Resources & Files

Useful websites:

• Documentary Film Academy hosts how to consider cinematic elements, such as lighting

• Indeed Career Guide to film looks at the qualities of an interview

Interviews are a big part of a production, especially with documentaries or factual pieces. Equally, interviews often appear in film and you will want to make it look convincing.

Other theory goes into interview questions, such as structured, semistructured and unstructured questions. 

Overview

Interviews allow you to feature others, explore perspectives, and make people accountable for their decisions, etc.  Whether you're interviewing a head teacher for school promotion, a football manager based on a team's performance, your favourite actor/singer or just Joe Public about their reaction to a local event, getting the right questions and style makes all the difference.  You need to consider:

• Location - where to interview that will have an impact

• Style - what type of interview do you want to feature

• Framing - how is the subject going to be framed on camera

• Subject - Who should you interview? Who is available? Who would be a bad person to interview?

• Background - what should feature in the background

• Lighting - dynamic, colourful or simple. Lighting can make it feel theatrical or simplistic

• Questions - what questions will have the most impact? DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Before you do anything...

Do your research!

There's nothing worse than an ignorant researcher or interviewer that is clearly out of their depth. There's been a plethora of interview videos on social media channels where political supporters, religious extremists or politicians have been outsmarted by clever questioning and an ability to react meaningfully to responses. If the interviewer is ignorant or un-knowledgable then this will often lead to a poor interview.

You should never approach any interview without knowing the background to the topic (whether it be knowledge about the football team, understanding laws, etc.). Often, you are interviewing somebody for their expert perspective, but you owe it to your audience to fact-check and detect if the 'expert' doesn't know or is talking gibberish.  Part of the background research is not just about the topic but shortlisting people who are qualified to talk.  

Sometimes, you'll want to interview people in the street, but these are unknown quantities, and the interviewer must be prepared to cut the interview off or steer the conversation to what is needed without, though, leading them to say what you want.

What do you want to achieve?

Before sitting down and figuring out how the interview should look, determine how it will take place and where

• Run and gun style interview

  • News presenter type where there is little to no time to plan

  • Popular (and necessary) style with breaking news events where the presenter has to think on the spot

  • Interviewees are unprepared and often pulled as they are walking past

• Studio interviews

  • These take place in a studio or controlled setting

  • You have control of the set, the lighting and general environment

  • These can be undertaken in many ways such as the interviewee seated next to the interviewer, standing interviews or off-camera interviews

    • With off-camera, you can ask the interviewee to repeat the question or incorporate it into their answer, so that the interviewer can be edited out.

• On location interview

  • More challenging, as you may have limited ability to change the environment

  • Important when you are doing something where the person needs to be filmed in a specific location (such as a football manager in their club, a factor worker in front of a product, etc)

  • With lighting also comes sound issues, so this needs to be controlled as best as possible

Interview Styles and Techniques

Now, determine the look you are going for and the style of the interview. 

• Off-camera

  • This is where the interviewee is not looking directly at the camera but either at the interviewer or to the side. The eyeline is a way to describe where the person is looking (eg down, up, to the side, direct at camera, etc). See below

  • This creates a more relaxed interview style

  • It feels like they’re talking to someone standing next to the camera, even if you don’t hear their questions

  • The sense of ‘eavesdropping’ a conversation makes it feel more real and credible

  • Very traditional documentary style

  • You can still mount an autocue off to the side of the camera to help with content

• Direct-address (aka to camera)

  • The interviewee is looking directly at the camera

  • Used when you want to put the interviewee in full focus

  • It comes across as direct, as though the person is speaking directly to the viewer

  • Some speakers find that talking to the lens can feel awkward

  • You can easily use autocue for the content

• Hosted conversation

• The interviewer and interviewee are often seated or standing in shot

• This enables a quick back-and-forth style, useful or quick or probing interviews

•  Sometimes, several guests can be combined and feed off each other

• Very popular with late-night shows such as Graham Norton, Late Show, etc.

• Cinematic 

• this technique hides both the interviewer and interviewee, positioning the participant’s story as pure narration. 

• The imagery is largely left open for creative interpretation, allowing for the video to transport viewers directly into the story through cinematic techniques, including breathtaking b-roll, reenactments or animation. 

• This approach usually works best when the interviewee is directed to be as visual as possible with his or her responses, using unexpected metaphors that remind viewers that this is a natural conversation, not a perfect script.

Why Eye Line is so Important for Filming Good Interviews

It's important to think about when and why you would choose to use different eye lines, as well as how you can set them up.

Looking OFF CAMERA (AKA cross axis) 

'off camera' eye line or 'cross axis' as it's sometimes known. This is where you will see the subject looking slightly to one side of the camera or off the frame. This technique is something I'm sure you've seen used countless times before in various documentaries and corporate or commercial videos. You may have not ever thought about why they film them that why though!

People tend to prefer using the off-camera interview eye line, as a lot of interviewees are not familiar with being on camera. Having the interviewee look off-camera and talk directly to the interviewer helps them to feel much more comfortable and relaxed. When it's treated as more of a discussion rather than some sort of interrogation, it helps them to open up, and you'll find you will get much better responses when they start to forget the camera is even there. 

This method is also useful when you want the interviewee to come across as someone who has expertise on something, by having them look off-camera, it creates an emotional detachment from them, the audience and the subject matter. This can subconsciously imply to the audience that this person knows what they are talking about. 

