: 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
More chatting, the camera turns away to shoot some B-roll.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
So the movie enlists a few dozen experts in a series of interview clips that, spliced together with illustrative B-roll over the top, form the visual backbone of the movie.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
Bongino began his first episode back in the host chair of The Dan Bongino Show by playing some B-roll from his FBI tenure, fondly reminiscing on the travels that were taken and the times that were had.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Feb. 2026
Shackleton began collecting interviews and shot evocative B-roll footage of ghostly California freeways and parking lots where the killer may have once lurked.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
The site sidelined traditional news releases for more creator friendly content including more images and B-roll (supplemental video).
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 8 Nov. 2025
Cinematographer Carlos Rigo and editor Arturo Sosa groove along with eye-catching colors and skateboard-video-style visuals, even inserting B-roll from a camera strapped to a horse’s head and doing a dramatic zoom to a sheep.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 15 May 2025
Like most soft-focus docs about powerfully beloved musicians, this collage of interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and concert B-roll paints a flattering portrait that will primarily be of interest to those already bought into the Taylor Swift ecosystem.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
So the movie enlists a few dozen experts in a series of interview clips that, spliced together with illustrative B-roll over the top, form the visual backbone of the movie.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
Bongino began his first episode back in the host chair of The Dan Bongino Show by playing some B-roll from his FBI tenure, fondly reminiscing on the travels that were taken and the times that were had.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Feb. 2026
Shackleton began collecting interviews and shot evocative B-roll footage of ghostly California freeways and parking lots where the killer may have once lurked.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025
The site sidelined traditional news releases for more creator friendly content including more images and B-roll (supplemental video).
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 8 Nov. 2025
Cinematographer Carlos Rigo and editor Arturo Sosa groove along with eye-catching colors and skateboard-video-style visuals, even inserting B-roll from a camera strapped to a horse’s head and doing a dramatic zoom to a sheep.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 15 May 2025
Like most soft-focus docs about powerfully beloved musicians, this collage of interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and concert B-roll paints a flattering portrait that will primarily be of interest to those already bought into the Taylor Swift ecosystem.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“B-roll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/B-roll. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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