If you only remember five B-roll shots, remember these. They cover what an editor reaches for first: where we are, what matters, what is happening, how people feel, and how to get from one scene to the next.

This is the pocket version. For the full craft, including light, steady hands, coverage, and filming at events or remotely, read Film B-Roll Editors Can Actually Use.

1. The establishing shot

What it does: tells the viewer where they are before anyone talks.

How to get it: step back until the whole place fits in the frame, whether that is the storefront, the field, or the room, and hold still for five seconds.

Grab it when you arrive, before the space fills up or the light changes. It is the easiest shot to forget and one of the hardest to go back for.

2. The detail

What it does: points at what matters and gives the editor somewhere to cut.

How to get it: move in close on hands, the product, a label, a tool, or the coffee cup on the desk. Fill the frame. Hold for five seconds, then try a second angle.

Details are the shots that hide an edit. When an answer in an interview needs trimming, a close-up of the speaker's hands covers the jump.

3. The action

What it does: shows the work, the sport, or the moment actually happening.

How to get it: film someone doing the thing from start to finish: lacing up and taking off, packing a box, pulling a shot of espresso. Keep the phone still and let the action enter and leave the frame.

Capture the whole motion, not just the middle. Editors need a clean start and a clean end.

4. The reaction

What it does: puts a human face on the story.

How to get it: turn the phone toward the people watching, listening, or laughing. A medium shot or a close-up with their eyes near the top third of the frame is enough.

Keep rolling after the moment peaks. Some of the best reactions come a second or two after the thing they are reacting to.

5. The transition

What it does: moves the video from one place or time to the next without a hard jump.

How to get it: walk through a doorway, pan slowly from the subject to a window, or let someone walk past the lens close enough to fill the frame. Start and end on something clean.

One good transition per location is plenty. Think the move through once, then do it slowly.

Two takes each, then move on

Shoot each of the five at least twice, in the orientation the finished video needs. Hold a few seconds before and after the moment so the editor has room to cut. If the frames feel off, How to Frame Video on Your Phone covers the grid, headroom, and eye level.

If other people are filming for you, send these five as plain asks, not jargon. "Establishing shot" becomes "stand across the street and film the front door for five seconds." On Cinebody, each ask goes out as its own shot on the list, with plain directions and the orientation on every one, so filmers know exactly what to capture before they press record.