Tips to optimize Video b-roll libraries

One of the key lessons I’ve learned in video is that you can never have too much video b-roll to use for projects. Over the past fifteen years I’ve created over 100 photo libraries for wineries, agricultural companies & tourism associations where my background as a photojournalist has helped me craft impactful stories through imagery. More planning is needed to create video b-roll libraries, but the same principles apply – timeless, sense of place, storytelling video clips with compelling visuals to captivate the viewers attention.

When carefully planned, video and photography can be captured on the same shoot; this is especially relevant for events like harvest, spectacular sunsets or sunrises, and lifestyle shoots involving many models and styling where it would be cost prohibitive or impossible to reproduce the same scene on different days. Several cameras can be set up to capture the action from multiple angles, including time-lapse, drone aerials, adding camera motion with a slider or jib, etc, and ideally two shooters work in close tandem with similar aesthetics for each scene.

Here’s a few examples of short video clips that have been used in social media and archive b-roll for larger video stories. Creating effective video b-roll clips is a similar strategy as creating effective photo libraries, which I’ve detailed on a previous blog post linked here –

http://blog.andreajohnsonphotography.com/the-art-of-creating-effective-wine-image-libraries/

Highlights from Travel Oregon story & Willamette Valley Wine Region of the Year videos