Photo by Charles Asselin on Unsplash
You can hold the attention of the viewers much longer when you show real world examples of your subject walking through their story.
In the modern church setting, it's an understatement to say that video plays a huge role. As we work to tell the stories of how God is moving through our congregations, on our teams, and around the world, there is no shortage of ways to capture these stories. Big money, big ideas, and big projects are being put into this effort, and through it all, there is one thing that is often overlooked. The greatest story on film cannot be told with just one camera angle. Supplemental imagery, or B-Roll, adds visual perspective and relational equity to better tell the story of how God is moving.
B-Roll could be other angles in the same interview or setting, footage of the main subject used to support the story, stock footage, or even pictures to support the story.
In the history of filmmaking, there are terms that have come and gone, and others that have stuck around. A-Roll was the term used to describe the primary filming or primary angle in a film shoot. Now, we seldom use the term A-Roll. In fact, I don’t think I have ever heard it used in a professional setting. Today we use terms like Principle, Main, and Primary instead of A-Roll. But B-Roll, on the other hand, has never changed names. B-Roll is any footage other than your main subject shot. B-Roll could be other angles in the same interview or setting, footage of the main subject used to support the story, stock footage, or even pictures to support the story. Simply put, it is any supplemental visual elements that can connect the story.
Our audiences in the ministry world are no different than the audiences that popular television is reaching.
Remember, your subject tells the story, but B-Roll connects the story. It connects it to the person telling it, to the audience listening, and to the emotion being communicated by the editor. The average attention span of a person watching one angle on a person telling a story is about two minutes or less. But when you utilize supporting elements to tie their story to your audience and show real world examples of your subject walking through their story, it comes full circle for the audience and you can hold the attention of the viewers much longer.
When you watch television, pay attention to interviews, especially on crime docudramas. They will often cut from the speaker or subject to supporting footage hundreds of times throughout an episode. Now imagine if it were just the person telling the story in front of a camera without ever switching to the supporting elements. I know I would change the channel, and you probably would too. Our audiences in the ministry world are no different than the audiences that popular television is reaching. We are all battling for the attention of an audience, and with God as our guide, we should be the most creative storytellers that we can be. Good B-roll can help us get there.
