HOW TO CAPTURE

GREAT INTERVIEWS @brandbuzz @EA_PHOTO

#NABShow15

What a Great Interview Can Do 2

Give a “window” into the main issue or theme of your

story.

Serve as the narrator so you don’t need one.

Create an emotional connection for viewer.

Today

How can we …

Be more effective storytellers?

Make the best use of technology and budget?

Overcome obstacles on location?

Create a story arc through an interview?

Solve problems on location that translate into better edits?

3

Amy DeLouise

Commercials, Features, Documentaries

Production Co. Executive

Writer/Producer/Author/Speaker

Brand Strategy Meets Digital Story

4

Getting in Touch with Amy

www.twitter.com/brandbuzz

www.linked.com/in/amydelouise

www.plus.google.com/+AmyDeLouise

www.vimeo.com/amydelouise

www.amydelouise.com (Amy’s Brand Buzz Blog)

Lynda.com

http://bit.ly/ArtofInterview

5

Eduardo Angel 6

Director of Photography

Technology Consultant

Educator

Visual Storyteller

Getting in Touch with Eduardo

Twitter @EA_Photo

www.eduardoangel.com

www.TheDigitalDistillery.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardoangel

https://plus.google.com/+EduardoAngelVisuals\

Lynda.com courses:

Cinematic Composition for Video Productions

Camera Movement for Video Productions

Lighting Design for Video Productions

7

Interview: A 3-Way Conversation 8

Interviewer - Facilitator

Asks questions and guides the discussion.

Guest - Subject

Answers questions.

Viewer - Observer

Follows the conversation.

Research Tells Us… 9

When we connect with other people on screen, we develop “Narrative Transportation”

Empathy

Proximity to content

Identification with characters

Emotions experienced

Our brain chemistry even changes when we are engaged with characters in a strong narrative!

Keys to Interview Pre-Production

PLANNING THE ROAD AHEAD 10

What role will interviews play in your story?

How can you connect audience to characters and settings?

What is the story arc and how can you build it?

What are the best technical tools, given characters, location, timeline and budget?

Define Your Story Goals 11

Get to Know Your Subject 12

Research your subjects. Make them feel you

truly care about their stories and lifes.

Do Your Research

Subject knows you truly care about their stories, their issues, their life

Conduct a Pre-Interview

By phone if possible

Make a recording, with permission

Gives you a personal connection before on-set

Phone actually better than in person

Find out the stories you DON’T want on camera

Get to Know Your Subject 13

Use multiple background sources

Talk to validators

Read articles, blogs, book summaries

Know stories he/she is likely to tell

Learn views, biases, concerns

Gatekeepers

Plan Your Purpose 14

What is the goal of the interview?

Will you be asking the same set of questions or different

questions?

Will the client provide guidance?

Note: never let them define the questions

What is the post-production process?

Role of the DP 15

With director/producer, select:

best camera package

audio gear

lighting strategy

Also consider:

How many cameras?

What kind?

Which lenses?

Accessories (batteries, media, etc) are needed?

Post-production considerations?

Plan Your Style 16

Formal v. Informal

Professional v. Personal v. Adversarial

Planned or Improvised

Standing, Sitting, Active

Studio, Street, Home, Office

Off camera or Direct

Preproduction Questions 17

Are we recording the interviewer?

Individual interviews, couples or group interviews?

Can we scout the location?

When can we access the location?

What is the budget for crew and equipment?

How much time do we have to set up?

Can we set up the day before?

Do we need to move between locations?

Do we need permits?

Are we shooting b-roll to complement the interviews?

Know Your Location

Setting is a character

in your story

Sets tone, supports theme,

defines characters

Contributes to or

degrades emotional

impact

18

Location Scouting Tips

If you can’t scout, use tools

Websites

Flickr

Google Map street view

OpenStreetMap

Foursquare

LightTrac

Plan ahead for obstacles Sirens, busy times of day,

internal noise issues—that can distract

Parking, load-in, staging area for gear

Location permits and

permissions

19

Releases 20

Appearance Releases

Location Releases

Be careful about

Copyrighted buildings, sculptures, artwork

Logos on T-shirts, soda cans, computers

Fair Use for Filmmakers

http://www.cmsimpact.org/fair-use/best-practices/documentary-filmmakers-statement-best-practices-fair-use

Time Planning 21

20 to 30 minutes per interviewee to get a

great 1-minute clip.

