Recording an interview to video
If you are looking to use a video interview to help provide internal and external marketing communications then the following tips will help you identify the process, the equipment and some of the useful little tricks that will give you the confidence to undertake the production yourself or certainly to have a greater degree of control when using a production company.
1. Know something about the person and / or subject your are interviewing
2. If you have an opportunity to see the place where the interview will take place then take it and get a feel for the lighting, surrounding noises, potential backdrops and space to work in.
3. Think through how the interview needs to go, what additional overlay shots you need and how you will transition if you have to cut the video around
4. Write and rehearse your questions in advance. Make sure you say them as naturally as possible
5. Think about the equipment you need and make sure it is prepared in advance i.e. microphone equipment – wireless? Outdoor? hand held?
6. My preference for all round capability and flexibility on the move is as follows but it very much depends on the situation
a. Sony PD170
b. Tripod
c. Wireless mics
d. Second camera (useful but not critical)
e. Monitor
7. If you are doing an indoors interview you are probably going to need some lighting. The ideal situation will be to blank out natural light and use 3 lights like redheads. One behind the interviewee (consider a colour gel), one as the main light on the interviewee and the third as a highlight (use a gel or place further back).
8. Get your equipment set up with someone stood in the interviewee position. If they are not in a fixed seat then mark their location on the ground if possible so that they know where they should always be stood.
9. I always believe an interview is better if the interviewee is looking at the interviewer who is to one side of the camera.
10. Consider the background. Find an interesting background like a picture, design, view, plant or atmospheric lighting. A slightly out of focus background can help. Watch out also for major objects that may move around or move in and out of shot as it can cause you some problems with continuity when you come to editing.
11. Use manual focus and check your exposure to get the right treatment for your video.
12. The audio is critical on an interview. You can get around some poor shots with the edit but the audio has to be correct for an interview so sound check both mics for sound level.
13. Get the interviewee talking to you while you set up as this helps them relax and it provides and opportunity to check the sound. Do it with headphones on.
14. At all times do what ever you can to keep the interviewee relaxed.
15. Ask your questions but you don’t have to use them in the final video if you don’t want to. Consider using text on screen or better still get the interviewee to describe the question in their answer. i.e. instead of say what company do you work for in the video get the interviewee to say “The company I work for is called ……” . When someone says “what I really like about the experience is the way in which ……” it becomes obvious what the question would have been.
16. Consider if it is better for the interviewee to see the questions in advance of the interview. Sometime it is better to get the answers off the cuff as it is more natural. Giving them the jist of the questions is often enough.
17. Advise the interviewee that if they make mistakes to just stop, keep looking at the camera for a few seconds and then start the answer again.
18. Make sure you shoot lots of additional footage related to the interview so that you have content (cut aways) you can use to break up the interview footage.