HypeNestGlossary
B-roll
B-roll is footage that plays over or between the main shot, the A-roll, while the main audio keeps running.
In an interview, the A-roll is the guest talking; the B-roll is the product they mention, the street they describe, the chart behind the number. Common types: cutaways to the thing being discussed, screen recordings, close-up inserts of hands or objects, establishing shots of a place, archive photos, and licensed stock. In a vertical Short, B-roll does two jobs: it shows what the speaker describes, so a viewer with the sound off still follows, and it breaks up a single static frame that would otherwise fill the whole clip. It works when it matches the exact sentence it covers; generic stock of hands on a keyboard fills seconds and explains nothing.
In a HypeNest pass
HypeNest’s AI B-roll reads the transcript and proposes cutaways at the lines that need a picture; you approve, swap, or skip each one before export or publish. Keep the speaker on screen when their face carries the point, and drop inserts that hide captions or only decorate.
FAQ
- What is the difference between A-roll and B-roll?
- A-roll carries the story, usually a person speaking. B-roll is the supporting picture laid over that audio. Remove the B-roll and the clip still makes sense; remove the A-roll and it does not.
- How much B-roll should a Short have?
- There is no fixed ratio. Cut away when a line names something worth seeing, and come back to the speaker for the hook, the punchline, and any reaction that matters.
- Can I use stock footage as B-roll?
- Yes, if the licence covers social platforms. Your own screen recordings and product shots usually match the sentence better than stock.
Try the workflow
Draft captioned short clips from one long video, then publish them to YouTube and TikTok.
Start free