Better to shoot a few long great interviews

than a bunch of average shorter

interviews.

Camera and Lighting Options

Planning for Challenging Setups

Define Your Look 22

DEMONSTRATION

Questions and Research

Preparing Your Subject

Preparing for Your Interview 24

Preparing for the Interview 25

Think like a lawyer

Don’t ask a question you don’t know the answer to

Memorize your questions, but be flexible to follow a

new path.

Use themes and know how they will intercut in

advance.

Prepping Your Subject 26

Don’t send them every question

General themes and topics

“Think of examples about…”

What Not to Wear 27

Send in writing

Include shaving (for men), hair and makeup (for

women)

Ask for multiple options

Follow up 24-36 hrs before shoot

Define “not green” explicitly if doing green-screen

Tools, Strategies and Layouts

ON LOCATION 28

Setting Decisions

Interior or Exterior?

One-Camera or Two?

Setting as Character

29

Framing Your Shot 30

Interviewer in or out?

What’s in the background?

Managing challenges

Lighting Decisions 31

Key Light

Natural, sourced or mixed?

Lighting Options

LED Panels Genaray Bi-colors

Nila

Kino Flos 3200 and 5500k tubes

Other Options

2nd Camera Options

Positioning

Sliders

Parabolic

Manual

32

Interview Tips

Make people feel AND look good.

Make it a conversation, not an interrogation.

Bring make up, tissues and water.

Look for the catch (eye) light.

Keep technical instructions to the minimum.

Ask people not to look into the camera.

Keep your questions short.

Don’t answer your own questions.

Avoid “Yes” or “No” answers.

Ask people to wait, and repeat the questions.

Prepare Warm up, Important, and Pick up questions.

Get what you need. Interrupt if you have to.

Learn to nod.

Truly listen.

33

After the Interview 34

Before you stop rolling…

Ask the interviewee for feedback

Give them opportunity to clarify or mention a topic that wasn’t covered.

Afterwards…

Thank everyone

Interview Setups: Preproduction

EXERCISE PART 1

Interview Setups: The Standup Setup

EXERCISE PART 2

Tips for a Better Outcome

BUILDING YOUR STORY ARC 38

Build Rapport

Pre-interview chat

Introduce crew

Makeup artist can

break the ice —or that

might be you!

39

Make a Human Connection

Don’t break eye line—even in audio interviews

Confidence-building

“It’s a conversation”

Smile!

Show you’ve spent the time to learn about them.

Make reference to a speech or book.

40

Questions to Build a Story Arc 41

Preamble

Your first questions are throw-aways, confidence-builders

This is not really the open for your show

Open

Some piece of the climax that will grab the viewer and pull them into the story, but not give it away

Often it is the underlying reason the person cares

Short versions for montages or social media use

Ask “how” “why” and examples questions

Questions to Build a Story Arc 42

Climax

Elicit Key Story or Challenge Overcome at mid point

Ask “how” “why” and examples questions

Impact / Resolution of Conflict / Call to Action

Get big-picture answers/Thematic

Elicit a call to action if relevant (better than using text or a

narrator)

Questions to Build a Story Arc 43

Conclusion

The conclusion of the interview should be a high point, but it may not be your ending in terms of the edit

Build in a satisfying end to your conversation for interviewee

Opportunity to continue relationship

Give them the opportunity to share anything additional

Don’t start throwing in extra questions or go back to the big story now

Help them wrap up by asking big picture” questions: “What’s the ONE THING you think people should know about X?”

Going “Off Script” 44

Follow your story

Tips for getting back to the main point

Only lead where you are prepared to follow

Recovering from a “difficult moment”?

