A Roll are the main type of footage that focuses on a subject such as people that talk in an interview and key actions while B Roll are any alternative footage that are not the main subject like narration or footage without audio that show objects to cover up bad cuts in between 2 different footage of A Roll.
For practice, my class had interviewed two subjects that are each from a different class. I helped with adjusting the settings for the cameras and placing one of them on a tripod before setting up the area for filming the interviews in the main area of the art, design and media centre. The second camera was used to film B Roll in different rooms without a tripod. Unfortunately, we could not film in the studio as it was not available, meaning there would be background noise. To reduce background noise, we placed a microphone with a windshield on top of the camera and headphones to connect to the camera’s microphone. The filming took multiple attempts due to the recordings cutting out a few seconds in and the sound needing to be readjusted as it was too quiet.
Afterwards, I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the A Roll, place B Roll in between the edits, and apply effects to the B Roll to make the camera movement more smooth. Here is the final test result:
So, in lesson I have learnt the differences between A Roll and B Roll and how to film interviews in a semi-structured way using knowledge that I have learnt for setting up a camera on a tripod and reducing the background noise if it isn’t set up in a studio.
Jamie Norris 