zerotoneroAcademy · Lesson 3 of 9 · 7 min
Planning B-roll: the 'say it, show it' rule
Every claim in your script deserves a shot that proves it. Learn to plan B-roll line by line instead of grabbing whatever looks nice.
Here is the rule: whenever your A-roll says something, your B-roll should show it, at the same moment or right after. 'It builds your grocery list for you' should be followed by the list building itself. 'Sorted by aisle' should cut to the aisles. If you say it and do not show it, the viewer has to take your word for it, and strangers on the internet are not in a trusting mood.
The most tempting B-roll is decorative: a nice desk, steam rising from a mug, a sunset, a stock clip of someone laughing at a salad. It fills the timeline and looks professional, but it proves nothing. Worse, it signals that you had nothing to show. Decorative shots are fine as a brief breather, never as a stand-in for the feature you are describing.
To plan this, write your script as a two-column table. Left column: each line of A-roll. Right column: the shot that proves it. Go line by line and be literal. 'Plans your week of dinners' becomes 'screen recording: tap Generate, seven dinner cards fill the week'. 'Share it with your partner' becomes 'phone-in-hand: second phone buzzes, the same list appears'.
Some lines are not claims, and that is fine. A joke, an emotional beat, or a question to the viewer might want a reaction shot or nothing at all. The rule is about claims: anything a skeptic could answer with 'prove it'. Features, speed, ease, results. Those are the lines that need receipts.
Timing matters. The shot should land on the key word, or within a beat after it. If you say 'one tap' and the tap happens four seconds later, the connection is lost. When editing, slide the B-roll so the visual action lines up with the word that describes it.
The bonus of planning this way: your shot list writes itself. Every row in the right column is something to capture, and you can see before you film whether you are about to spend a whole afternoon on decorative shots and forget the one screen recording that actually sells the app.
Key points
- Every claim in the A-roll gets a shot that proves it.
- Decorative B-roll fills time but proves nothing. Use it sparingly, never as a substitute.
- Plan in two columns: line on the left, proving shot on the right.
- Land the visual on the key word, not seconds later.
Good: Every claim has receipts
A made-up meal-planning app. Each thing the voiceover promises appears on screen as it is said.
- 7s 'One tap' is said as the tap happens.
- 12s 'Sorted by aisle' lands on a close-up of the aisle headers.
- 16s The sharing claim is proven with two real phones, not a diagram.
- 22s Even the CTA is shown, not just said.
Bad: Pretty shots, zero proof
Same script, but the B-roll is mood footage. Every claim goes unproven while the screen shows sunsets and salads.
- 4s A happy stock couple contradicts the problem you are describing.
- 8s 'One tap plans the week' and we are looking at vegetables.
- 12s 'Sorted by aisle' over a coffee mug. The viewer has to trust you.
- 16s The strongest feature (live sharing) is never shown.
Common mistakes
- Covering feature claims with decorative footage instead of the feature.
- Showing the right shot, but several seconds after the line that needed it.
- Leaving claims like 'fast' or 'easy' unproven when a timer or a single tap could show them.
- Using stock footage that contradicts the problem you are describing.
- Building the shot list from what is easy to film rather than from the script.