As programme makers ourselves we are only too well aware of the importance of good b-rolls and the advantages they bring to forward-looking companies. They are a cost-effective way of ensuring that positive corporate images are used wherever possible. Here’s our guide to their key features:

What are b-rolls?
They are videos incorporating a series of shots relating to a company and its activities.

Who uses them?
TV news outlets, documentary programme makers and corporate producers. The chances are that you see far more b-roll material than you imagine. They are also a useful resource for in-house use.

Why do they use them?
Usually because they are free and the cost is borne by the company which commissions them. They are also used when there is no alternative – it may be impossible to shoot a particular scenario for security or technical reasons.

Why are they called b-rolls?
A-roll footage is used in primary part of the story whereas b-roll is the background element and the name has stuck. They could just as easily be called stock footage tapes.

What do they consist of?
Any footage that is unchanging and could be useful to a programme maker. Maybe a store frontage, a factory floor, a technical process, shots of a product, the managing director in action – the list is endless and each one is appropriate to a particular company.

How they are shot?
They are shot like any news story and presented as a series of trimmed rushes. The company has control over the footage so all the images are positive.

How are they presented?
They are offered as broadcast tapes or increasingly as downloadable files. They are not too long – we consider between 3 and 5 minutes a comfortable length.

Why do companies commission them?
They put company images into the public domain in controlled conditions and they are an incentive for TV stations to use positive, favourable images - just as important when the news is bad as when it is good

AT AIRTIME TELEVISION WE SHOOT, EDIT AND DISTRIBUTE B-ROLLS FOR MAJOR COMPANIES

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