Prompts
B-roll prompts: cover what you are talking about
A b-roll prompt says what to cover, when, and how long the overlay should stay before returning to the speaker.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24
Say what to show, which line triggers it, and how long it stays. Vyra already knows what's in every clip, so name the thing, not the filename.
Minimal
Add b-roll over the parts where I describe the tools.
Standard
While I'm talking about the brush set, cut to the close-up footage of the brushes for 2-3 seconds, then come back to me. Do the same for the palette and the easel when I mention them.
Full
This is a 90-second talking head about my studio setup. Cover three moments with b-roll from the project footage. When I say "these three brushes", show the brush close-up for 3 seconds. When I say "the palette I mixed last night", show the palette shot for 2 seconds. When I say "the easel from my grandmother", show the wide easel shot for 4 seconds. Keep my audio running underneath every overlay. Cut back to me on the last word of each phrase, not before. Full-frame overlays, no picture-in-picture, no zoom on the b-roll. Do not add b-roll anywhere else.
One user wanted a chat UI on screen while he talked about a prompt. This worked:
When I talk about writing the prompt, show the screen recording of the chat UI as a picture-in-picture in the top right, about a third of the frame, for as long as I'm on that topic.
What each part does
"Three moments" caps the count. The quoted lines are triggers the agent finds in the transcript. "For 3 seconds" is the hold. "Keep my audio running" stops it from cutting your voice with the picture. "Do not add b-roll anywhere else" keeps it in scope.
Fixes
| Symptom | Add to your next message |
|---|---|
| Overlay too short to read | "Hold each b-roll shot at least 3 seconds." |
| It cut into my sentence | "Keep my voice continuous under every overlay." |
| Wrong clip | "Use the shot where the brushes are on the white table, not the one in the jar." |
| Too much b-roll | "Remove all b-roll except the three I named." |
FAQ
Does it know which clip is the brushes? Yes. Every clip gets a scene description on upload. If two clips match, name a detail that separates them.
Can b-roll hide a jump cut? Yes. "Cover the cut at 0:34 with 2 seconds of the palette shot."
Related
- /prompts/product-demo-b-roll
- /how-to/shoot-b-roll
- /how-to/cut-a-talking-head
- /features/footage-understanding
Rules that apply to every prompt
- One target per prompt. Length, platform, purpose.
- Quote the exact line when you mean a specific moment.
- Give numbers, not adjectives. "Pauses over half a second," not "snappy."
- Say what not to add. Zooms, transitions, music, effects.
- One fix per follow-up message. Ask for a list of changes with timestamps if you want to check.