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A-roll

American  
[ey-rohl] / ˈeɪˌroʊl /

noun

  1. primary video footage for a story, television show, or film, shot by the principal film crew and the director, recording both video and audio of the people interviewed for a news story or the lead actors in a film or show.

    The producer needed two crews to shoot A-roll and B-roll simultaneously to match the tricky weather conditions in the exterior scenes.


Etymology

Origin of A-roll

First recorded in 1980–85; as opposed to the B-roll containing stock footage or background video

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The A-roll and the B-roll don’t quite match.

From Los Angeles Times

All is a-swing and dipping and a-roll.

From Project Gutenberg

So as she watched them in the waltz, seasoned artificialist as she was, Katharine for a breath had had need of all her address to keep the ball of conversation sparklingly a-roll.

From Project Gutenberg

The thissledown by wind's a-roll'd In Fall along the zunny plaïn, Did catch the grass, but lose its hold, Or cling to bennets, but in vaïn.

From Project Gutenberg

Vor whose be all the crops an' land A-won an' lost, an' bought, an zwold Or whose, a-roll'd vrom hand to hand, The highest money that's a-twold?

From Project Gutenberg