We try our best to stay away from industry jargon in conversations with our clients. But every now and then, we notice a quizzical facial expression when we use the term “B-Roll.”
Depending on the intonation, the term can sound like it’s related to either the military or competitive gymnastics.
Simply put, B-Roll is any footage that is being used to cover narration or soundbites. It gives viewers a variety of things to stare at so they don’t get bored watching the same talking head or scenery. A-Roll is the old-fashioned term for the soundtrack – anytime someone is speaking or we hear natural sound from the surrounding environment.
With that out of the way, when is it ideal for a company to produce a B-Roll package?
Anytime your company or organization has a new product, new research or a special event, you’ll want to make it as easy as possible for TV and Web media outlets to report on your story.
What follows is a breakdown of the components of a B-Roll package, and things to keep in mind while creating one.
1. TITLE PAGE – The first thing in a B-Roll package is the title page. This page gives the news station some brief information about the package, including the product/event’s name, the length of the package, and the date that it is being released.
2. SUGGESTED LEAD – The next page should have a paragraph or two that provides background information and gives context to the contents of the package. This information can be in the form of a “suggested lead,” which provides the station with a script that they may want to use when introducing their story.
3. INTERVIEW SOUNDBITES — Next comes the most important part of the package– the footage. These are the building blocks that stations use to create their story. There are two types of footage: sound bites and B-Roll. Soundbites let you tell the story in your own words. Generally, there will be one or two people interviewed, each giving a handful of quotes that best convey their message. This may include what their product is, how it works, and how it affects people’s lives. A page with the name of the interviewee, along with their job title, should precede their soundbites.
At the beginning and end of each bite, there is what is referred to as “padding,” usually two seconds of video, but without any accompanying audio. This is useful to stations because it allows them options when they are editing. For example, they might want to bring up the image of the interviewee before they start talking to create overlap and thus enhance the flow of the piece.
Something to keep in mind with sound bites: they must be succinct. Stations won’t want to use a 30-second bite because that might be a quarter of the airtime they’re devoting to your story!
4. B-ROLL FOOTAGE — The second part of the B-Roll package is the B-Roll footage. There are a couple of different types of footage that are good to include no matter what your story is. It is a good idea to have shots of the interviewees away from the interview setting, perhaps working at their desk or interacting with co-workers. There should also be some shots of exteriors of buildings from different angles, along with corporate signage. And of course, it’s also important to include shots of your product along with its packaging.
B-Roll shot selection depends on what type of product you have. For example, if you’re trying to promote a prescription drug, it would make sense to include footage of people doing research in a laboratory, or a doctor interacting with a patient.
5. CONTACT INFO PAGE — The last thing in a B-Roll package should be the contact information page, which provides stations with a name, phone number, and email address of a person they can contact if they would like more information.
B-Roll packages should be no longer than five minutes. While it’s obviously important to provide stations with adequate coverage, a release that’s too long can be unappealing because it means having too much footage to wade through.
Bottom line, make it as easy as possible for media outlets to tell your story and hopefully they will be coming back for more.