Filming or shooting an interview needs much organization, equipment, and know how, as it entails creativity, audio recording, lighting, camera handling, and questioning the interviewee.
When shooting your interview, the first thing you should think about is the setting and background. You must ensure that the setting is acceptable for filming and that the background complements the tone and messaging of your topic.
The most common error committed while filming an interview is selecting an inappropriate venue that is either too noisy or not true to your story.
There are several approaches of lighting an interview. Lighting, like location and backdrop, should support the tone and message of your narrative.
For a neutral classic aesthetic, common lighting approaches such as the 3-point lighting setup are ideal. Other more extreme lighting approaches, such as high-key and low-key lighting, can provide a bright, optimistic tone or a deeper, gloomy tone.
Interviews on the street or outside can be filmed with natural lighting, although a well placed led-panel can brighten up your subject, even outside.
Because interview conversation is sometimes the sole dialogue in videos, it is critical that you record clear clean audio. When we talk about clean audio, we mean audio that is clear and free of distractions like echo, background chatter, or road noise.
Your microphone selection is critical at this step since it will impact your recording. Shotgun or boom microphones should be as near to the subject as allowed while remaining out of frame. Clip microphones should be attached to the subject's clothing near the mouth, without rubbing against the clothes.
When shooting interviews, you have the option of using one or more cameras.
Using two or more cameras allows you to cut between the different cameras and delete any unneeded parts or filler words. Make sure your cameras are at eye level with the interviewee so that viewers aren't staring up or down at the person being interviewed.
Additionally, make sure the subject is not in the center of the frame and that there is more room in front of than behind their face.
The interview itself is the last step in shooting an interview. Ensure your guest is at ease and has access to a drink of water.
Have a little discussion with them about their day before you start asking the questions to relieve their anxiety. Being recorded may be a stressful experience for many individuals, so make sure your guest is as relaxed as possible.
Pay attention to the answers they provide, and don't be afraid to ask them to answer the question again if necessary. A skilled interviewer will pay close attention to the responses and then probe further with additional questions.
At Headline we have cameramen who are experienced in shooting interviews with a diversity of subjects as politicians, journalists, professors and all sorts of interesting people. We provide them with the right equipment and they know how to set-up, light and record the perfect interview.
Please contact us for any help shooting your interviews anywhere in the world.