Narrate the facts, INTERVIEW the emotions.

Talking to people about their experiences and their perspectives on things is a great way to acquire footage for your videos, documentaries, and commercials.  Voice Over has its time to be used, but then so does hearing directly from people. 

 

But what makes for a good interview?  Below are some thoughts from my 17+ years of experience in the documentary and corporate realm. 

 

First of all, unless you’re doing a family history piece solely for personal purposes, it’s helpful and wise to have photographic releases signed by your interviewees.  Honestly, you never know when something is going to go viral or when a dispute will pop up, and it will be helpful to have a signed document in hand. 

 

Secondly, I frequently ask interviewees not to wear white or finely woven patterns.  These days cameras can deal with moiré patterns and contrasting highlights better than they used to, but I still will ask talent to wear solid colors.  Company logos are nice to if that’s appropriate to the nature of your piece.  I also strongly favor something with buttons as those types of shirts are nice for clipping on a microphone.  No turtlenecks please. 

 

What are some of my “Go to” interview questions?

1.     Everyone loves to talk about themselves so getting your interviewee started with talking about where they’re from, what they do, is a nice way to get them relaxed.  I was traveling this summer with Greta Van Susteren, and she often approached things very conversationally to get people comfortable. 

2.     As I’m asking questions, I often will just run the rolodex in my head to make sure I’m covering the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the subject matter. 

3.     I will often put people on the defensive about an issue or topic.  How is this making a difference?  How is this changing lives?  In the grand scheme of things, is this really a big deal or just a drop in a bucket? 

4.     Sometimes, if I have a particular topic or issue I want to make sure is covered, I will simply ask them to “talk about that” rather than trying to force the issue into a question.  Generally this works rather well. 

5.     For an emotional topic, one line of questioning that I’ve had great results with is “In the face of all these challenges, or setbacks, (etc), what keeps you going?”  This question often gets to the WHY of the issue and its significance.  Often it yields a rather emotional response in longer, more in depth interviews.    

6.     Often, when I end the interview, I keep rolling.  Sometimes people let their guard down, and I can get very honest answers at the end.  Countless times, I have cut the cameras only to restart them again, because the interviewee is more relaxed and comfortable and thought of a more poignant or powerful thing to share.    

 

 

 

What makes for a good interview location? 

1.     A QUIET one

2.     If the location is noisy, with construction, traffic, or an ocean nearby, it helps greatly if the viewer can see the noise sources in the background of the shot. 

3.     A setting that is relevant to the topic is usually helpful, but if it comes at the expense of bad sound, I will pretty much always try to find another, less disruptive location. 

 

 

How do I try to get good responses from my interviewees? 

1.      Generally speaking, if I become so emotionally engaged in the topic that as the interviewer, I start to cry, it’s likely that the interviewee will become emotional as well.  Emotion is contagious.  If your interviewee is excited about a topic, your audience will become more engaged.  But if I do not engage with the interviewer at all, and look bored, it’s terribly difficult for the person in front of the camera. 

2.     If it’s appropriate, prep them.  I often will have “pre-interviews” with potential interviewees.  If the interview is for something more set-up and planned, I will send questions ahead of time. 

3.     As I described earlier, I will see if I can put them on the defensive. 

4.     I make eye contact nearly all the time during the interview (if it involves the interviewee looking off camera at me).  This seems obvious, but I have been interviewed by journalists before who are looking down at their notes, checking their phones, etc while I’m trying to talk to them, and it’s very hard to concentrate when the interviewer is distracted.  That said, I try to minimize other distractions as well from the crew.  The crew needs to be focused on the interview as well for the best results. 

5.     If the interviewee gives a long, drawn out response, I have often asked for a shorter response.  Sometimes I’ll joke about it, but usually they can do it, it’s not a problem. 

6.     Sometimes I can get lost when the interviewee uses too many acronyms or pronouns that I know will make the subject matter unclear for the audience.  I will often ask them to give the response clarifying who “they” are, or who “he” or “she” is.

7.     Depending on the nature of the project, talking points can be a help.  Having statistics available, details, etc for your corporate video is super helpful.  It doesn’t need to be a pop quiz.  The idea is to get the information out. 

8.     Long, long ago, I heard this proverb, “Narrate the facts, INTERVIEW the emotion.” 

 

 

What kinds of interview set-ups do I use? 

 

1.      If the project is more journalistic or informational, I will usually go with a more traditional set up of having the interviewee looking off camera at me.  I try to stand or sit rather close to the lens.  This is how I do most of my interviews. 

2.     For more dramatic stories, and sometimes longer subject matters, I will ask the interviewee to look straight into the camera.  Some filmmakers have gone so far as to project the image of the interviewer into a teleprompter screen.  I’ve never done that, but I am completely cognizant that it is more difficult for the interviewee to answer questions while looking into a cold dark lens than it is a human being.  I’ll ask questions from nearby and still be very engaged in the interview, but the delivery is just straight to camera.  This set-up was used exclusively through FACING DARKNESS, and mix of styles was used in this piece for Operation Heal Our Patriots.  This can also be done for public speakers, pastors, reporters, as well. 

3.     Another set-up that I’ve experimented with is where two interviewees look at each other, both on camera, and I (as the interviewer) ask them to discuss a certain topic or answer a certain question.  This is often good for relational contexts between spouses or friends, etc in things like wedding videos or marriage rededication pieces.  Your interview subjects need to know what they’re in for, but this is way to cut through some of the typical exposition and get right to the heart of the story because your interviewees will just talk in context of the issue.  Two examples of this style are here and here. 

4.     Finally, one other experimental idea is for the interviewee to close their eyes and then answer questions.  I did this once for a deeply emotional piece, and it really allowed the interviewee to go somewhere dramatic.  It was powerful. 

 

 

What kinds of Broll do I get during interviews, or with my interviewees? 

 

I LOVE 2 camera set-ups.  I’ve done it for years.  The ideal set-up is two of the same camera, with different lenses and focal lengths.  However, frequently I have an A camera as a C300, C100, FS5, etc and the B camera as a DSLR or mirrorless body.  Again, ideally, I recommend operators for both units.  But I realize that’s not always possible.  The B camera can be used in a variety of ways.  Tight off angle (try for two eyes though).  Wide shot, see the setting.  Tight shots of hands, expressions, focus pulling from set to talent, etc.  I’ve also used the B camera on a slider/dolly for some perspective/parallax looks.   

 

After the interview, if it’s appropriate to the subject, I will ask for different looks from the interviewee.  Looking into the camera, slow motion maybe.  Eyes closed, then open them.  Just getting some different expressions.  Fading the lights (or just the key light) up and down.  If the key light is on an arm, I’ve swung the arm off of the talent, and then back onto them.  Slow motion looks are typically very effective and quick and easy to do, while in the same interview set-up. 

 

Of course additional Broll contextual to the story or topic at hand in different set-ups is usually called for, and I usually try to work that into the schedule. 

 

I hope this is helpful to you.  If you have ideas or questions you want to run by me, I’d love to help!  Comment below or send me an email!  Let’s tell some great stories together!