A two-minute interview featuring just a talking head, no matter how insightful, demands a lot from viewers. B-roll is what keeps them engaged. It's the footage that plays over the audio, providing visual variety while the speaker continues. Here's how to capture it and provide it to your editor.
Pro tip: Capture five to ten B-roll clips for every interview. The editor needs options to cut away to, or the video becomes just a static head.
What Counts as B-roll
B-roll includes any supporting footage that isn't the main interview. This can be the product in use, the workspace, hands performing tasks, the environment, or close-ups of items the speaker describes. It doesn't need to be cinematic. It just needs to provide the editor with options to cut to, preventing the screen from being a motionless face for two minutes. Anything visually relevant to the discussion qualifies.
Capture 5 to 10 Clips Per Interview at Multiple Angles
Aim for five to ten B-roll clips per interview, shot from various angles. Editors use these to cover cuts, illustrate points, and maintain visual interest. Too few clips result in a static talking head; plenty of clips make even a lengthy interview feel dynamic. Multiple angles of the same scene offer the editor cutting options that a single angle cannot.
Upload B-roll Alongside the Interview or Link Existing Content
When submitting the interview for editing, upload the B-roll clips with it in the same request. If you already have relevant footage on MarketScale, link to that content instead of re-uploading. Either way, the editor needs the B-roll attached to the request, not just described, so they can use it in the first cut without needing to ask for it later.
Describe Stock Footage in the Complementary Clips Field
If you don't have your own B-roll, use the Complementary Clips field to describe the stock footage you need. For example, "Cutaway of a busy warehouse" or "Close-up of hands typing on a laptop." This helps the editor source matching stock footage to fill the gaps. Providing specific descriptions gets you closer to your vision than leaving it blank and hoping the editor guesses the right visuals.
Try It This Week
During your next interview, spend five extra minutes capturing five to ten B-roll clips of the environment and anything the speaker describes. Upload them with the interview on MarketScale, and use the Complementary Clips field to describe any stock footage you need. The finished video will capture attention in a way a simple talking head never could.
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