B-roll
Supplementary footage cut over narration to illustrate or cover edits.
B-roll does two jobs: it shows what is being described, and it hides cuts in the primary audio so a script can be assembled without visible jumps.
Over-used, it becomes decorative and adds nothing while costing hours. The test is whether a given shot carries information the narration does not.
Formats where this matters most
- Commentary / OpinionAn authored take on current events or discourse. The source is referenced, not played.
- Stock-Footage VoiceoverA narrated script over licensed, stock or archival b-roll, with zero original capture.
- Video Essay / Deep DiveA long-form researched piece, twenty minutes and up, that defends an explicit thesis.