Choosing The Right Location
“ The location is one of the first, and most important elements to consider when shooting an interview. ”
● #1: Select a quiet location, which will leave you undisturbed (closed off room for the entire interview)
● #2: Consider to leave enough space between the interviewee and the wall, otherwise the subject will look too cramped or closed in
Lighting The Interview
“ Strategic use of lighting can help to correct any asymmetry in the appearance of the subject allowing them to look their best. “
● #1: Use standard three point lighting
● #2: Avoid having harsh shadows on the interviewee's face – use diffuse light which soften the features
● #3: In order to avoid silhouettes do not use too bright light behind the subject
Checking The Sound Quality
“ Before the interview begins the video production crew must check to make sure there is no ambient sound which could
potentially ruin the interview. “
● #1: Use hypercardoid microphones, which are most sensitive to sound from the front
● #2: A telephone ringing during the interview can be highly distracting – with hypercardoid microphones you can isolate the sound of the subject
Making The Subject Feel Relaxed
“ Being interviewed can be a stressful experience – especially if it is the subjects first time. “
● #1: Brief the interviewee before the interview begins, so that they know what they will want to say
● #2: Try to learn about the interviewees when they are off the camera, to make them feel comfortable when talking
● #3: As the interview director you should be able to put the subject at ease - start with questions that are easy to answer if the interviewee is nervous
Asking The Right Types of Questions
“ Most often the persons asking the questions won't be recorded, so they have to make sure to ask open-ended questions. “
● #1: Try get the interviewee answering in longer answers – two to three sentences are ideal
● #2: The interviewees must include the questions in their answers for the video to make sense and to have a context to place the answer in
● #3: Make sure that the subjects' answers are clear for the audience – give them little key points and make them rephrase the questions so that everything is explained best
Overcome Language Barriers
“ It’s about finding those small things which will either make them laugh or comfortable. “
● #1: Smiling and body gesture provide ways to communicate – make sure to still giving your interviewees eye contact
● #2: Get your translators on board and make them part of your team
● #3: On the spot translations are very beneficial as this allows you to tailor your follow-up questions to unlock more interesting information.
Further Important Key Points
● Know what key messages you need the interview subject to deliver
● Including noun’s is very important for maintaining context later on when the interviewers questions are removed.
● If there is a key message that you want to get across you shouldn’t be afraid to load the question so that your subject will hit the right points.
● Pre-interviews help you to get friendly with the subject and to really get to the bottom of what the message is about and see how they work as a person
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