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Preparing for interviews in advance is strongly recommended whenever possible, and even conducting pre-interviews can help you learn more about the information and resources available for filming.
Considerations when conducting interviews
Considerations when conducting interviews
- Film interviewees individually
- Start with the questions
"What is your name?" and "What is your occupation?" so we can identify subjects whilst watching the interview footage. This is also a good way to warm up before you delve into more complex questions.
- Make sure people reply in context
For instance, if you ask someone "How long has this community been living here?" We will need a full reply, as in "The community has been in this area for 15 years," rather than just "15 years."
- Don’t hesitate to ask interviewees to rephrase
Make things clear. If you notice the interviewee is going off-topic or taking too long to get to the point, you can ask them to reply again and cover just the main points.
- Cover the questions you have prepared but don’t limit yourself
Be open to include or remove questions according to your interviewee's replies.
Interviews: Image quality standards
Interviews: Image quality standards
- Framing
You can use a tripod or other stability tools to support your camera. Interviewees shouldn’t be centered, leaving some space on the left or right for the lower third (on-screen credits). Try to use at least two frames throughout the interview: a middle shot and a closer shot.
If you have two cameras, you can set up an interview with both of them: one with a long lens (e.g. 70-200mm) and another with a wider or prime lens (e.g. 40mm).
2. Adjust eye position/direction
2. Adjust eye position/direction
Interviewees shouldn't look straight into the camera, but ideally at the interviewer who is next to the camera. Make sure the eye lines are on the same level, to avoid having the interviewee looking up or down. Sometimes the best way to achieve this is if both the interviewee and interviewer are sitting down.
3. Background
3. Background
Secure a background that does not compete with your interview, so the viewer is not distracted by what's happening behind the interviewee (e.g., no people or nothing that will change throughout the interview for continuity's sake.)
Try to film your interviews with a shallow depth of field to blur the background, automatically drawing the viewer’s attention to what is in focus, the interviewee, while also giving a cinematic look to the footage.
4. Focus
4. Focus
Make sure the focus is on the interviewee. Avoid using autofocus. If your camera has focus peaking or magnifying focus features, these can be useful.
5. Lighting
5. Lighting
Make sure the interviewee's face is well-lit. If possible, use a light or reflector to fill the front and eliminate unflattering shadows while keeping the background visible.
If you don't have access to filming lights, film your interviews during the day to make the most of the daylight, and avoid placing the subject just in front of a light source (a window, the sun, a lamp), as this will create a silhouette effect.
Interviews: Sound quality standards
Interviews: Sound quality standards
We usually use the interview audio as voice-over throughout the video, so please make sure the audio is clear and free of undesired noise. Here are some recommendations that can help ensure good sound quality for interviews:
- Use a lapel microphone or directional top mic
Not the built-in camera mic to record your interviewee's voice.
- Test your sound
Do it before recording to ensure there is no buzzing or hissing from the microphones.
- Monitor sound during recording with headphones
People tend to change their voice volume depending on what they are saying. You might have to adjust the volume on your camera/audio recorder to avoid audio peaking.
- Avoid overlapping voices
Make sure there is a brief silence between questions and answers.
- Choose your interview locations well
We encourage contributors to film the video's primary interview in a quiet, indoor location whenever possible.
- Avoid any disruptive noise
Ensure no noises such as building work, refrigerators, power generators, or radio or television exist. Please start again if there are any unexpected noises like planes, cars, or loud animals.
- Record a track of ambient sound without anyone speaking
This can also be really useful in the edit to remove subtle deep sounds from the room in postproduction.
Try to hide Lavalier microphone cables or leads inside the subject's clothing so they are not apparent in the frame. With some adhesive plaster tape, you can glue it to the inner part of their collar.
B-roll
B-roll
Secondary footage, more commonly known as b-roll, is supplemental or alternative footage intercut with the main shot. Remember, visual storytelling is about show, not just tell.
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