B-roll

[ bee-rohl ]

noun
  1. stock footage from film or digital libraries used to establish locale, atmosphere, etc., or to provide generic thematic video, such as for a category of television news story.

  2. video footage shot for a story, television show, or film, often by a secondary film crew, especially depicting building exteriors and used to establish the locale in which a film or show is set: The actors all filmed in Toronto, but the show’s opening theme song played over B-roll of the New York skyline and a block of brownstones.: Compare A-roll.

Origin of B-roll

1
First recorded in 1980–85; cf. A-roll

Words Nearby B-roll

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use B-roll in a sentence