Interviews
Good interviewing techniques are fundamental to many docs but it can be a bit of a neglected skill. Perfecting interview techniques might take a life time of filmmaking and of course everyone develops their own personal styles. Some key things to remember:
Good research
You can never do enough research. Don't discount the value of preparation, it helps you know what you want to get out of your interviewee - but keep it under check. It is no good if you are so busy showing off your knowledge that the real expert doesn't get a chance to be heard. There is no need to try and impress your interviewee.
Genuinely good listening skills
It is a real mistake to try and stick to a planned set of questions that were derived during research. You need to genuinely listen and remain flexible to get the heart of the story. Not listening will make the answers superficial.
Interviewing Tips
- It can be helpful to start with introductory questions that give the person you are interviewing a chance to relax with get used to the camera it can be as simple as just asking them what they have been doing that day what they had for breakfast etc
Finding something the interviewee is really interested in talking about even if it doesn't have anything to do with the story you are trying to tell is another way of getting into a relaxed conversation
Make sure your questions are phrased in an open-ended fashion. This means you are not putting words into the interviewee's mouth and allows for genuine answers. It also help a lot in editing if you get them to incorporate your question into their answer this means you can cut your voice out asking the questions easily.
Questions with a 'yes' or 'no' answer are no good!
Don't be frightened of silence. Often it is in the silent moments that the 'moment of truth' is revealed. You will hate yourself when watching your rushes if you've jumped in to ask the next question to avoid uncomfortable silence. You'll see that they might actually have just been about to say something.
Remember you don't have to interview someone sitting down facing the camera, you can do it whilst they are washing up or walking the dog.
Think carefully about where you position someone in the frame when you are interviewing and what else you show – you can often give the viewer additional information by giving careful thought to this.
If you are planning to cut between two interviews make sure you don’t position your interviewees in exactly the same place in the frame or the edits will look uncomfortable.
Never forget to get your consent forms without a release you can't use the interview however great it is.
No comments:
Post a Comment