--- title: "B-roll: what it is and how to use it | Bang AI" description: "B-roll is the footage you cut to while someone keeps talking. What it is, what to film, and how Bang AI places your own B-roll on the line you name it." url: "https://morebangers.com/glossary/b-roll/" updated: 2026-11-01 --- > Index of every page: https://morebangers.com/llms.txt Video editing glossary # B-roll Published November 1, 2026 ยท Updated November 1, 2026 B-roll is any footage you show while the main audio keeps going: the product close-up during a review, the app on screen while you explain it, your hands opening the box. The talking shot is the A-roll; the B-roll illustrates it. In short videos it does two jobs at once, showing what you are talking about and covering cuts. Bang AI, the AI video editor for people who talk to the camera, places your own product shots on the line you name them when you say "overlay" while filming. [Get started](https://app.morebangers.com/) Bang AI is on iPhone, the web and the Mac. ## In plain words The extra clips you show while you keep talking, like a close-up of the product or your hands using it, so people see what you're talking about. ## The technical detail Supplementary footage intercut with or overlaid on the primary (A-roll) shot while the primary audio continues, used to illustrate the narration, compress time and mask edit points in single-camera dialogue. ## Related terms - [L cut](https://morebangers.com/glossary/l-cut/) - [Punch-in](https://morebangers.com/glossary/punch-in/) ## Where the name comes from In film editing before computers, editors cut two rolls of film, A and B, and alternated between them so one could cover the joins in the other. The main interview or scene went on the A roll, and supporting shots on the B roll. The physical rolls are long gone, but the names stuck: A-roll for the main shot, B-roll for everything you cut away to. ## Why short videos need it A viewer deciding in two seconds whether to keep watching wants to see the thing, not just hear about it. B-roll shows the texture of the cream, the size of the gadget in your hand, or the result after a week. It also changes the picture often, which keeps a single-camera talking video moving, and it hides a jump between two lines, because the viewer is looking at the product when the cut happens. ## What to film - The product from three angles, close enough to read the label. - Your hands using it: opening, applying, plugging in, tapping. - Before and after, in the same light and framing. - The screen, for an app or a site: a screen recording of the one action you talk about. - A logo and any discount code as clean images. Shoot each for at least five seconds, holding still, so there is a usable second or two to cut in. ## Using it well Put B-roll on the line where you mention the thing, not a sentence later. Keep the voice running underneath, so the story doesn't stop. Use it to cover the roughest joins first, then for emphasis. Don't bury your face for the whole video: in UGC, viewers trust a person, and the talking shot is what makes it feel real. ## B-roll for different kinds of video For a product review, show the product in use on the claims that matter: the texture when you say it's light, the fit when you say it's snug. For an unboxing, the box, the reveal and each item as you name it. For a testimonial, the before and after. For a tech video, a tight screen recording of the one tap you describe, rather than a whole tour. The rule is the same each time: show the noun while you say it. ## Common mistakes - Shots too short to read, which flash past before anyone sees the label. - Shaky handheld clips that look worse than the talking shot. - B-roll that arrives a sentence late, so the picture and the words disagree. - Covering the hook, the first second of the video, which should usually be your face. - Music or room sound from the B-roll clip fighting with your voice; keep your voice as the only sound. ## How Bang AI places it Add your product shots, logos and codes to Bang AI's overlays once. While filming, say "overlay" and what you want, such as "overlay, the front of the box", and Auto Edit drops that shot on the line you said it, then cuts the cue out. On the Mac you can also put B-roll on layers by hand, and on iPhone you can search your footage by what you said or what is on screen to find the shot you need. ## Questions, answered. **What's the difference between A-roll and B-roll?** A-roll is the main shot, usually you talking to the camera. B-roll is the supporting footage you cut to while that audio keeps playing. **Does B-roll have to be filmed by me?** No, but for UGC your own footage of the real product is usually more convincing than stock clips. Bang AI places your own shots rather than stock footage. **How long should a B-roll shot be?** In short videos, often one to three seconds. Long enough to see what it shows, short enough that the talking shot comes back quickly. **Can B-roll hide a jump cut?** Yes. Cutting to a product shot over the join means the viewer never sees your position jump between two lines. **Should B-roll have its own sound?** Usually not in a talking video. Mute the B-roll clip so your voice carries on underneath, unless the sound itself is the point, like a click or a pour. **Where should I put B-roll in a 30-second video?** On the two or three lines where you name the product or show a result, and over the roughest cuts. Keep the opening second on your face. **Can my AI chat add B-roll in Bang AI?** Yes, from your own footage. With Bang AI connected to ChatGPT or Claude, the chat can lay one of the video's clips over a line, muted, and move, trim or crop B-roll that's already there. It can't add a new picture. ## Related - [**Punch-in** A punch-in cuts to a tighter frame of the same shot. What it does, where it works, and how Bang AI adds punch-ins to one-camera videos.](https://morebangers.com/glossary/punch-in/) - [**Can ChatGPT edit videos?** Can ChatGPT edit videos? Not by itself. Add Bang AI to ChatGPT and it can start an Auto Edit and cut, caption and fix your talking-head videos.](https://morebangers.com/integrations/chatgpt/) ## Keep reading - [Video editing glossary](https://morebangers.com/glossary/) - [J cut](https://morebangers.com/glossary/j-cut/) - [Automatic B-roll from your own shots](https://morebangers.com/automatic-b-roll-video-editor/) - [Claude video editor](https://morebangers.com/integrations/claude/) - [Bang AI vs Captions](https://morebangers.com/vs/captions/) ## Say it. Show it. Bang AI is on iPhone, the web and the Mac. [Get started](https://app.morebangers.com/)