You can find many YouTube tutorials on every aspect of filmmaking. If your time is limited, sometimes it seems as if they are too many choices. To solve that problem, we’re going to preview tutorials for you and recommend those that we find most helpful. When we find several of value, we’ll let you know the benefits of each one.

Launching this series is “The Difference Between Beginner and Pro B Roll” by Sean Kitching. The focus is shooting clips that you can cut into a larger project—for example, establishing shots. That said, along the way Kitching offers cinematic techniques that can enhance any part of a movie—for example, shooting low rather than at eye level.

This 10-minute tutorial on b roll (often spelled b-roll) stands out for two reasons. First, Kitching shoots the same scene two ways to contrast how a beginner and a professional would use the camera. Second, at the same time that we get to see Kitching taking shots (the behind-the-scenes perspective) we simultaneously see what his camera is capturing.

Five Takeaways from Sean Kitching’s B roll Tutorial

1. Don’t randomly shoot. Look over the scene and decide what you want to capture.
2. To avoid humdrum shots, shoot low, not at eye-level.
3. For an opening shot, start wide and move in. For a closing shot, move out.
4. Get close to subjects in order to bring viewers into the scene.
5. Shoot an object in the foreground to add depth to a wide shot.

We welcome your thoughts on this particular tutorial. If you know a better one on the same subject, let us know in the comments. We’d also like to know other topics that interest you.