{"id":35,"date":"2019-02-24T02:06:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-24T02:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nichevisuals.com\/blog\/?p=35"},"modified":"2021-04-22T16:51:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T16:51:28","slug":"how-to-film-an-effective-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nichevisuals.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/24\/how-to-film-an-effective-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Videographer and The Art of an Effective Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My bread and butter as a videographer (especially a Chicago videographer) is filming interviews and testimonials.\u00a0I have filmed hundreds of such interviews, I have worked with other videographers setting up interviews and I have seen many more video interviews all over the web.\u00a0Over this time I have learned a few important keys to making a good and engaging interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Brief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First point, be brief.\u00a0When I set up a video production interview I usually end up talking to my subject for 30 -40 minutes.\u00a0 However, an effective interview video with one subject is 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes.\u00a0When I get a response from my subject that is long, verbose, and it feels like he\/she is wondering with an idea, I let them finish, complement them on how good their response was and ask them to summarize it in 2-3 sentences.\u00a0Sometimes it takes a few takes.\u00a0Hence, allow 40 minutes for an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make the Video Production Interview Conversational<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, make the interview conversational.\u00a0There is nothing more boring and flat than reading off questions to the subject.\u00a0 As humans, we are social beings.\u00a0Yes, the subject understands that ultimately he\/she is talking to an imaginary audience and he\/she is just being filmed.\u00a0However, I have seen shy people open up to me when I engaged them with a conversations.\u00a0They forget the camera is pointing at them and give me content that is riche and personal.\u00a0At times, as videographer, you can\u2019t engage in conversation or you don\u2019t feel comfortable doing it, and prefer just attending to the gear.\u00a0If this is the case, it is worth bringing another person to whom the subject can talk (and engage).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use 2 cameras for your Video Production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Always use at least two cameras for your Video Production.\u00a0 Having multiple angles makes the editing much easier.\u00a0 You can easily cut the interview and jump from one camera to another during the transitions.\u00a0 Cutting interview filmed with one camera creates distracting jump cuts.\u00a0Additionally, having multiple camera angles makes the video more dynamic. Sometimes, I even add a little slider movement like in this video to add more dynamic feel to an otherwise static shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sound is Huge for Quality of your Video Production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The sound quality is huge.\u00a0In my video production I use high end lavalier microphones. The lavalier mic is close to the subject and you get much more voice signal and less environment noise.\u00a0Truthfully, most viewers watching these types of videos will not be able to tell difference between a video shot with a $30k camera and something shot with a smartphone. However, bed sound is immediately noticeable.\u00a0Bed sound screams \u201camateur\u201d video.\u00a0If you don\u2019t have a good lavalier mics you can use a shotgun mic.\u00a0Ideally, you want to get the microphone as close to the subject as you can.\u00a0You can mount such microphone on a stand and run the cable to the camera.\u00a0Mixing of the sound is also crucial.\u00a0To get that professional sound quality you always want to add a little compression to the sound, so the loud parts are attenuated and quite parts are turned up.\u00a0I often use a little EQ to remove the low end of the sound spectrum.\u00a0When mixed with some music, the voice that is compressed and lightly EQ will cut through the mix easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You will need Good B-Roll for engaging Videography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, to make a video interview engaging you need to have something visual to cut to. Often this is B-roll.\u00a0B-roll shots are visuals scenes that support the story the subject is telling.\u00a0However, sometimes I use photographs from the subject and build a collage that visually tells the story.\u00a0When I do this type of a collage, I actually prefer photos that are not taken professionally, as they better represent the reality of the person being interviewed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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