Documentary Editing — B-Roll

Learning Objective

Practice weaving b-roll into an interview sequence.

This Week

B-roll is the visual material that illustrates the speaker's words in a documentary. It provides visual variety, adds emotional depth, and allows the editor to cut away from the speaker when the interview footage is not visually compelling. The best b-roll does not simply illustrate the words — it adds a layer of meaning that the words alone cannot convey.

Daily Practice

Take your Week 28 interview sequence and add b-roll to illustrate the speaker's words. Focus on finding b-roll that adds meaning, not just visual variety. (45–60 min)

Weekly Challenge

Add b-roll to your Week 28 interview sequence. The b-roll should illustrate and deepen the spoken content, not merely decorate it.