Super Nova Messaging 🤩🪐
Why B-Roll (and Zenon) makes our hearts go boom-boom-boom 🎥
🎼 ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM, B-ROLL MAKES HEARTS GO BOOM BOOM BOOM 🎤
If you’re a 90s kid, Disney movie fan, or even just a super explorer of Disney+ you’ve likely seen Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century–fantastic movie–but what we’re here to talk about is creating better messaging for your brand..and you may be saying, okay then why would you bring up such a canon piece of cinema?? Well….Zenon can help us explain B-roll PERFECTLY! “How??” you ask??
First, the basics: B-roll is secondary footage that adds depth and context to your main content. Examples of b-roll include: behind-the-scenes footage, landscapes, close-ups and other secondary scenes.
Okay now, back to Zenon–our super nova b-roll girl. 🛰️
Zenon lives in space (like, the whole plot revolves around it, duh!), a place where no one watching has been. It’s also set in the future..another non-experience for the audience..so how did Disney create a POPULAR futuristic space movie for kids who had never experienced space or the future?! 🙇👇
🤯 ZETUS LAPETUS, it’s b-roll!
Scenes looking to the space shuttle from space (with Earth in the background), the stage as Prota Zoa performs and Zenon’s bestie, Nebula, giggling during class while she gets in trouble with the teacher give a feel for what Zenon’s life is like and who she is when she’s not in the scenes. B-roll like the examples above not only give us a look into what life looks like in the future, but specifically what her life looks like, who her friends are, what she cares about and what she’s familiar with (which is also very important to the plot). B-roll taps into your feelings. Think about when you were a kid feeling, “wow future kids in space are just like me”, watching it back now it likely taps on nostalgia or giggles thinking about how this definitely isn’t how the future looks. These emotional attachments and personal relations make you feel invested in Zenon’s story, aka the plot of the movie. 🍿
The b-roll scenes, like the band playing together and panning over the venue, aren’t pushing the plot forward but putting in the work to support the feel of a futuristic space shuttle–which further the audience investment in the movie.. Without the Proto Zoa stage scenes, and the audience scenes at the concert you would lose the feeling of being young at a concert which what she and her friends are so excited for. 🛸
Without b-roll scenes, Zenon’s universe falls flat. ❌
Little details like her bedroom window looking onto Earth with her things sitting on the windowsill, the concert venue and her friend’s reactions while she’s in conversation would be gone. Without b-roll the audience is left to imagine what the future in space is actually like on their own rather than seeing it via b-roll. Without it we may have changed the channel, changing our future in which we saw Zenon in 2 sequels (Zequel and Z3).
👀 Now back to our reality…
You may notice brands posting memes or other “irrelevant” things to their brand but, just like the b-roll of Zenon’s shuttle from space, with Earth behind it every social media post might not sell something directly, but contributes to the overall feeling. And overall feeling translates to customer loyalty and brand goals, which have potential to translate to $$$.
Starting to click yet?
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🌎 Bringing it Down to Earth
Since we still don’t live in space..and I’m not creating a movie…how can I translate this into my brand’s social media? 👇
Your primary footage remains your message (in Zenon’s case, the plot) but b-roll is the feeling behind your message and deserves equal acknowledgement. It provides context that connects, motivates people to share, and encourages people to collaborate with your brand because it’s connecting on a deeper level than a simple post about a sale. 🤝
When it comes to social media b-roll is essential to your brand’s aesthetic–especially as video gains more and more traction. It’s great for influencers, brands and creatives because it varies so widely and helps your brand grow. 📈
Your audience will invest their time and money with your brand because you’re interacting with their feelings, and not just their dollars. If you ONLY sell on your instagram (TikTok, YouTube, etc.), your audience is left to wonder what else your brand cares about, who you work with, what you do the work for or how you work..and you miss out on opportunities to grow as a brand through collaboration, or simple customer discovery through sharing or scrolling. 👯♀️
⚠️ This isn’t saying emotionally manipulate people–but it is to say remember that feelings are involved in audience and customer decision making. People are more than their wallets, and b-roll helps show them you remember that.
Creating b-roll that people scream ZETUS LAPETUS over 🤩
🎥 ABF – Always Be Filmin’
Because b-roll is the aesthetic and feelings of your brand everything has the potential to be content, so take advantage of that and start filming your workdays.
PRO TIP 💡 Try to have a day a week (or as needed) where you just film and get content, that way it doesn’t take up too much of your time every day and your social team has plenty to work with.
🎥 Keep the camera steady
When you’re out filming your b-roll be sure to keep the camera steady. If you have to move try to move slowly and evenly, or even get a motion-tracking tripod so that your clips are steady and easy to work with.
PRO TIP 💡 When focusing on one thing or product make sure to keep the camera steady on that object for at lest 10-15 seconds, and take different angles. This allows more diversity in shots, and creativity when editing.
🎥 Feelings and Messaging
Don’t forget that your primary message is supported through the feeling of your brand, so make sure you’re aware of the feeling you’re putting out and if it’s not your intention don’t be afraid to pivot.
