Video: Projects: Production
Unit
Expanding Skillset
Questions
How do I best use Lighting for an interview recording?
What footage - video and still photographs - should I obtain to go with the interview?
What am I making?
Video interview footage with good Lighting and related footage to use
A web page (example) on your Google Site titled "Doc Production" with a link to the YouTube playlist with footage
In the next lesson, you will take your clips and edit them to create a visual story with your interview.
How do I make it?
Three Point Lighting: Light your subjects with a Key light in the front, a Fill light on the side to eliminate shadows, and a Back light to separate them from the background
Video Tutorial: Three Point Lighting Setup
Lots of things to think about for Interviews! Main points:
Good relationship with interview subjects - help them be comfortable, ask them open-ended questions, get them telling good stories!
Get additional footage of props, objects, and things related to what the interviewer is talking about - this will help you keep your film visually interesting! So it's not just talking heads all the time!
And remember from last time... Safety first! and Cinematography - different kinds of camera shots - video examples & more Cinematography resources and Mobile phone video tips: good basics for framing, stability, lighting, audio - video tutorial
Steps
Arrange a time to meet with one of your interview subjects:
Ask them to bring related objects & props that you can photograph or video!
Consider wardrobe - what will you ask them to wear? (If it matters. If it doesn't... don't bother!)
Prepare your Interview questions - open-ended is best - and you can share these with your subject ahead of time, so they can be prepared too.
Get information from your subject that you can use for a brief introduction - background, accomplishments
Control the set design for your interviewee so that it looks good visually.
Three-point Lighting: Ensure your subject is lit well from 3 directions - Key (main), Fill (remove shadows on face), and Back (separates them from background.
Roll the camera before and after the "interview" - some of the best sayings happen when then the interviewee is candid and doesn't think they're being "interviewed."
During the interviewing, be natural, help the subject be comfortable, let them talk... ask follow-up questions to get more information... you can ask your questions in any order, be in the moment!
Extra footage: Get reaction shots (nodding), re-ask questions (don't need to be re-answered), photograph or video any props or objects the interviewee brought, and go get footage of related places and objects the interviewee mentioned in the interview!
Upload footage to a named YouTube playlist, and add the playlist link to a new Google Site Page called "Doc Production" along with what you learned, then Publish the site, copy the page link, and turn it in Google Classroom.
Grading
4/A = Do all the steps, detailed information about what you learned
3/B = Do all the steps, better information about what you learned
2/C = Do all the steps, basic information about what you learned
Career Connections
Good interview skills are helpful for both doing the interviewing and when you're being interviewed!
Lighting is a very important job in video productions - there's lots of work available!
Resources
more Lighting resources