Now, this isn't always the case and as with anything art related, there is no right or wrong way to do something, but it is always worth considering the effect your decisions as a cinematographer will have on the audience, whether consciously or subconsciously. 

Another point to consider is the background your subject is in and if it's important to the story or message you are trying to get across to the audience. If it is, having the subject looking off-camera with a deep depth of field so you can see the background is often the better choice in that situation. If you had them looking at the camera, the audience would be more focused on them and perhaps not even notice the environment.

Looking To Camera

Looking directly into the lens is something we are all familiar with now, the person on camera, looking and talking directly to the lens. It is also still a strong method to use when it comes to certain interviews.  But why why would you have your interviewee look into the lens? This is certainly not something you would want to do with every interview you do but when used correctly it can have a really positive impact on your story. 

Having your subject look directly into the lens helps the audience to believe they are talking directly to them. This is useful when you want there to be an emotional connection, perhaps when someone is talking about a personal situation or event. This is the opposite of the disconnect that happens when you have your subject look off-camera. There are no barriers when you have that eye connection. 

It is sometimes a tough decision to make as often when someone is talking about something deeply personal, they may not feel comfortable looking directly into a camera and so you will need to use your best judgment.

No Eye-line

Another option you may wish to consider is not having any sort of eye line at all.

This method has become more popular in recent years and is often implemented when you are following a subject about on their day-to-day life. 

Some examples of this would include filming a subject while they drive from the passenger or back seat of a car, talking to someone while they are working or following them while they walk. 

This a good method to use when you want the audience to feel involved in the story, and even though the subject may not be looking directly at the lens, it adds a more personal touch than a locked-off interview. 

Framing the Interview

The Basics

Interviewing someone on camera can be a daunting task. The first step is to plan out your film/documentary, etc first. What do you want to show and tell with the interview? Assuming that you know the purpose of your interview and you have the right location and interviewee. The next step is deciding on your camera setup.

When planning out the interview, you need to decide on a camera setup. This may vary depending on your budget and the number of available cameras. You must have a plan of action and have finished setting up the interview location before the subject arrives, as this reduces the stress and tension that can lead to interview mistakes.

You might want more than one camera, as there are benefits and freedoms when using two or even three cameras. But for most video interview shoots, you can probably do it with just one camera. Consider where you'll be interviewing, the set-up time and the space you have to work with.  Your primary A-camera should always be your main concern when doing an interview shoot. 

You want to frame your shot when you have a camera setup and location. Ask yourself what you need from your interview.  Do you have certain feelings or emotions you're looking for in the viewer? Do you have a specific look? And how much information do you want to capture?

It is important to ensure the speaker is framed well. The shot lists page contains a detailed look into types of camera shots, but for interviews, you'll often have a few common shots to consider, which are covered later.

The Background

If you are shooting interviews in an actual location, your background is an essential part of what your viewers can see, and you want to make sure that your background is interesting. However, do you want something that will distract the viewer?

You want to follow compositional best practices when choosing or setting up your background. Following the rule of thirds and having an organised and exciting background - at the same time, you don't want the background to draw too much attention away from your subject. If people are figuring out what's going on behind, you've lost your audience and they are unlikely to be listening to the speaker.

Suitable Angles

Most interview setups are often at an angle instead of straight on the subject. This is to create a feeling of balance and comfort for the viewer. It's also helpful for the interviewer and interviewee as the interviewer can sit next to the camera and maintain eye contact with the subject instead of sitting behind a camera that obscures the line of sight between them.

When interviewing a single person, they are typically placed off-centre in the frame. Then, identify the spaces to the right and the left of their head - the larger space is the long side, while the smaller space is the short side.

Long sided (most common)

It's almost always correct to use this framing. Having the subject looking off to the long side creates a feeling of balance and comfort for the viewer. It gives the interviewee space to articulate ideas, explore thoughts and appear comfortable.

Short sided

The opposite is having your subject looking the short side. This is usually a bad idea because it makes the viewer feel tense and awkward. By looking out of the frame, subjects will appear closed and as if they are talking into a corner.

9 Essential Interview Angles

Not all of the angle names below (from the Weido Academy) do not follow established nomenclature and are more descriptive. However, in art, there's a level of individualism. Refer to the shot lists page to see more industry-standard naming.

1. Long sided interview

This is the basic interview angle, and if you are uncertain which angle to go with, this is the safest choice.

2. Through a foreground element

By propping up an element in the foreground of your shot, you can create depth and a sense of space for the viewer. By obstructing the clear shot, you can also create the sense of spying or listening in on an interview.

3. Looking directly into the camera (eye-level)

If you have your subject looking straight in the camera's lens, your subject talks directly to the viewer and can be used to make them focus on your message. It's an angle often used in news television.

4. From behind the subject

Shooting your subject from behind, you convey seriousness. You should keep in mind to obey the 180-degree rule, and you still want to capture some of their face in your shot.

5. Wide room

By using a wide room angle, you can capture both your subject and the setting they are in. It's an excellent angle if your subject is charismatic and you want to convey that to the audience or in an essential location to the story.

6. Underside (under eye-level)

Using an under-eye-level angle makes your subject bigger and more authoritative, which can be excellent if they speak on an important subject.

7. Overside (above eye-level)

Going above-eye-level you get a serious and emotional shot. It’s best used when you want to create an emotional or sentimental shot.

8. Fluent flowing close-ups

Used when you want to focus on something else than your subject's face. Usually, you follow the hands of the subject in an extreme close-up.

9. Profile

The profile shot is mostly used for the anonymous interview, where you hide the subject's identity.