David Vogel explains B-roll as secondary footage that cuts away from the main shot, using his service dog Elmo as an example. He recommends varied angles, wide and close shots, and unusual perspectives to keep viewers engaged without relying on talking heads alone.
Questions this video answers
Five-month-old Labrador × Great Pyrenees mix.
12 months (volunteer puppy-raising for Putnam Service Dogs).
Day eight.
Remote Video Testimonials.
Create one video per day for the entire month of April (30-day video challenge).
Chapters
This is Elmo. He's a five month old Labrador Great Pyrenees mix that my wife Adrienne and I have volunteered to raise for the next 12 months to train to be a service dog for Putnam Service Dogs. Today I thought I'd mix things up a little and share something personal about myself and at the same time teach you about the importance of B Roll. My name is David Vogel. I'm the owner of Remote Video Testimonials which where we turn business owners and their customers into movie stars with profile videos and testimonial videos that are done remotely from anywhere in the country. Today is day eight of my 30 day video challenge. For the entire month of April, I'm going to create a video a day with the hopes of inspiring you and your life both personally and professionally. So what is B Roll? Well, it's secondary footage often used as a cutaway to provide context and visual interest to help tell a story. The videos I've created this past week have been just me talking in front of the camera. Now, as much as I hope that you've been enjoying the content, visually, it's a little boring. Now think about the last interview you watched on tv. Those moments when they cut to the person driving their car or working in their office or walking down the street with the interviewer. B Roll so when you're making your next video, don't forget to capture some B roll. You want to shoot footage from a variety of angles and perspectives. You might want to have some wide angle shots, some close up shots, shots from different angles, and even some unusual perspectives. And one more thing, B Roll doesn't have to be video footage. You can use screen capture, PowerPoint slides, or still photos. Well, a few weeks ago when I wanted to tell people about Elmo, rather than just posting a single video clip of Elmo, decided to make a video edited to Sesame Street's Elmo song. It is a great example of the power of B Roll. I'll include a link to the video in the comments below, so check it out. I hope you found this helpful. Thanks again for watching in the comments. Tell me how, what kind of B roll you're capturing for your videos and if you'd like to learn more about how video can help your business, just reach out. And lastly, please follow me and be sure to like and share this post. See you tomorrow.
