talked about in this video.
What is the story that they're trying to tell?
How did they use their perspectives,
their shot sizes, their composition to tell that story?
How was the B-roll helping with the A-roll.
Was the B-roll just a visual explanation
of what the A-roll was talking about?
Or is the B-roll adding more to the story?
So, start looking at that.
And I highly suggest when you're watching content
watch it on your laptop, watch it on your phone,
something where you can take photos
of the different shots that you really like.
So if you're watching a film, and you love the way
the composition looks, well, take a quick snapshot.
Put it in a folder of inspiration.
And start collecting images.
Because the more that you collect these images
you're gonna start realizing what kind of shots you like
and what really piques your interest for B-roll.
And then those images are gonna
start showing up in your content.
Because you'll start remembering
those moments that you like.
And then you'll start playing around with how do you create
that with the content that you're creating.
And as you do that you're gonna develop
your skills at shooting B-roll
so that you become a better cinematographer and creator.
I have a question for you.
What is your favorite composition?
Think through all the movies
that you watched, all the YouTubers
that you've watched, all the content out there.
What's your favorite composition?
What's something that when you see it
you're just like, ah, that looks awesome?
Like, that is breathtaking.
I'd love to hear from you guys down in the comments.
Let me know what your favorite composition is.
And if you don't have one I'd love to hear
from you guys about your thoughts
around perspective, composition, and shot size.
And make sure that you check out this video right here.
It goes into how you shoot cinematic sequences.
So it goes much more into detail
about this whole idea of shooting sequences of B-roll.
All right, guys, I'll see you over there.