interview notes
- Jan 16, 2024
- 4 min read
How to prepare:
carry out pre interviews -> pre interviews can help familiarise yourself with the subject and can help the person feel more comfortable before the interview happens. pre interviews are mostly considered as an essential step because they will help create a bond between the people before they have to be on screen.
be aware of the interview setting -> before the interview starts discuss with the director or cinematographer what the interview will look like and what kind of background will be used etc. It will be useful as there will then be no surprises when arriving on set
determine your camera placement -> knowing camera placement before the interview will help you feel more relaxed when arriving onset. the camera can be placed in a few ways cause traditional interviews the person being interviewed will look at the interviewer and not the camera, this will mean that the persons eyeline will be slightly to the side of the lens. on some occasions there may be two different camera angles, a close up and a medium or wide shot are mostly used so that the editor will have options.
everyone has there own styles when it comes to interviewing and different points of view but there are a few ways to ask the best documentary interview questions:
begin generally -> most often documentary filmmakers will start off with a fairly general open ended question(s) in attempt to get the subject being interviewed to answer the questions more thoughtfully and deeply. although the initial questions might not be relevant about the interview topic they can help lead to more complex and in depth answers when talking about the interview topic
remain flexible -> as the conversation develops and goes on its good to remember to stay flexible, it is okay to go off the script because when listening to the subjects answers and learn there interests and emotions side questions may pop up in your mind that you want to ask the interviewer. If the subject feels uncomfortable answering the question given simply just move on and maybe circle back later. throughout the interview don't make your main goal to just tick off question's as you go, focus on creating the right atmosphere to get detailed answers and keeping them engaged.
avoid yes/no questions -> asking yes or no questions will not create the kind of lengthy answer that you typically search for in the interview, for example instead of asking "did you live in London?" ask "what's it like living in London?" this will create a simple but good question that will get an answer that's not so bland and uninteresting.
let go of preconceptions -> If the line of questioning isn't getting you anywhere let go of the agenda you were sticking to and just listen for what the subject really wants to talk about then improvise instead of just sticking to how you thought the conversation was originally going to go.
when conducting the interview there is a few things that are good to keep in mind to conduct as successful documentary interview:
make the subject feel comfortable -> many people go into their interview nervous and a bit shy, especially when there's a camera crew surrounding them making it quit intimidating, most people who do get interviewed have never been filmed or had to speak in front of cameras before. just reassure them that there is no mistakes and that there's no need to rush.
establish clear expectations -> set up the clear expectations how you want the interview to proceed and how it will go. set out if there going to look at the interviewer or the camera, how in depth and detailed you want their answers to be, how to build and develop on yes or no answers.
don't interrupt -> if someone seems to be getting off track in their storytelling and answers, try your best not to interrupt them whilst their talking, instead try to use body language to actively listen and try to subtly steer the conversation. you can simply nod to show you want someone to continue with their train of thought or break eyes contact and look down if you want someone to wrap up their story.
have the subject repeat the question -> when speaking to the interviewee try getting them to repeat your question in their answer to help provide context for their response. for example say the question is "when was the first time you went to a concert?" the subject may begin their response with " the first time I went to a concert was..."
take breaks -> interviews can be exhausting for both the subject and the interviewer, the crew and the video producers. make sure you include breaks when preparing for the interview timetable.
in this YouTube video the man describes how he thinks listening is a key part about making a good interview and staying quiet and wait for things to happen, and letting there be some second of silence after their answer to maybe bring out an even better response out of the subject.
in this YouTube video the man describes how the interview questions are a massive part of the process and its good to ask about general questions so the subject feels at ease and personal questions that help them talk about their own life experiences to make them feel like there in the conversation and not just being talked to. he also says that the questions are guidelines and that if ii looks like the interviewee is looking like they don't want to talk about something rule out the questions that may be based on that topic. He also talks about how the camera can be very technical but all you really need is a simple camera and a mic to record the interview and that the mic or audio recorder is crucial to every production. he also talks about preparing the subject so they sign the consent forms and have them comfortable sitting in a chair and using their interview. he also says that transcribing the interview is important so that you can look for the most important things that were said.
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