If your interviews feel flat, the fix usually isn’t a new camera—it’s better B-roll. Thoughtful cutaway footage elevates on-camera answers into a narrative that persuades, clarifies, and moves viewers to act. Below is the framework we use at St Louis Video Studio to plan, capture, and integrate B-roll that makes interviews land with authority and style.
Why B-Roll Matters (to Business Outcomes)
Context & credibility: Show the process, place, and people behind claims to reduce viewer skepticism.
Clarity: Visualize features, workflows, and outcomes so complex ideas become self-evident.
Pace & retention: Varied imagery resets attention and smooths jump cuts, increasing watch-through.
Repurposability: A great B-roll library fuels social edits, sales decks, product pages, and launch reels.
Start with Message, Not a Shot List
Before we talk lenses or gimbals, we map the message arcs you need to land:
Who is speaking and why they’re credible.
What is the benefit or transformation.
How it works (process or proof).
What’s next (CTA or desired action).
For each arc, we pair visual proof points—moments that demonstrate the claim. Example: if an interview mentions “same-day turnaround,” we capture time-stamped workflow boards, scan guns, courier hand-offs, and the final product leaving the dock.
Pre-Production: The B-Roll Blueprint
Interview beat sheet: Highlight phrases you know will need cover (jargon, lists, long sentences).
Location walk-through: Identify hero spaces, quiet zones, natural movement paths, and drone-safe corridors (we can fly specialized cinewhoop drones indoors).
People & permissions: Confirm who can be filmed doing what; secure releases and any brand or safety approvals.
Props & demos: Stage real artifacts—devices, packaging, dashboards, product cross-sections.
Wardrobe & brand color cues: Ensure textures and tones that play nicely at your brand white balance.
Shot architecture: Pre-plan W-M-T (wide/medium/tight) passes for every key activity to guarantee editorial flexibility.
Shot Design That Sells the Story
Prioritize “people doing” over “people pointing.” The most valuable B-roll types for interviews:
Process: Assembly, testing, client hand-offs, onboarding steps.
Environment: Establishing exteriors, signage, interiors with meaningful context (not empty hallways).
Interaction: Team huddles, whiteboard sketches, customer demos, usability testing.
Details & macro: Hands, instruments, displays, textures, materials—visual “verbs.”
Transitions: Doors opening, feet walking, forklifts moving—great for pacing and scene bridges.
Aerials (including indoor): Spatial orientation of facilities, site scale, and equipment layout.
Movement choices:
Locked-off for authority (data screens, instruments).
Slider or slow gimbal for polish on processes.
Handheld micro-movement for energy with people.
Dolly-in on key claims (motivated by the interview’s emphasis).
Cinewhoop interiors for sweeping reveals without disrupting operations.
Technical Cohesion with Your A-Roll
Consistency beats novelty. Match the interview’s image science:
Frame rate: If interviews are at 23.98/24, capture most B-roll at the same rate; reserve 48/60 only for intentional slow-motion beats.
Shutter & motion cadence: Keep ~180° shutter (e.g., 1/48 at 24p) for natural motion.
White balance & color: Lock Kelvin; avoid auto WB. Shoot one profile (Log or Rec.709) across bodies.
Glass & filtration: Polarizer for screens/reflections; variable ND for constant aperture; macro for texture.
Lighting continuity: Key practicals (lamps, monitors) to match interview color contrast; add a gentle edge or negative fill to sculpt.
Sound beds: Capture NAT sound (machines, keystrokes, ambient room tone) for editorial glue under B-roll.
On-Set Workflow: Coverage Without Chaos
Three-pass rule: For each action, run a wide, functional medium, and expressive tight pass.
Subject-motivated movement: Start moves on action (hand lift, tool press) to create cut points.
Continuity stills: Snap a quick reference photo after each setup for reshoots or future batches.
Metadata discipline: Card labels by location/scene; clip notes for high-value selects (“Operator explains torque step”).
Coverage ratio: Plan 3–5 minutes of B-roll per minute of interview for efficient edits and future repurposing.
Editorial Integration: Turn Answers into Stories
Edit rhythm: Use J-cuts to pre-lap B-roll before new answers; L-cuts to sustain visuals through thought changes.
Cut on action: Hide edits by cutting mid-movement (hand pull, page turn).
Bridge problem → solution: Start with a friction visual, land on a successful outcome.
Use slow motion sparingly: Deploy for emphasis—operator precision, pivotal product moments—and keep it brief.
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