Conducting an interview is generally a really nerve-racking and scary experience. You have got a large responsibility to conduct a professional interview and to make sure you receive the best response, for example, asking appropriate questions. Interviewing can be quite challenging to get right, specially if you have a subject quite reluctant to open up. Without some professionalism, a bit of engagement along with the ability to set your subject at ease, then your interview may not go as well as predicted. In this blog, I have summarized some tips that I recently found in a how to conduct an interview video blog, which was created by a video production company.
A basic question normally helps the subject to relax. You don't have to use it in the final edit, but the most significant thing to come from this, is ease during the interview. Even if they get the question completely wrong then it means that you can all have a laugh and a joke about it, generally just creating a more relaxed atmosphere so that the interview can benefit overall. On top of this, it is important to let the subject go through their stuff a couple of times, to enable them to warm up. Then from the point of view of the camera operator it is always worth filming more than one run to ensure there is enough material to go through.
Secondly, it is a good idea to keep answers short and in context, this benefits the editing stage because it allows greater flexibility and ease in putting all of the footage together, this is even more important when there is more than one camera rolling. Also, by in context, I mean getting the subject to use company names instead of 'we' and perhaps even getting the subject to repeat the question when beginning the answer. This is only if you do not want the your voice, or the interviewers voice to be in the video.
By keeping answers short and in context, this allows much more flexibility and ease in putting it all together when it comes to the final edit. In particular if you have got more than one camera rolling. When I say 'in context', I mean getting the subject to use company names rather than 'we' and perhaps even asking them to begin an answer with the question - that is if you don't want your own interviewing voice incorporated in the video - that way it is always clear what's being discussed about.
Leading an interview is not a simple task but once you get the hang of it after a couple of times it can be made really enjoyable. Personally I believe that a lot rides on the person you are interviewing and how they react and there personality.
A basic question normally helps the subject to relax. You don't have to use it in the final edit, but the most significant thing to come from this, is ease during the interview. Even if they get the question completely wrong then it means that you can all have a laugh and a joke about it, generally just creating a more relaxed atmosphere so that the interview can benefit overall. On top of this, it is important to let the subject go through their stuff a couple of times, to enable them to warm up. Then from the point of view of the camera operator it is always worth filming more than one run to ensure there is enough material to go through.
Secondly, it is a good idea to keep answers short and in context, this benefits the editing stage because it allows greater flexibility and ease in putting all of the footage together, this is even more important when there is more than one camera rolling. Also, by in context, I mean getting the subject to use company names instead of 'we' and perhaps even getting the subject to repeat the question when beginning the answer. This is only if you do not want the your voice, or the interviewers voice to be in the video.
By keeping answers short and in context, this allows much more flexibility and ease in putting it all together when it comes to the final edit. In particular if you have got more than one camera rolling. When I say 'in context', I mean getting the subject to use company names rather than 'we' and perhaps even asking them to begin an answer with the question - that is if you don't want your own interviewing voice incorporated in the video - that way it is always clear what's being discussed about.
Leading an interview is not a simple task but once you get the hang of it after a couple of times it can be made really enjoyable. Personally I believe that a lot rides on the person you are interviewing and how they react and there personality.
About the Author:
Learn more about Video Production Norwich. Watch the following video for an interesting view on young videographers learning how to interview during Takeover Day at Norwich.
This article collected, selected and written by: Author Van Hoc
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