Production-Now.com Media Production Mentoring

Free online film school designed with beginning filmmakers in mind.

11.30.2006

Lesson 3: How to Use B-Roll

Purpose: To help you cover your edits with b-roll footage.

Basis: Sometimes you can't get two shots to cut smoothly together. The solution to this problem is to use some "b-roll" footage to hide the cut. B-roll is typically shots of various things or actions happening in the scene. You can cut to these elements (also called "cutaways") when you need the audio to look at something else for a moment. But keep in mind: What you cut to should make sense to your audience. If you add something random you'll lose your viewers. Your job, as an editor, is to keep things moving forward and help your audience to keep up.

Directions: Download the footage for this lesson and cut it together. You can find the Script here. Upload your edit to YouTube and post it as a video response to this lesson.

Go to Lesson 4


Watch Samples:


4 comments :

Unknown said...

Ready for the next lesson

Unknown said...

Sorry to hassle but I'm hungry for the next lesson

Luke Holzmann said...

I hear ya. Sorry! I just finished a short film--check it out here--and have been working on getting the next lesson finished, but it will likely be at least another week. I may been able to shoot more on Monday, since it's a holiday. Sorry for the long delay. These take a long time to produce. My apologies!

~Luke

Unknown said...

That's fine. I've been practising in the meantime so I should be able to wrap up the next lesson quickly. Well done on your short film. I liked the concept and think it was quite powerful