: recorded video of subjects or locations used to provide supplementary material for a film or television show
Zenovich casts video footage of Williams's manic stage persona, including plenty of B-roll from his various TV and film projects, against found audio interviews that reveal the comedian's quieter side.—
Julia Felsenthal
Julia FelsenthalGoodman and Jacobson are both trained photographers, and often find themselves shooting the produce with one of Butters's two new digital cameras, one for still photography and one for B-roll, in the likely event that she decides to do a television show or a series of how-to DVDs.—Dana Goodyear
Dana GoodyearExamples of B-roll in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The film features ample B-roll from Willis’ homecoming visits in her later years, which included honors from the likes of the Motown Museum and Detroit Music Awards.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Videos and other content made by the visitors have come to serve as a kind of B-roll footage accompanying conversations about immigration on Fox News, Tucker Carlson’s online show and even for Mr. Trump himself.
—Ken Bensinger Federico Rios, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Having stayed in character as the avant-garde comedian throughout the entirety of the shoot, Universal Pictures effectively buried the behind the scenes B-roll for the actor's own benefit.
—Kevin Jacobsen and Diedre Johnson, EW.com, 20 Sep. 2023
Along the way, the caucuses have delivered a great deal of political B-roll: farmers in coveralls analyzing trade policy!
—Robert Samuels, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2024
Dougie suggests Asher give money to Nala, a little girl selling sodas in a parking lot, likely as a bit of B-roll footage to reinforce the idea of the Seigels as generous, pure of heart people.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023
Chanel’s absence on screen is partly down to the fact that very little footage of her exists aside from a couple of interviews from the 1950s and some 1930s B-roll.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023
Too often, newspaper photography and morning news–show B-roll pair extreme heat stories with images of beach volleyball players and magnificent sunsets.
—Eleanor Cummins, The New Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
The production may have just used shots in Pittsburgh for supplemental footage, or B-roll, throughout the film.
—Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 31 July 2023
Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2024
Videos and other content made by the visitors have come to serve as a kind of B-roll footage accompanying conversations about immigration on Fox News, Tucker Carlson’s online show and even for Mr. Trump himself.
—Ken Bensinger Federico Rios, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Having stayed in character as the avant-garde comedian throughout the entirety of the shoot, Universal Pictures effectively buried the behind the scenes B-roll for the actor's own benefit.
—Kevin Jacobsen and Diedre Johnson, EW.com, 20 Sep. 2023
Along the way, the caucuses have delivered a great deal of political B-roll: farmers in coveralls analyzing trade policy!
—Robert Samuels, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2024
Dougie suggests Asher give money to Nala, a little girl selling sodas in a parking lot, likely as a bit of B-roll footage to reinforce the idea of the Seigels as generous, pure of heart people.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023
Chanel’s absence on screen is partly down to the fact that very little footage of her exists aside from a couple of interviews from the 1950s and some 1930s B-roll.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023
Too often, newspaper photography and morning news–show B-roll pair extreme heat stories with images of beach volleyball players and magnificent sunsets.
—Eleanor Cummins, The New Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
The production may have just used shots in Pittsburgh for supplemental footage, or B-roll, throughout the film.
—Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 31 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'B-roll.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near B-roll
Cite this Entry
“B-roll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/B-roll. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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