# B-roll pass: show or explain

Recipes / Preset / Production. Checked 2026-11-13.

Every line that needs a picture gets one, and the brand's library grows with each video.

- Use when: Any edit of a talking take or a script before a shoot.
- Phrase: for each line ask whether a picture must show something concrete or explain something abstract; film the concrete, animate the abstract, and pitch at most three new ideas per video
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/preset/preset-broll-pass
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/preset/preset-broll-pass.json

## Watch out

- Ideas only until approved: two or three directions as stills first, and only the chosen one is animated. (practitioner; Director Chair notes on B-roll that pitches itself (Josh Blatchford) and Director Chair field notes on b-roll)
- Search the brand's own footage and existing graphics before pitching anything new. Generation comes last, with the credits shown first. (practitioner; Director Chair notes on B-roll that pitches itself (Josh Blatchford))
- Build a graphic as a template with its values as inputs, so the next video reuses it with new data. (practitioner; Director Chair field notes on b-roll)
- A graphic stays on screen long enough to read: at least 1.5 seconds plus about 0.3 seconds per word on it. A house rule of thumb, not a measured norm. (practitioner; Director Chair field notes on b-roll)

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me a production plan: the shots or scenes in order, what each one needs, and the edit settings, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is b-roll pass: show or explain: every line that needs a picture gets one, and the brand's library grows with each video. How it works: for each line ask whether a picture must show something concrete or explain something abstract; film the concrete, animate the abstract, and pitch at most three new ideas per video. It is right for: any edit of a talking take or a script before a shoot. Ideas only until approved: two or three directions as stills first, and only the chosen one is animated. Search the brand's own footage and existing graphics before pitching anything new. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Insert on the word: https://directorchair.ai/effect/insert-on-the-word
- Five-shot sequence: https://directorchair.ai/preset/five-shot-sequence
- Subject built from a symbol: https://directorchair.ai/composition/semantic-compounding
- B-roll with voice-over: https://directorchair.ai/format/format-broll-voiceover

## Source

Own words from Director Chair notes on B-roll that pitches itself (Josh Blatchford) and Director Chair field notes on b-roll

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.