Over a Beer: How to Shoot B-Roll

While the A+ action shots might get all the glory in a ski film, it’s the B-roll that really tells the story. It can require quite a lot of creativity from a cinematographer’s perspective, but is a really unique way to showcase a character or location in the film. As TGR cinematographer Dutch Simpson puts it, “you don’t want to go get the shot from the brochure, you want the guy who can give you the secret access.” Last year’s segment from Juneau, Alaska was chock full of textures and vignettes that explored the culture around Alaska Heli skiing - the B roll really did its job!