How to shoot an interview –
by Mark Shapiro
Pre-production
WHY are you doing this interview? Who is the audience? What do you want the audience to do after they watch this interview?
Do a site survey. Where can you shoot the interview, will you need to bring lights and chairs? how noisy is it? Maybe shoot b-roll. Guest at work, exterior shot of home or business
research guests background,
prepare questions,
make sure you have all needed props
guest relations (releases, correct spelling of names and places and things, action item links – website, phone numbers, emails, etc.,
Get good locations
– avoid clutter
– put talent and guest on stools or boxes – not a couch or comfy chair. If you have comfy chairs, make talent and guests perch on end so that they don’t slouch
– guest and host at equal heights – make sure props are within reach
Lighting
– make sure you have plenty of light
– don’t shoot against a bright light or window
– 3 point lighting (Key light , fill and back light – rim) Maybe also light up the background with a kicker light
– Create or find interesting composition – diagonal streak of light in the background
Composition & Camerawork
– position your camera slightly above eyes, shooting vertical vs horizontal,
– 1 camera vs 2 vs three
– 1 camera – shoot host asking questions (over the shoulder) – then shoot guest answering questions – medium shot and close up. Guest hears questions three times & answers twice
– try to use the same type of camera for all angles, (wont have to do a lot of color correction or worry about WB)
– To color match different cameras in editing , use a color checker passport like this. Once you have your lights set up, you can use the white page to set white balance. Then shoot 30 seconds with each of the cameras. Then you can use your color correction modes in your editing software to match the colors.
– Optimal – (multi-camera shoot – with camera operators) start with a wide shot of location, host and guest; then CU of host introducing guest towards camera. Then turns to guest, alternating over the shoulder shots. Then go to alternating close ups and at end over the shoulders. Outro is host talking directly to the camera.
– Don’t violate the 180 degree rule. Unless you really want to…
Audio
– Capture good audio with matching mikes feeding into a single camera or with a boom mike & operator,
– Do a sound check to make sure video and audio are working. Watch out for annoying buzzes that might be inaudible in real time but can be heard in the editing process.
– You can dampen annoying audio reverb and echoes with blankets on the floor or hanging off camera– reduce reverb, edit with cutaways, captions, CUs, etc)
– Shoot for the edit – Do a LOUD clap between takes to mark BAD takes; can see the sudden raise in audio levels once you lay the track on your editing software timelines. OR use your fingers to mark Take 1, Take 2, etc.
Here are some good links and resources:
Research “How to shoot a video interview?
Use this one – Setting Up Cameras for Video Interviews “very good simple tips” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmn5JhlL3PI&t=169s
Shoot a 2 Camera interview set up by yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzA8clgaSjs
12 Steps for a Good Interview – “very detailed”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUZJU1894Zo
8 Steps to Shooting Interviews “for professionals, 2 camera shoot” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmn5JhlL3PI&t=169s
How to Film Interviews – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmn5JhlL3PI