B-roll

Every insert must clarify meaning, reveal context, carry emotion, bridge continuity, or improve pacing. A changing picture is not a reason by itself.

Read the message before choosing pictures

Review the relevant source in chronological context. Use the transcript when speech carries the edit; use motion and sound when the material is visual. Divide it into claims, examples, processes, emotional turns, locations, products, topic changes, and picture edits that need coverage.

For each useful opportunity, state:

• what the viewer should understand or feel;
• why the speaker or primary action should temporarily leave the screen;
• the best visual function: literal, process, contextual, emotional, metaphorical, product, archival, screen, or transitional;
• the approximate entry, exit, and return-to-A-roll point.

Judge the complete thought rather than matching isolated words. Prefer a specific process or consequence to a generic visual cliché. Keep important testimony, reactions, punchlines, and direct address visible.

Find the strongest available shot