Interview Techniques

[mdoragh]

If anyone can comment, advise and help me I would be grateful.

I am looking to create a series of interviews. They need to be simple to operate with minimal equipment because they are to be conducted and filmed by various people in various countries..... (no budget for me to be there also).

My plan was to lend my Panasonic DV camcorder to friends going on holiday, with instructions of what I want.

I am aware that editing peoples answers to the questions could create a problem with the continuity of video footage. I thought that I would get them to film the interview straight through in one take mainly focusing on the interviewees. Then re-filming the interviewer from a different angle re-asking just the questions (no answers), so that I have footage to cut in if required..... add interest with camera angles etc. (no chance of two cameras, so this might be the next best thing)

The other idea was to also get them to take some general footage of the country, so that I can cut in/out of these pictures with the sound of the interview carrying on.

Any tips you can give me on interview techniques using a single camera would be gratefully recieved. Since the holidays in question will only happen once, and I only see the footage when they return, I need to minimise the chance of getting absolute unusable rubbish!!! At the end of the day, I have nothing to lose, as anything might be better than nothing.... any more than that will be a BONUS!!!
Thanks

Mike

[foxvideo]

See http://www.dainter.com/infocus/shootinginterviews.htm ,an article we did for CU a few years ago, but the techniques are still the same. Can mail you a copy if you want it.

Mail us if you have any questions.

Just noticed the article has been 'edited'! so have mailed you a copy of the original article, hope it's of use.

------------------
Dave Farrants
Producer/Editor
Fox Video Productions (http://www.foxvideoproductions.co.uk)

[This message has been edited by foxvideo (edited 21 August 2001).]

[mdoragh]

FoxVideo,

Excellent advice in your article.... the one you sent is heaps better than the already excellent one you pasted the link to.

Very comprehensive.

I am slightly reassured that I was already thinking along the right lines. The idea of including footage of the interviewer nodding, provides another set of shots to cut-to, enabling smooth edits.

Also although it is obvious, trying to create footage that particularly links to themes raised in the interview, rather than just random footage from the country, is excellent advice.

Thanks for the Document.

If anyone else has any advice, comments, suggestions or hints, I would be glad to hear from you. I have never done interviews before, and I am fairly new to the video game!!!


Mike