B-Roll Shot List Template
B-roll is not decoration. It is the thing that lets you cut. Every time you remove a stumble, tighten a ramble, or join two takes, you need something to put over the join — and if you do not have it, the cut stays visible and the video feels amateur.
This is a generic B-roll list you can apply to almost any subject. Work down it with whatever you are filming in mind and you will leave with enough cover for any edit.
The shot list
The subject, three ways
The simplest reliable formula: wide, medium, macro. Three usable clips from one setup.
- 01Wide — the subject in its whole environment
- 02Medium — the subject filling the frame
- 03Macro — one detail most people would not notice
Hands
Hands are the highest-value B-roll there is. They show action, intent and scale without a face.
- 04Hands picking the subject up
- 05Hands using or operating it
- 06Hands putting it down
- 07Hands pointing at or indicating a detail
- 08Hands typing, writing, or drawing
- 09Close on fingers and texture
Movement
Movement gives an editor somewhere to cut on. Static B-roll works, but moving B-roll works better.
- 10Slow push in
- 11Slow pull out
- 12Left-to-right slide across the subject
- 13Tilt down from above to reveal
- 14Rack focus from foreground detail to subject
- 15Whip pan out of a scene and into the next
- 16Handheld walk towards the subject
Environment
- 17Establishing wide of the space
- 18The doorway or entrance
- 19The workspace or surface, unoccupied
- 20Light source — window, lamp, sun through something
- 21Something moving in the background: traffic, people, a fan, steam
- 22The space from a low angle
- 23The space from above
People
- 24Reaction — nodding, laughing, concentrating
- 25Someone entering or leaving frame
- 26Over-the-shoulder of what they are looking at
- 27Feet walking
- 28Back of head watching the subject
Transitions
- 29Object passing close across the lens
- 30Walking through a doorway, in and out
- 31Hand covering the lens
- 32Match-cut pairs — same shape or motion in two places
Tips for this kind of shoot
- Ten seconds per clip, minimum. Two seconds of usable footage requires ten seconds of recording.
- Film every B-roll clip twice: once static, once with movement. It doubles your options for almost no time.
- Shoot B-roll after your main content, not before. You will know what you actually need to cover.
- If you are stuck, film hands. Hands are almost always the shot you end up using.
Use this list on your next shoot
Storeyz keeps your shots in story order for planning and regroups them by location for the day — then you tick them off on your phone as you get them.
Questions
What is the difference between A-roll and B-roll?
A-roll is your primary footage — the interview, the talking head, the main action. B-roll is everything you cut away to: details, hands, environment, reactions. B-roll is what lets you edit A-roll without visible jumps.
How much B-roll should I film?
Three to five times more than you think you need. A typical rule is 20–30 distinct clips per 10 minutes of finished video.