Use Case
Generate Cinematic B-Roll Footage with AI — From Your Terminal
Cinematic B-roll — sweeping drone shots, moody cityscapes, time-lapses of clouds rolling over mountains — is the backbone of professional video production. Licensing stock footage is expensive and generic. Shooting original B-roll requires drones, permits, and travel. AI video generation gives you custom cinematic footage tailored to your exact scene, without leaving your desk. agent-media CLI puts the most capable cinematic models at your fingertips.
Best Models for This
These models are recommended for generating cinematic b-roll footage. Each one brings different strengths to this workflow.
| Model | Why | Credits | CLI Command |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 | Best temporal coherence and natural camera movements among all models — produces footage that genuinely looks like it came from a professional drone or gimbal. | 300-500 per video | agent-media generate veo3 -p "Aerial drone shot over a foggy pine forest at dawn, golden light breaking through" --sync |
| Sora 2 Pro | Handles abstract and artistic scenes beautifully, and its 12-second duration option gives you longer establishing shots than any other model. | 250-600 per video | agent-media generate sora2 -p "Slow dolly shot through an abandoned warehouse, dust particles in shafts of light" -d 12 --sync |
Step-by-Step Workflow
Follow these steps to start generating cinematic b-roll footage with agent-media CLI.
Generate a landscape establishing shot
Veo 3.1 produces the most photorealistic outdoor footage. Specify camera movement (aerial, dolly, tracking) and lighting conditions for results that match real-world cinematography.
$ agent-media generate veo3 -p "Sweeping aerial shot of coastal cliffs at sunset, waves crashing below, golden hour lighting" -d 8 --sync
Create an urban time-lapse
Time-lapse prompts work especially well with Veo. The model handles gradual lighting changes and moving elements like clouds and traffic with strong temporal coherence.
$ agent-media generate veo3 -p "Time-lapse of city skyline transitioning from day to night, lights turning on" --sync
Generate a moody interior B-roll
Sora excels at atmospheric interior scenes. Use the 12-second duration for longer tracking shots that establish mood before cutting to your main content.
$ agent-media generate sora2 -p "Camera slowly panning across a dimly lit jazz bar, candles flickering, empty glasses on tables" -d 12 --sync
Build a B-roll library
Generate a collection of detail shots, textures, and atmospheric clips. These small moments — rain on glass, steam rising, leaves falling — fill the gaps in any edit and add production value.
$ agent-media generate veo3 -p "Close-up of rain drops hitting a puddle in slow motion" --sync
MCP / Claude Code Integration
Integrate the MCP server into your editing workflow by using Claude Code alongside your video project files. Describe the mood and setting of your edit, and Claude will generate matching B-roll — "I need a 8-second golden hour drone shot of vineyards for the intro" — without switching to a browser or a separate app.
{
"mcpServers": {
"agent-media": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "agent-media-cli", "mcp"],
"env": {
"AGENT_MEDIA_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}Then ask Claude: "Generate cinematic b-roll footage using agent-media"
How Much Does It Cost
Veo B-roll clips start at 300 credits for a 4-second shot and reach 500 for an 8-second clip at maximum quality. Sora goes up to 600 credits for a 12-second establishing shot. A Creator plan ($69/month for 5,000 credits) produces roughly 10-16 B-roll clips per month. Filmmakers and agencies cutting together full projects will benefit from Pro Plus ($119/month for 10,000 credits), which covers 20-33 clips monthly.
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