“So, what’s the big deal if I use footage someone else already posted?” Good question, and why does this matter when it comes to b-roll? Is fair use worth the risk, or should you try to be 100% original?
Let’s look at how and why.
You’re at home filming yourself and you make a video discussing some hot topic. After watching the finished result, you realize the footage looks boring and needs something more.
It’s time to venture into b-roll footage and try help your story get more attention.
Fair use and copyrighted material
What is fair use? Simply put, it is ok to reference copyrighted material to comment upon, criticize, or parody for a limited and “transformative” purpose.
Also, you can only show the bare minimum amount of copyrighted footage to get your point across. In some cases, you might also need permission, use references on screen, limit how many seconds you show, or depending on the material, follow social media platform guidelines to stay clear of legal repercussions.
On top of that, you need to consider the purpose of why you are doing it and the effect on the potential market your comments will have. Slander and defamation could get you into big trouble if you take a screen capture of another video and repost it.
In other words, if you are going to reference anything to help your content stand out or get more views, follows, like’s, comments, whatever, you have to play nice and respect the rules. Sound good? Great, because if the rules change, you might have to take it all down and there’s not much you can do about it.
Its other people’s work, and you are using it in your own video. Don’t be surprised if you are sued, banned, and lose all of your hard work.
Phew, now that we have addressed that messy topic, let’s look at how you can generate b-roll differently.
Be creative and do it yourself.
Start by planning what you can film on your own. If you have a script, a topic of discussion, or some knowledge you want to share, break it down and think about what you could film for each section to help illustrate your point.
B-roll is defined as supplemental footage that acts as a visual reference or contribution to help enrich your story. It also kicks ass when your editing, because you can disguise your dialog cuts more easily.
For example, if you tell a story about how you love ice cream, why not take some time to film ice cream on its own, or you eating ice cream, or you going to the store to buy ice cream.
Sure, it is more work and it slows down the process of making your video, but audiences will love it.
Show people how you see things and give viewers your visual perspective on the subject. It can be more entertaining, force you to be more creative, and it’s original.
Don’t replace the best tool for expressing your visual story by using someone else’s work.