Minimizing Narration 45

Interviewee includes your question in their answer “If I say what’s your favorite color, don’t just say blue. Say

blue is my favorite color.”

Get “Room Tone”

Sound of the room will help cover edits

Edit in Your Head

How the sentence will cut—does it have a subject?

Did they mess up—clear their throat on a critical word?

Can You Repeat That? 46

Try body language first

Or a quick gesture

Or a “sorry, I didn’t…”

If you must ask them to repeat, ask another way

Avoid “as I said before”

Get them to use your words

“Can you tell me why this is a bold new program?”

Elise Newman

Jeff Astrof

CASE STUDY 47

More on Story Arc 48

FREE RESOURCE http://www.lynda.com/Video-

Shooting-Video-tutorials/Creating-story-arc-your-

questions/141499/155890-4.html

Interview Setups: Sit-Down Interview Do’s & Don’ts

EXERCISE (EDUARDO)

Techniques for Getting Better Answers

WHAT KIND OF LEARNER? 50

Quick Take

Visual – up

Auditory - side

Kinesthetic –down/right

So What? 52

Visual – needs to visualize; may want to see

your questions first

Auditory – conceptualizes; good storytellers

Kinesthetic –learns by doing; may need to

describe process

DEMONSTRATION 53

Couples, Children, Experts, Foreign Language, Fast Interviews

CHALLENGING INTERVIEWS 54

Experts and VIPs Really know their work

Writings

Lectures

Give big-picture project goals

Encourage storytelling

They may want to give a thesis

Ask “for laypeople…”

Be prepared for them to be distracted

Know the Handlers

Give them a place to sit out of

eye line

Give them an opportunity to talk

55

English as a Second Language

Seated best

Q&A format may not work

Offer more background on Q

Ask for a story

Get clarifications, definitions

Be Prepared to Wait

Example: Johnny M.

The Elderly

Interview Seated

Home/office/familiar turf best

Consider interview structure

Subject may tire – get best content up front

Put stories into historical context

Something your subject may uniquely do

Great for new FB timeline feature

Couples

Get to know their style

together

Prep them on which

order

Prep DP on camera

moves

The Very Young

Avoid Yes, No Answers

Encourage storytelling

Ask “how,” “why” and feelings questions

Get declarative descriptors to edit into overly short answers

Interview standing up

Try to avoid parents cueing (speak with them before-hand)

Limited Time Interviews

Build rapport during Q&A

More like a conversation

Memorize your questions

No more than 4, and #3 is the most impt

Keep as many handlers out of the room as possible!

Challenging Interview

EXERCISE

FIELD TIPS FOR BETTER POST PRODUCTION 62

Transcript Workflow 63

Record Timecode and Track Info (speaker name, frame rate, sample rate, bit rate)

TC Recorders: Sound Devices 744t, 788t, 664, and 633 and the Zaxcom Nomad and Maxx

Mixer: Sound Devices 552

Need to record TC to audio track: Tascam DR-05 and -07 and the Zoom H4N and newer H5 and H6

Output mp3 or wav files of audio only

Outsourcing transcriptions

Fastest way to find best sound bites is on paper! Build edit script

Note alternative sound bites for future versions or related web/social media

Shots and Assets That Help 64

Leave time for…

“Interstitial” shots—scenes like cars passing by, kids playing—that help tell story

B-roll of your interview subject

Collect photos that can help

Make sure subject spells name, gives title, etc. at start of interview so you have all info when editing

Scan releases and put PDF with your audio or video files

Using Slates

Digital slate apps

Movie-slate.com

Advantages of

physical slates

No batteries

“Loud sticks”

65

Metatag Your Assets

ID source media in the

field – initials, date at

minimum

3-2-1 Backup system

PDF of releases, music

and image licenses with

primary source material

66

WRAPPING UP: FINAL THOUGHTS 67

THANK YOU! HOW TO CAPTURE

GREAT INTERVIEWS @brandbuzz @EA_PHOTO

#NABShow15