B-Roll

Below, you’ll find a reference guide for all properties in the B-Roll database. Properties are in alphabetical order.

Type: Relation

Add Channels to this b-roll item in order to see it in the B-roll section of that Channel (or Course’s) page. (Not all Channel page templates may show this section – see our docs!)

Type: Url

If you keep oft-used b-roll items in cloud storage, you can link directly to an asset here.

Type: Relation

The content project(s) to which this b-roll item is related.

Type: Select

You can use this property to assign the processing of gathered b-roll items to different stages of the video.

E.g. a normal, filmed shot might be placed during Assembly. An animation might be totally crafted during the VFX stage.

NameDescription
AssemblyThe inital stage of the edit, where the majority of the cutting and placement of footage is done.
VFXThe visual-effects stage, where effects and motion graphics are developed. I often use this stage to denote when I’ll be doing most of my After Effects work.
SoundThe point at which sound effects and scoring/background music are added.

Type: Checkbox

If you have a lot of B-roll items associated with a Channel, you can mark your most-used ones as Favorites in order to see them more easily in Channel pages.

Type: Rich Text

Notion can’t directly link to local folders (nor NAS folders) for security reasons, but you can paste a path here in order to help your team locate assets.

Type: Multi Select

The type of gathering action for this b-roll item. Used for the Gather tab in project-specific B-roll views. If you tag your b-roll ideas on a content project, you can “batch” the gathering process – e.g. doing all the Film items in one session, then moving on to Animations.

NameDescription
AnimationAnimations or motion graphics you need to create in programs like After Effects or Jitter.
ArchiveB-roll items you’ve made in the past and already have saved. Use this tag to create a batch of items you need to simply pull from the archives.
ClipClips you need to pull from videos made by other creators (get written permission or take fair-use into account when sourcing these).
FilmB-roll items you need to film.
Game CaptureGame footage that needs to be captured via OBS or with a console capture card.
MusicMusic tracks that will go along with the video.
Online ImageImages you need to pull from non-stock online sources (take image licenses and/or fair-use into account when sourcing these).
OverheadB-roll items that need to be filmed from an overhead point of view, using an overhead rig or C-stand.
Screen RecordingScreen recordings made with programs like OBS, Screen Studio, Screenflow, or Quicktime.
Sound EffectSounds effects and foley material. You can either record these or get them from a library, such as Soundly or Epidemic Sound.
StockStock library assets – e.g. photos or footage from Storyblocks, Pond5, Artlist, Getty, etc.
Title/TextOn-screen titles or text elements. Since you can usually use templates to quickly create these, you’ll often save time in the edit by creating them all at once.
WhiteboardWhiteboard drawings or timelapses.

Type: People

If you’re working with a team, you can assign specific people to gather different b-roll items.

E.g. you might gather all the Filmed shots while an editor gathers the Screen Recordings.

Type: Checkbox

Once you’ve fully edited this b-roll item into your video, check this box to mark it off.

Type: Checkbox

When this asset is gathered and ingested into the project, you can check this box to cross it off your gather list.

Type: Multi Select

The location of the shot. Mostly used with items that have the Film tag, and on videos that have multiple shooting locations.

If you can batch your shots together by location, you’ll save a ton of time during the b-roll gathering stage of production.

Type: Multi Select

Meta tags can include things like “Description” for links that should go in a video description, “Chapter” for chapter markers, etc.

These tags denote special characteristics of feedback items. They’re useful if you use markers or Frame.io comments as to-do’s.

NameDescription
CardA card that should be added to the video at this timecode when uploading to YouTube.
ChapterA chapter marker, for adding clickable chapters or timestamps to YouTube video descriptions.
DescriptionA link or resource that should be added to the video description.
Fix NeededUse this option for fixes that need to be made to the current cut of the video.

Type: Title

The name of this b-roll item.

Type: Rich Text

The timecode (or timestamp) in your A-roll cut where this b-roll item should go.

The term “Timecode” is used because it is the term Frame.io uses in its comment CSV exports.

🤔 Have an UB Question?

Fill out the form below and I’ll answer as soon as I can! ~Thomas

🤔 Have a Question?

Fill out the form below and I’ll answer as soon as I can! ~Thomas